Colleen Atwood has worked on a wide range of films since starting off in the business back in 1984 on the film Firstborn. Since then she has produced costumes for serial killer movie Manhunter, Married to the Mob, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Silence of the Lambs, Ed Wood, Wyatt Earp, Mars Attacks, Gattaca, Sleepy Hollow and The Mexican amongst others. Fox Home Video have kindly provided us with the following interview with the artist.
Interviewer: Have you worked out precisely how many costumes were created for Planet of the Apes?
Colleen: We made around 2,000 costumes including shoes, rubber feet and gloves for the apes.
Interviewer: Which was hardest to design and why?
Colleen: The action/military costumes were the most difficult because they had to function in so many ways.
Interviewer: Do you have a team seeking out the materials that you might require?
Colleen: On Planet of the Apes, I had a very knowledgeable team who knew good materials, but I had one main source person who worked online and on the street continually looking for the proper materials.
Interviewer: Were you guided or influenced in any way by the original Planet of the Apes movies?
Colleen: I really like the original Apes costumes. The colors were great and the use of heavy materials was something that influenced me for this film.
Interviewer: What research was required?
Colleen: While researching design from many cultures, I was inspired globally from Peru to Turkey to Africa to Japan. All types of clothing and design from the 5th century through to today.
Interviewer: Is creating costumes for actors who are dressed in ape suits more difficult than more traditional costume design?
Colleen: Yes. There is fur on the body and a much larger head, so it is bound to be different and difficult.
Interviewer: How did you decide to break down the different dress codes for the several simian species featured?
Colleen: Each simian had a much different body suit, so besides trying to define class across species, there was a definite attempt to dress each group in different styles.
Interviewer: What were the elements that went into the military style of the warrior apes?
Colleen: Armor, under-armor, helmets, helmet and armor gloves, body suits, feet and shoes that the actors could move in.
Interviewer: What about the primitive humans, did you go for a look that was Stone Age chic?
Colleen: The humans were conceived off the idea of an arid harsh environment. I used fabric screened in landscape-like materials and painted them with pearly paint to achieve a skin-like material. Then I used pinecones and all kinds of materials to get texture and a feather like quality.
Interviewer: Given all the other costumes involved, was the astronaut suit for Mark Wahlberg relatively straight forward?
Colleen: Mark's suit was a total nod to the first Apes film. We left him in the remnants of the suit to symbolize his origins and desires to return home.
Interviewer: This is your fifth film with Tim Burton. Why do you think you make such an effective team?
Colleen: Because Tim has such an amazing eye and is an artist. He actually understands a design and encourages it. He can also feel what doesn't work for him so we can move on if something doesn't work.
Interviewer: Why did you become a costume designer and what makes it rewarding work?
Colleen: I've always loved movies, art and clothes so it just happened. The reward is that you can actually create a world separate from reality with a story, actors, music, and camera design. When it works it can entertain, move people and teach us all.
Tim Burton's action filled feature Planet of the Apes starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Kris Kristofferson is out to buy now from all good DVD retailers.
