7 Questions with THE HUNGER GAMES Costumer Trish Summerville

IMAX In Frame  ‌ ‌ ‌ Welcome to the story behind the story. This is IMAX In Frame   A Ballad of Silk Threads & Lace In conversation with costume designer Trish Summerville   Trish Summerville may not be a household name, but you’ve certainly seen her work. As the costumer behind some of film & culture's major sartorial statements, her designs have graced not just cinema, but also television, music videos, advertising, and editorial. A frequent collaborator of director David Fincher, (MANK, GONE GIRL), she’s also worked on the period costumes of WESTWORLD for HBO, looks for musical artists like Christina Aguilera, and styling for magazines like GQ.  Most recently, she’s leant her design eye to the denizens of Panem for a new prequel, THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES. Previously, Summerville also worked on the second installment of the series, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, (the arena scene of which, remains one of the most show-stopping sequences ever shot on IMAX). The franchise is known for its otherworldly approach to clothes – transporting viewers to a place that is at once dystopian but also exists in a realm of fantasy.  We spoke with her about her job, storytelling through clothes, and naturally, bringing those elements together on IMAX screens.  1. Talk to us a little bit about your career journey. How did you get into costuming & working on such major blockbuster projects? For the uninitiated, what does your role entail? I went to college for Fashion Design and ended up working in the wild world of music videos and concert tours, then somehow moved into the world of costumes for commercials, advertising and editorials. I did some commercials with David Fincher, and he changed my life by giving me the opportunity and trusting me to do THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO my first feature film - he broke my mind and my world wide open. My role as a Costume Designer encompasses many tasks - one member of a tribe of creatives wanting to authentically, respectfully, and creatively help tell a story that is visually and mentally fulfilling to the audience and ourselves. 2. Obviously, THE HUNGER GAMES sprung from an incredibly popular book series. When designing around a literary world, how much are you drawing from book series descriptions versus creating something brand new that’s unique to the film? When working on a book to film project, I scan the book for key descriptions of characters and any specific references to characters and costumes after I have read the book. Then I begin working on my interpretation and vision of the words and descriptions. It's the beautiful thing about books - we all create our own imagery. 3. This film is a prequel, taking place before the events of the first film. How did you approach costume with that in mind? Did it change your approach to the look and feel and style? Is this going to be “retro” Panem style that we will see?  Francis and I had many conversations about what we wanted this world to look like and how it would differ in time and story from Catching Fire. He wanted the world to visually look like America in the 1940s-1950s and put a slant on it. Since our film was not an assigned date, in the costume department we would refer to it as "the future past.” As the film precedes Catching Fire by 64 years - I wanted to keep the world of the Capitol more controlled and conservative, communistic in color and silhouette and to give more color, pattern, and life to District 12 - repressing the life in the districts before the extreme control that mounts over the years from the Capitol.  4. So much of this universe is about social class— what are some of the ways your team’s approach to design helped establish class differences through costume and fabric?  The citizens of the Capitol are more affluent, but even within the Capitol there is a class system. Snow's family are presenting a facade of wealth and stability, and Tigris and her skills of dressmaking and design are what's holding the family's image together. The citizens of the Capitol are more proper and pulled together in their form of dress. Whereas in Districts, I wanted to show the connection to nature and their environment by using more colors and textures, hand-stitching, and heirloom techniques. 5. Who are some of your influences and inspirations? What are some of your favorite films that live in your mind as legendary from a costume design standpoint?  I draw a lot of inspiration from nature and people around the world - flora and fauna and indigenous cultures. I have great admiration and respect for cultural ways of dress and adornment. As far as films I love for costume, there are so many - BONNIE AND CLYDE, the original THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, Eiko Ishika's costumes in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA. 6. IMAX is known for bringing larger than life experiences to audiences. How do you feel your costume work is enhanced when presented in IMAX?  It was wonderful to attend the LA premiere of SONGBIRDS & SNAKES at Grauman's Chinese Theatre* and see the film in IMAX! You see so much more detail in the film overall, and especially in the costumes. [Ed. note — As of 2013, Grauman's Chinese Theatre is now the TCL Chinese Theatre]. 7. And of course, we gotta ask- if there was any movie out there you could experience again in IMAX for the first time, what would it be? FIGHT CLUB and ROAD WARRIOR [Experience THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES]( in IMAX at a theatre near you.   Each month, we’ll deliver a new exclusive piece of editorial to your inbox. Send us a line about future questions or topics you’d like to see at [fandom@imax.com](mailto:feedback@imax.com?a=11533&campaign_id=116&campaign_name=%5BDRAFT%5D+Nov+%2723+In+Frame+%28Hunger+Games+Costume+Interview%29&campaign_type=newsletter&message_id=241&utm_campaign=%5BDRAFT%5D+Nov+%2723+In+Frame+%28Hunger+Games+Costume+Interview%29&utm_content=Nov+%2723+IF&utm_medium=email&utm_source=owned).    IMAX® is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [TikTok]( [Letterboxd]( [unsubscribe]()