Deborah L. Scott
Back in 1997 Titanic swept into cinemas for the first time and went on to become the biggest grossing movie of all time.
Deborah L. Scott was responsible for all of the costumes in the movie and we caught up with her to chat about her experience on the film.
- You teamed up with James Cameron to work on Titanic so what sort or research did you do for the time period to create the beautiful costumes that we see in the movie? And what were you trying to capture with the costumes that you created?
In beginning my work on Titanic, my team and I, did immense amounts of research, from historical documentation about the real event, as well as researching the lives of the real characters depicted in the movie.
I also researched the White Star Line and other ship companies, the British Navy, and uniforms of the time in general.
A big part of the research centered around the fashions of the day, as well as previous decades and folk costumes of many countries.
Also, researching the etiquette of the time period was very helpful, guiding many decisions. Luckily, it is a period with photographic references available, as well as paintings, albeit, in black and white.
I also collected many real garments, accessories, trims, hats, etc. of the period, which greatly informed the design. We learned a lot about the colors of the period doing this.
- What was it like to work alongside James Cameron? How much was he involved in the design process?
He is quite a brilliant man, and a great committed filmmaker. He has a tremendous passion for what he undertakes.
His passion and commitment spills over to everyone. He is a hard worker and expects you to be as well.
We had a lot of talks about the movie in general, and he approved all of the designs. He trusts his designers to work hard and make the right choices.
- Titanic was a movie on a huge scale; what were the main challenges when you were creating the costumes and then when you got on the set?
The sheer size of it was the biggest challenge! And to pull it off with as much perfection as possible was a lot of work.
Thankfully, I had a wonderful and highly skilled crew, as well as a producer, Jon Landau, who understood and supported the enormity of the task.
Being on the set and organizing such a big effort (not to mention, the difficulties of shooting in water!) taught us all a lot.
- The movie made household names of both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. How did you find working with them? Did they bring any ideas to the table?
Theo were both so young with a tremendous responsibility. They carried it off with amazing class and depth of character, while always being lovely to work with.
- What is it like to be an Oscar winner? What do you remember from that night? And where is your Oscar now?
It truly is a great honour. To be named with so many amazing other artists is a true gift. Really, the bigger honour is being involved with a film that is so beloved worldwide, and nor that people actually remember the clothes!
We all had a tremendously fun night. I keep my oscar on the bookshelf, alongside my husband's Emmy and my children's various childhood trophies.
- You reunited with James Cameron for Avatar, an even bigger project than Titanic, so how did you find working on that project? Were there any additional challenges with a 3D project?
Working on Avatar was a huge challenge, as it was the first animation project that I had done, as well as being groundbreaking technically. I am a complete computer dummy, so I had to learn a lot, fast!
- How did you get into costume design in the first place? Is it something that you always wanted to be involved with?
I always, loved drama class. Whenever anyone asked who would do the costumes, I always said, I will!
My mother taught me to sew as a little girl and my father gave me the love of cinema.
- Finally, what projects are you working on next?
Well, that remains to be seen! But I am hoping to reunite with one of my favorite directors, Cameron Crowe, on his next project.
Many thanks for taking the time out to answer my questions.
Helen Earnshaw - FemaleFirst
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FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw