"I have so many thoughts. Lets all agree that making fictional movies is a form of expression, an art form if you will. Yes, you have artistic liberty and all that jazz. Why not, when you have the budget, time and possibility actually take it as far as you can and have fun with the costumes?
I dont think people truly understand how much information the clothing gives you in the audience. And this movie is no exception. Yes, we all understand that it is not meant to be a documentary about the bronce age. But the myth has basis in a point in our timeline as humans. It is what we assosiate with it. Why not use this as a starting point for the visuals in the movie? When creating costumes, you need basic information. Yes, you can just make something up. But this can be hard to relate to as an audience member. Its all about assosiations. It is more than just "looking cool". In this case we have (roughly) time, place, and environment. We even have some examples of clothing and life. This means that we know soooooo much and it will give the clothing a good ground to stand on, and the designer a lot to work with. The ground work is done, and the fun begins.
We can look at what natural materials they had access to. What kind of fibres, animals and metals to make the clothing from. What kind of plants could they make dye from? What was most accessible - that is the least expensive. This is classic stuff. The materials are made with what they have at hand, and the rarest goes to the richest. It tells the audience about the environment, the temperature, the hierarky, the plantlife, the actual everyday life of the people living there. What they spend their days doing. How do they wear the clothes? What is practical (or if you are rich - impractical? You can wear long dresses in the mud, because you dont have to wash it yourself) What kind of work do they do? Are there dangerous animals around and they all carry weapons? Do they have symbols representing their place or group? How hot or cold is it, and do they need protection from the sun, sand, the wind or the sea? The list goes on.
What tools did they have? Everything needs to be hand spun, woven and sewn with basic tools. They make needles of animal-bones? Okey, then maybe they dont have a lot of seems in the garments, because it is hard work sewing. Look at the ancient greek clothing - almost no seems. Everything is either tied, draped or pinned to the body. How can you play with this as a costume designer? There would not be tight fitting sleeves or trousers. There is no machine stitching. No fancy embroidery. But we are humans - we love to embellish. How did they make the clothing beautiful, personal, expensive? Look at the way vikings made beads and broches to embellish their clothing. And they served a purpuse in showing status or pinning their clothing together. What about the armor? It needs to be handmade and not mass produces. Metal? -it is hammered by hand. This leaves imprints in the metal. Then maybe they used this in the design, making elaborate patterns in the hammering? And how does the armor look, feel, sound? What materials? How is it fastened together? How do you get in and out of it? Is it too hot for metal, maybe? Do they have a lot of animals and everything is made out of leather? We know from history how good we were at using leather. Fishermen made their coats from whole hides, letting the direction of the fur lead the water down and away from the body. And then we get to the point of status. It is important. It is critical. It is design. But, it needs to fit into the world. What does it mean to have status and how is it shown on the battlefield? Maybe the hierarky here is different than we are used to and the leader is always changing. It does not matter, because you alle fight as a team. The one in front is the chief at alle time? Or maybe it is clear who the leaders are. Maybe just a simple symbol on your shoulder or helmet. Or is your armor better, or better looking? Is it in a different, more expensive color? Have you survived the most battles, so your armor tells the story of your courage and bravery? Or did you get your position another way and your armor is clean and prestine - what impression does this give to the soldiers? I would not want to follow a guy into battle who looks like his feet has hardly touched the dirty floor. Either way, it still needs to look like it is made in the same world and time, and with the same basic prinsiples as listed above. Or maybe you got your armor as a gift from the Gods?
I could go on. But the point is that I understand that the movie is not a documentary. It is fantasy, fiction, art. But even the costumes in Lord of the Rings (fiction, by the way), tells you so much about the world, the nature, the people and the lives they lead. It is based in a living, breathing world where everything matters. Costumes tell a huge part of the story. And it will fill out the world that you create on screen. Why not use it for what it is worth? "
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