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Ellie Finch Tel. 07896833223 Email.2 ellie.finch@yahoo.co.uk page
Macbeth
‘When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?’ ‘When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won’
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Contents Concept Statement... 10-11 Research: Native American’s... 12-13 Native American Clothing... 14-15 Inuit...18-19 Inuit Clothing...20-21 Development...24-25 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth...26-29 The Witches... 32-35 Duncan... 38-41 Macduff and Lady Macduff... 44-47 Siward... 50-53 Banquo... 56-59 Final Illustrations: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth... 62-63 Banquo... 64-65 The Witches... 66-67 Duncan... 68-69 Siward... 70-71 Macduff and Lady Macduff... 72-73 Final Line-up... 74-75
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Concept Statement
For Macbeth I will be designing for a film version as the places in which I wanted to set the play will be most successful visually if shot with a camera. The concept for this project started at looking at the superstition and magical element of the story. I knew I wanted to set Macbeth away from Scotland and thought that there were a lot of parallels between the story and the Native Americans. I soon discovered that the Witches fitted really well into the role of a shaman; the shamans perform rituals and deal with hallucinations all of which are present in Macbeth, especially in the first act when predicting Macbeth’s future. In term of the rest of the characters, the different kingdoms (England and Scotland) make up different tribes scattered over America and Canada. The tribe in which Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are from inhabit Alberta, the province in Canada. For their costumes I will be taking inspiration from Alberta’s Banff National Park in wintertime, looking at the different forms of ice from melting glaciers to smooth patches of snow. The textiles on the costumes will reflect the characters’ state of mind, beginning with very pristine fabrics and progressing to shards of cracked mirrors, acrylic and glass representing melting ice and further emphasising Macbeth’s deteriorating mental health. For the shape of the garment I will be looking at the traditional clothing of the Inuit, keeping the shapes quite simple but the textiles more intricate. The Witches will be based on a complete contrast to Macbeth’s, looking into the sacred sites of the Native Americans and bringing in the flaming red rocks of Utah and Arizona. Visually the contrast between the burnt reds and the ice white of Macbeth’s land when they go and visit him will really highlight just how strange and mysterious these women are. I aim to incorporate elements of bones into the designs, drawing inspiration from their initial speech in the play but also from the landscape that I am basing them in. Banquo will be similar to Macbeth, dressed in Inuit style clothing but changing the textiles to show the transition from life to death. The similarity to Macbeth in clothing will even further emphasise the brutality of his murder at the hands of Macbeth, given the fact that they were almost like brothers. Lord and Lady Macduff are based in the coastal region of Olympic National Park, Washington. Their costumes will have a very nautical feel whilst still in keeping with the traditional Native American dress. I aim to include many different natural objects found around the coastline within the textiles to create a more organic feel. For Old Siward and the Native American tribal version of the English the focus will be around Redwood National Park and Yosemite in California, looking particularly at the texture of the trees and beautiful patterns in the rock formations. Macbeth, Macduff and Siward’s tribes along with the Witches have a very contrasting style all inspired by very different parts of nature, aiming to show the very different places that they come from but also to show the relationship with each other. However Duncan’s tribe is based in the woodland mountainous area of Wyoming in the Great Teton National Park where all of the different elements from other costumes can be found. I aim to include various bits of each of the other textiles in Duncan’s clothing to show his very kind and understanding character and this total unselfishness as King. All the textiles, shape and fabric used for the garments are very organic in style, perfectly reflecting upon the landscapes from which they are inspired. Although I have no set time period I would like the designs to keep with the traditional Native American shape whilst also bringing some very contemporary elements through as well. page 11
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Research: Native Americans
The many different tribes that make up the Native American population were the source of inspiration for the costumes of many of the groups of characters. The Crow Indians and the Paiute Indians are some of the larger tribes present in America during the time of the early settlers and before. The Crow Indians or ‘Children of the large-beaked bird’, originated from Minnesota and Wisconsin moving towards North Dakota before finally settling in Montana in areas such as Yellowstone National Park and Great Teton National Park. Once settled the Crows split into three groups: Mountain Crow, River Crow and ‘Kicked in the Bellies’ (a group who hunted bison). Women were held at high regard among the tribe playing important roles within the tribe, something which is very relevant to the story of Macbeth with all the strong female characters present.
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The Native American women were the ones trusted to make the clothing for the tribe, using the whole hide of the animal so not to waste anything. I decided pretty much straight away that I wouldn’t be able to use authentic animal hide for my costume designs. The sheer size of the cast needed to bring Macbeth to the big screen would require a lot of animal hide which wouldn’t be cost effective on the tight costume budgets. The combination of animal hide, feathers and intricate bead work on traditional Native American clothing was what initially captured my attention. The mass variety of different symbols and meanings that were hidden in the embellishment of the garments, really benefited the my design process in terms of really being able to emphasise the characterisation. Being able to subtly portray messages about the characters personality through the use of pattern will further help completely set the scene and better establish the characters rank within the tribes.
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Native American Clothing
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Research: Inuits Although I initially was only going to base my concept around the native tribes of America, I realised that to bring more contrast between each characters costume I should research into tribes that inhabited the Arctic areas of Northern Canada. This will allow a greater scope of shapes and silhouettes, ranging from thick winter coats to shorter leggings and dresses of the plains Indians. The Inuit culture has completely evolved over the last few centuries, from handmade fur parkas and progressing to the synthetic fabrics of the 21st century. The harsh landscape in which the Inuits live has resulted in them using innovative methods to survive. The tribes move over vast distances, hunting seals and wales to provide food and clothing.
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Inuit Clothing The inuits use every part of the animal so not to waste anything. The majority of garments are made from caribou (reindeer) hide, with seal and smaller mammals being used when possible. All the hides are regularly coated with fish oil to maintain the water resistance to stop the cold from coming through. During my design process I experiemented with different fabrics and coatings, to try and emulate the visual look of authentic fur whilst trying to keep each costume ethical and ultimately keep the cost down. It was interesting to discover the meanings behind the different cuts of each garment. The women in particular wore a specific style of parka called a ‘Amauti’, which were designed to carry a child against the body utilising the body heat and thus protecting them from frostbite. The decoration of each item very much depended on what region the tribe lived in, with tailsmans attached to attracted spirits to protect the womens ovaries/fertility. This imagery is definitely something that I thought about when starting to design Lady Macbeth, given the many theories surrounding the supposed death of her child which was the catalyst for her mental collapse. ‘Mukluks’ were soft boots worn by the Inuits which worked well for traveling long distances, however often had to be replaced due to the harsh conditions and rough terrain. Elements such as snowshoes were a important part of the design process for the Macbeths, as they make the long journey that the Macbeths undertook to reach the area from which Duncan ruled more believable.
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Macbeths & Banquo Macduffs Siward The Witches Duncan
One of the most vital aspects of my entire design concept was having a solid foundation on which to develop character costumes. Each character group is based within its own ‘land’ which have been created by taking inspiration from different areas within North America. The Macbeths are situated within an icy land of central Canada in and around the piercing blue glacial lakes of Alberta National Park and the snow covered mountains of the Rockies. Banquo, being like a brother to Macbeth is from the same area. I saw the Macduffs as being very gentle characters and wanted to create a home that reflected that. Inspiration for the land of the Macduffs stems from the coastal region of the west coast of America, looking specifically at the areas around Olympic National Park in the state of Washington. Siward had to be a complete contrast to the Macbeths, which I why I have decided to base him around the woodland areas of the Mid-West, featuring the ancient redwood forests near Yosemite National Park. The very organic browns and greens will really emphasise that the characters of Macbeth and Siward are at war with each other. It also relates the line in the play ‘Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him’ foretelling Macbeth’s eventual downfall. The Witches have very different visual asthetic. By incorporating the sacred sites of the Native Americans, I have decided to focus the Witches around the landscape of Arizona and Utah using the burnt reds and oranges to really portray that sense of mystery. Duncan was harder to place but I eventually decided upon basing his costumes around the mountain regions of the Northwest of America, bringing through the stone grey colours of the mountains and the brighter colours of the wildflowers growing at their base.
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The Macbeth’s
The Macbeth’s characters are based around the Inuit tribes of Canada, taking inspiration from the snowy landscape of the north Americas. I have focussed on the piercing blue lakes of glacier national park and combining with it the more neutral colours of the mountains of Alberta national park and the frosty white of the ice bergs of the Arctic circle. Keeping with the very traditional shape of Inuit clothing, I have been able to fuse together the ancient styles with more contemporary textiles. The idea behind the textiles of the Macbeth’s is to incorporate the idea of different types of fur/hide that was used in traditional garments and instead using a more regular linear pattern using a cut away technique. Each textile involves a certain amount of machine embroidery, which is meaning to represent the abstract shapes of a moving glacier. Areas of the parka, whilst initially solid white will slowly crack and separate mirroring the deterioration of each characters mental state. Lady Macbeth will have a typical female parka, a amauti which has a wide hood, shoulders and long tail shape at the back. Throughout my designs, masks and headdresses are going to be a really important way of gaining a better sense of character. The Macbeth’s start having a clear face but as the story progresses and Macbeth becomes king, each will have a mask acting as an alternative to a crown. Macbeth’s half man mask covering half of the face is a traditional Inuit mask which symbolises half man half animal- the perfect imagery for the character as Macbeth’s desperation towards the end of the play is portrayed to be very animalistic. Lady Macbeth’s mask is more of a take on Macbeth’s, similar in design but instead forming across half the face horizontally.
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Development: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
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The Witches
I think I knew instantly that the witches were going to be clothed in different costumes but with similar colours and textiles. The witches are based around a lot of the sacred sites in Native American culture, a lot of which are situated in the Utah, Arizona, Nevada area. The really stand out things about these places are the burnt reds and warn browns and oranges that are present in the landscape. With Macbeth’s initial meeting with the witches taking place in the cold Arctic north of Canada, the contrast between the cold whites, greys and blues of the ice and snow, and the warmer tones of Utah would be really visually effective on screen and would be a really successful way of highlighting the mystical nature of these three women. Further emphasis will be added through the use of masks, I can narrowed the choice down to the sorcerer returns mask which symbolises the shamans return from near death a very spiritual journey which opens the shaman up to a mountain of knowledge. Like with all of the costumes in the play, the witches will all be made out of natural fibres to keep a similar feel as the leathers and hides previously used in the past.
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Development: The Witches
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Duncan
Inspiration for Duncan was taken from Great Teton National Park, Wyoming. I liked the contrast between the rough bare rock and the delicacy of the wildflowers that grow at the base of the mountains. The idea was to combine shades of stones and grey with brighter colours such as purples and yellows being woven into prominant areas. Having the inclusion of both rock and wildflowers represents both Duncan’s caring character and strength as a leader. I felt that the character of Duncan, whilst being a good leader and respected ruler, he ultimately wasn’t very strong given that he was defeated/murdered by Macbeth. As a result having his costumes portraying a really fierce vibe wouldn’t have acturately conveyed the correct character, with Siward being the one who plays the warrior type in the story. Duncan will be the only character to have a full Indian Chiefs feathered headdress, which will act as an alternative to the crown from the orignal story and further highlight his rank in society.
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Development: Duncan page 41
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The Macduff’s
The Macduffs were inspired by the coastal tribes of the West Coast of America, looking in paricular at the breathtaking beauty of Washington’s Olympic National Park. Once again the colours taken from the landscape will completely contrast with each of the other groups of characters, with the aqua-marine blues and greens layered with bluey greys and flashes of silver perfectly encapsulating the coastal visual that I was looking to create. For the silhouettes of each costume I have been focusing on traditional clothing worn by the Hupa tribe of Northern California, who made their home by large bodies of water. Their clothing is known for the inclusion of beaded shells and stones, which not only embellished their own garments but were also used as a trade for animal hides with the Plains Indians.
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Development: Macduff and Lady Macduff
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Siward The shape of Siwards costume focussed around Native American style men’s leggings. Initially I started with looking at featuring a cape type garment around the shoulders of the character, with layers of feathers and fringing brining forward that warrior vibe that I was looking to create. This shape soon developed into an array of body adorment and organic jewellry. Using a mixture of sticks, twigs and feathers combined with my more contemporary textiles, will not only enhance the Native American aspect of my concept but also bring a unique edge to the look to the character. I feel that the development stage of Siward really allowed me to discover the most successful way to encapsulate the atmosphere of a deep forest in America.
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Development: Siward
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Banquo The designs for banquos character will be in direct relation to the macbeths. The idea behind this is to really emphasise the brotherhood between Macbeth and banquo, which is what ultimately makes his murder all the more brutal. As the silhouette of the Inuit garments, especially for the men, are very similar in style is important to show the contrast in character through a different use of textiles and colour. As a result I have kept and even more limited colour palette for banquo, removing the shades of stone and beige and instead keeping with greys and white. The ice blue of the glacier lakes will be brought through in the machine em roofers, again showing the shapes within a glacier. In terms of banquos costume after his death, I didn't want there to be too much of a change. By researching into the traditional Native American belief in the spirit world and what happens after death, I was able to limit down my choices on the different meanings of masks. I discovered that the wolf spirit animal had a lot of parallels with banquos character. They are fiercely loyal pack animals but also have an air of suspicion surrounding them, all of which link nicely with his story. Using traditional shapes taken from objects like the totem pole I was able to design a fitting mask that he would wear after his murder.
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Development: Banquo
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Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
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Banquo
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The Witches
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Duncan
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Siward
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Macduff and Lady Macduff
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