FF:FAVz094 Costume from Script to Screen

FAVz094 Costume from Script to Screen: History and analysis of costume and wardrobe in the James Bond films

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2021

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Dr. Llewella Chapman (lecturer)
Mgr. Tereza Bochinová (assistant)
Mgr. Kateřina Šrámková (assistant)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Šárka Jelínek Gmiterková, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts

Timetable

Thu 25. 11. 16:00–17:40 C34, Fri 26. 11. 14:00–15:40 C34, Thu 2. 12. 14:00–17:40 Virtuální místnost, Fri 3. 12. 13:00–15:40 C34, Thu 9. 12. 14:00–17:40 Virtuální místnost, Fri 10. 12. 13:00–15:40 C34, Thu 16. 12. 14:00–17:40 Virtuální místnost

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 65 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 6/65, only registered: 0/65, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/65

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 18 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives (in Czech)

Research on costume in film has previously been afforded to Hollywood (for example Edward Maeder and Tamar Jeffers McDonald): British cinema and its relationship with costume is still in its infancy by way of comparison. This is likely due to the perception that Hollywood costume is more ‘glamourous’ than the ‘drab’ costumes of British social realist film, for example. This lecture series will focus on the formation of the wardrobe department, how a costume specification is achieved by different members of the wardrobe department, and an analysis of the designs and costumes themselves as they appear on screen to further understand how costume contributes to the production and marketing of film, and how costume forms a vital part of the British film industry both in terms of creativity and economics, with an emphasis on the James Bond film franchise.

This lecture series will offer students the opportunity to understand the labour, creativity and authorship that goes into costume making decisions from a film’s director, producer, script writer, star, and the various costume personnel themselves. To do this, students will have the opportunity to access and critically review relevant primary sources, for example scripts, budgets, correspondence, marketing materials and critical reception.

Learning outcomes (in Czech)

By the end of the course, students should be able to:
(1) Analyse specific primary sources in relation to understanding a film’s production history in relation to costume and wardrobe
(2) Understand the process of designing and creating costumes for film from script to screen
(3) Gain knowledge on the different wardrobe roles within the film industry
(4) Develop textual analysis tools with which to analyse costume on screen
(5) Critically evaluate how costume and wardrobe contributes to film in relation to plot, narrative, character and design.

Syllabus (in Czech)

Session 1: Costume and wardrobe – an introduction
Reading: Elizabeth Nielsen, ‘Handmaidens of the Glamour Culture: Costumers in the Hollywood Studio System’, in Jane Gaines and Charlotte Herzog (eds), Fabrications: Costume and the Female Body, (New York: Routledge, 1990) pp. 160-179.
Sue Harper, ‘Costume Designers’, Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, (London: Continuum, 2000) pp. 213-221.
Session 2: Script writing, sources and costume design
Reading: Melanie Williams, ‘The Girl you Don’t See: Julie Harris and the Costume Designer in British Cinema’, Feminist Media Histories, (Vol. 2, Issue 2), Spring 2016, University of California Press, pp. 71-106.
Primary source: Dr No fifth draft screenplay (8 January 1962).
Session 3: Costs, wardrobe personnel and budgets
Reading: Llewella Chapman, ‘“My tailor… Savile Row”: Sean Connery and Dr. No (1962)’, Fashioning James Bond: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007, (London: Bloomsbury, 2021) pp. 7-32.
Screening: Dr. No (1962).
Primary sources: Dr. No budget (c.1961) and cost reports (c.1962).
Session 4: Costume, character and textual analysis
Reading: Stella Bruzzi, ‘Introduction: Clothing and cinema’, Undressing Cinema: Clothing and Identity in the Movies, (London: Routledge, 1997), pp. xiii-xxi.
Elisabeth Ladenson, ‘Pussy Galore’, in Christoph Lindner (ed.), The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003) pp. 184-201.
Screening: Goldfinger (1964).
Primary source: Press book and press cuttings (c.1964-1965).
Session 5: Marketing and reception
Reading: Alexis Albion, ‘Wanting to Be James Bond’, in Edward P. Comentale, Stephen Watt and Skip Willman, Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005) pp. 202-220
Screening: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Primary sources: Press book and press cuttings (c.1969-1970).
Session 6: Stardom and costume
Reading: Pam Cook and Claire Hines, ‘“Sean Connery Is James Bond”: Re-Fashioning British Masculinity in the 1960s’, in Rachel Moseley (ed.), Fashioning Film Stars: Dress, Culture, Identity, (London: British Film Institute, 2005) pp. 147-159.
Sarah Gilligan, ‘Branding the New Bond: Daniel Craig and Designer Fashion’, in Robert G. Wiener, B. Lynn Whitfield and Jack Becker (eds), James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films are Not Enough, 2nd edition, (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011) pp. 76-85.
Screening: Spectre (2015).
Primary sources: Spectre shooting script (17 October 2014) and revised shooting script (1 December 2014).

Literature

required literature

Jane Gaines and Charlotte Herzog (eds), Fabrications: Costume and the Female Body, (New York: Routledge, 1990)
Llewella Chapman: Costume, Gender and Identity in the World of 007, (London: Bloomsbury, 2021)
Robert G. Wiener, B. Lynn Whitfield and Jack Becker (eds), James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films are Not Enough, 2nd edition, (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011)
Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, (London: Continuum, 2000)
Edward P. Comentale, Stephen Watt and Skip Willman, Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005) pp. 202-220 Screening: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Melanie Williams, ‘The Girl you Don’t See: Julie Harris and the Costume Designer in British Cinema’, Feminist Media Histories, (Vol. 2, Issue 2), Spring 2016, University of California Press, pp. 71-106.
Fashioning film stars : dress, culture, identity. Edited by Rachel Moseley. 1st pub. . London: BFI, 2005, x, 188. ISBN 9781844570676. info
BRUZZI, Stella. Undressing cinema : clothing and identity in the movies. First published. London: Routledge, 1997, xxi, 226. ISBN 0415139562. info

Teaching methods (in Czech)

This module consists of six lectures, all of them live and online on MS Teams platform.
Students are required to read all the items from the reading list and go through primary materials for each lecture. All of the required materials will be provided in the study materials in the IS system. Films will be screened in the screening room C34 at designated times in the schedule; their attendance is not obligatory.
SCHEDULE:
Lesson 1: Thursday 2. 12. 14:00 - 15:50
Lesson 2: Thursday 2. 12. 16:00 - 17:50
Lesson 3: Thursday 9. 12. 14:00 - 15:50
Lesson 4: Thursday 9. 12. 16:00 - 17:50
Lesson 5: Wednesday 15. 12. 8:00 - 9:50
Lesson 6: Wednesday 15. 12. 10:00 - 11:50

SCREENINGS:
- Dr.No: Thursday 25.11., starting 16:00
- Goldfinger: Friday 26. 11., starting 14:00
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Friday 3.12., starting 13:30
- Spectre, Friday 9. 12., starting 13:30.

Assessment methods (in Czech)

Apart from the compulsory attendance students will have to pass two test. First test is a preliminary one and it will take place just before the start of the first lecture. With two questions, the test will check the knowledge of the required items from the reading list (will be specified). The other test is final, consisting of three questions testing both students' acquaintance with the reading list as well as their knowledge and skills gained throughout the course itself. Ten points maximum can be gathered from both of the test; five points are the necessary minimum in order to pass the course successfully.

FF:FAVz094 Costume from Script to Screen - Course Information

FAVz094 Costume from Script to Screen: History and analysis of costume and wardrobe in the James Bond films

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