As 2013 has rounded out, I've found myself thinking back on all of the things I've had the chance to do this year. My most recent posts consisted of some of the little details that last years trip to Park City, UT offered. My first time attending the Sundance Film Festival surpassed my expectations and left me wanting to be ever more involved in the film community I found myself in.
As February rolled around I had a last moment chance to board a plane to New York and work with my dear friend Malgosia Turzanska for the first time after completing Ain't Them Bodies Saints. I was able to assist her on several projects one of which was the music video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Sacrilege" and a feature by French director Dyana Gaye, Under the Starry Sky.
The time spent in New York was enlightening. It was exhausting. I came to realize what a Texan I truely am. The small spaces and icy weather left my toes frozen and me missing home. I managed to slip "well, back in Texas..." into nearly every conversation I had with a new acquaintance. I was able to make some wonderful new friends, learn what it meant to make your way in New York City, as well as becoming fully aware of what it means to couch surf while working 13 hour days.
Needless to say, when I returned home, I was grateful. Toby and I had the house to ourselves, a first for us, and started making a home of it. I found odd jobs working for the IATSE wardrobe local at several different venues in Dallas and Fort Worth. It was around then that Toby put his short film into production - a fast and furious process in our back yard which consisted of digging a hole 5 feet across and 4 feet deep twice as well as pumping out the rainfall that filled it to the brim twice.
I'm more than thrilled to say that the time and effort payed off as "Dig" will be premiering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, no small feat as 0.6% of shorts submitted were chosen in 2013. I couldn't be more happy with Toby's work and the work I did. I am proud to say this is the first film I have designed to show at the prestigious festival.
Around this time I was contacted by Kat Candler about 'working in the costume department' on her upcoming sophomore feature film Hellion. While 'working in the costume department' could have meant anything, she wholeheartedly wanted me to design the movie. Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis were the (big) names attached. I was excited. And terrified, but terror is a really strong motivator.
We shot in a town called Port Neches in August. It's nestled between Beaumont and Port Arthur close to the Texas gulf coast. It was hot and humid and the mosquitoes were at their blood suckiest but the whole experience was singular. The entire town came to our aid, offered everything they possibly could and welcomed us into their community. Everyone working on the show loved what they did and found joy in making this movie. We worked hard and always were having fun (sometimes too much fun). I'll reunite with the Hellion gang in Utah as well, seeing the fruits of our labor in weather conditions quite the opposite of those we labored in.
I also met this fine lady while dressing Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Music Hall. Nichole Hull has become my new favorite person to work with. We killed ourselves for three weeks during prep and our first week shooting and this is the result of our first night off. It perfectly encapsulates all the memories I hold onto from the summer in four little pictures.
Immediately following my foray in South Texas, I traveled to New York for a little R&R and to spend time with Toby while he was there working. Turns out, I don't mind New York when it's above 40 degrees out. But I was only there a week before I joined Malgosia again in Philadelphia to work on a feature her friend Andrew Renzi was making. This movie brought my friends I had met last summer on Saints from all over, back together again. Our wardrobe department was the largest I had ever worked with, as were stars Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning.
I learned more on this project than I think I have anywhere else. Just when you think you've got the process figured out, or think you know what to expect or how to behave, you get thrown on your head and see how things a rung up from where you've been before. I've never handled finer garments and helped make a bonafide movie star look more goofy. Nor have I worked on a movie that elicited legit paparazzi.
These are the best babes in the biz. L to R: Jennifer Louise Tillery, Robyn Mackenzie-Deckaj, Malgosia Turzanska, Rita Squitiere, Teresa Binder-Westby, Me.
Meeting Rita and Teresa taught us all so much. They're experience was an invaluable addition to our team. Likewise, Robyn, who came to us from the office side of movie making, gave us flip side perspectives when it came to paperwork and budgeting. She and I also happened to think on the same wavelength most hours of the day, most days of the week. This diverse group of women helped me to see a side to what I do everyday in a new way as well as became people I hope to always have in my life.
I returned home to work with Nichole again on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Magestic Theater through the holiday season. Again I was thankful to be home again after nearly four full months away. I spent time catching my breath and hanging pictures on the walls as well as lining up what 2014 will bring.
My upcoming departure for Sundance will start the melee of travel again. February will take me to Austin and hopefully I'll do some more venturing after that. As of now plans are being laid all the way until July, which is something I am unaccustomed to in the world of film. 2013 was a year of firsts. I can't wait for the what's next. It can only get better.
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