Let's talk about Costumes...(please)

[Captain Carnage]

Yup, the costumes sure do look good in that pic Wolfie... on account of their being the original design:

...an embellished painting over original Gibbons fanpic pencils, used as the cover for Lavieri publishing's 20th anniversary tie-in book released in Italy and featuring original WATCHMEN themed essays and artwork from a host of Euro talent; well worth getting, actually (a smattering of basic Italian makes the experience more worthwhile!)

 

[Wolfman]

aww, you called me "Wolfie". That's so sweet, man. Lol.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I love that painting. Costumes close to that and the comics.

 

[Gilpesh]

Comic costumes are needed.

It's not just grown adults dressing up in costumes period... but the costumes they choose. Also the fact that Rorschach is feared, even in that silly thing he wears (purple pants and all Guard ) makes his character serious. The good ole thing of having the audience fill in the blanks in their own heads to make it something scarier than if you showed him doing all the things he has supposedly done after his 'origin'.

That also gives something to the Comedian character. In the graphic novel, he seemed a lot smarter than default thug with a gun guy, being in leather with a gun and having a full mask to protect himself when all the others are running around in tights and bright colors.

 

[Captain Carnage]

I imagine that the character of Blake had the very same conversation with himself (off-page, naturally; just fillin' in the hypothetical gaps) as to what's hot and what's not costume-wise.

Starting off at sixteen, The Comedian's original yellow harlequin duds were about the most ridiculous of the lot. When he transformed himself into a WWII hero, he (or his PR) decided that this probably wasn't the best look to have out in the South Pacific theatre of war, hence the Man Of Action patriotic Stars 'n' Stripes leather look (minus smiley badge, incidentally. That motif didn't come until the Sixties, as in reality).

The complete gimp mask look didn't arrive until his post 'Nam face slicing. Practically, it affords full protection for a guy who's learned the hard way and has already suffered one disfiguring facial injury; it also comes in handy for keeping said readily identifiable injury under wraps, particularly useful for the covert superagent about town who needs to keep his true identity a secret.

 

[Lobster Charlie]

The Comedian changed from his harlequin outfit to the leather after he was stabbed. When you read the "Under The Hood" segments in the TPB, you'll see that Hollis points this out.

 

[cryptic name]

A costume is a costume. What's absurd is the aspect of grown men and women dressing up as heroes, not neccessarily the costumes themselves (of which there was a wide range, and not all of them were bright and colorful, or intended to be). There's no need for it to look utterly ridiculous.



Because purple pants would look ridiculous. What works on the page may not work on film. Do you or do you not want Rorschach to be taken seriously as a character?

i'm pretty sure after 5 minutes with him, audiences will take rorschach seriously no matter what he's wearing

 

[cryptic name]

Yeah, about Rorschachs elevated or lifted shoes. I don't remember him wearing that in the book where it's obvious, but he still looks considerably taller than 5'6", at least 5'9" if Niteowl is 6'1".

But Haley has to wear really elevated shoes. The dude is really short (at 5'5" 1/2) and I don't wanna see a dwarfed Rorschach.

rorschach is short. the book makes a point of this, he wears elevated shoes, and is referred to as "runt".

 

[Captain Carnage]

The Comedian changed from his harlequin outfit to the leather after he was stabbed. When you read the "Under The Hood" segments in the TPB, you'll see that Hollis points this out.

True. But how does accessorizing with natty stars 'n' stripes imagery practically offer up any more protection against stabbing? The two events are largely simultaneous anyhoo, what with his stabbing and ascension to war hero both taking place in 1941.


Walter Kovacs of the comic is 5'06". I guess the issue is that whilst in costumed mode, will JEH practically wear padded footwear throughout (and still do all his own badassed black belted or whatever it is he does stunts), will his co-stars stand in trenches, or will he have his own customized crate?

 

[Spider–Man]

Old news, sure:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9982

Comic artist John Cassaday is doing some costume design on "Watchmen." How closely have you worked with on this?
I've gone out to a few guys in the business to get their takes. I don't know if I'd necessarily call it costume design so much as concepts, just to see what they'd come up with. A lot of what we're doing will look exactly as it does in the book, but there are a couple of things we'll update, like the girls. Not update in the sense that it won't be 1985, it'll still be 1985, but to give them a little sexier look or to update the outfits a bit. There's a sophisticated audience out there. A lot of graphic novels and comic book heroes have been made into films since 1985 and despite how cool "Watchmen" is, it needs an ever so slight tweak for today's audience. If "Watchmen" were the first comic book movie made, I don't think it would be a problem, but at this point you have to be aware of what everyone else has done a little bit.
How dramatically do you think you'll have to change the Gibbons designs for the various heroes? A little bit. I don't think it'll be a ton. I think Rorschach will look exactly as he does. Dr. Manhattan will look probably exactly as he does. Night Owl will be pretty close, but we're trying to make him look a little scarier. I think there's a line in the graphic novel where it says the thugs are afraid of the outfit and I want to make that feel real because when you see him, he's not exactly the scariest guy in the world. Ozy I want to make just a little cooler. He's kind of got a Luxor aesthetic and I want to have more of a realistic look. I always thought that if Ozy had Egyptian artifacts, he'd have the real thing, no repro stuff.

That sounds good to me!

 

[Nepenthes]

Found this, posted on the manips thread too. The costumes look good in this, even though it's just a painting:

Nice painting.

Although to me it just reinforces how badly the costumes NEED to be adapted for screen. Ozy, Silk Spectre and Nightowl will just look really...underwhelming, if they're not updated.

Believe it or not there IS a point where remaining too 'faithful' to the source material can work against you. These costumes^ would actually DETRACT from how the characters are supposed to be viewed. Snyder is right - modern aesthetics have changed and in order to preserve the characters the costumes must change as well.

For instance does Ozy really look that 'regal' in the painting? Does Night Owl look cutting edge? They need more detail, more flourishes to make them appear credible.

Silk Spectre is supposed to be one of the more 'ridiculous' looking heroes, she says so herself. She's embarrassed by her costume, it's wacky and over-the-top. But compared to todays standards she's completely unremarkable. People dress like that in real life. The original designs are 2D flat color line drawings, you cant expect them to translate to real life and convey the intended visual aspects of the characters.

 

[Wolfman]

Yeah, Nite Owl does look scary though - and cool. Well, the headpart anyways.

 

[Nepenthes]

heh. to me he looks neither scary nor cool and the headpart the prime offender. it is his most distinctive feature though....

man, there is going war over this no matter happens. messing with Watchmen, yikes!

 

[Rust]

While I do agree that Watchmen is one of the few storys where keeping the costumes as they are in the book will serve the story, I do believe at least some of them should be updated slightly.

Niteowl should be a bit more sleek and scary (or odd) than in the book. It should probably be darker and without the big wings on the back. The "wings" or "shield" would look cool if they sorta made out the back, arms and legs.
A bit like this modified Batman-suit (it's just a quicky):

Rorschach should look the way he looks now, but maybe brown pants instead of purple.

Silk Spectre needs the biggest update IMO. I know her outfit is more a visual thing and not practical. But I'd rather have her look more like Thurman in The Avengers. Maybe with a leatherjacket and she could still be colorful in a non-punk way.

Ozy should just wear his egyptian armor like the man-on-a-powertrip he is.

The Comedian should definitely look like he does in the comicbook. That's sort of his concept. The irony and his attitude. He should look crazy-funny in a twisted way. And as mentioned above, the bright primary colors would look awesome in that dirty and gritty Se7en-scenario with 300 contrasts.

 

[WalterKovacs]

While I do agree that Watchmen is one of the few storys where keeping the costumes as they are in the book will serve the story, I do believe at least some of them should be updated slightly.

Niteowl should be a bit more sleek and scary (or odd) than in the book. It should probably be darker and without the big wings on the back. The "wings" or "shield" would look cool if they sorta made out the back, arms and legs.
A bit like this modified Batman-suit (it's just a quicky):

Rorschach should look the way he looks now, but maybe brown pants instead of purple.

Silk Spectre needs the biggest update IMO. I know her outfit is more a visual thing and not practical. But I'd rather have her look more like Thurman in The Avengers. Maybe with a leatherjacket and she could still be colorful in a non-punk way.

Ozy should just wear his egyptian armor like the man-on-a-powertrip he is.

The Comedian should definitely look like he does in the comicbook. That's sort of his concept. The irony and his attitude. He should look crazy-funny in a twisted way. And as mentioned above, the bright primary colors would look awesome in that dirty and gritty Se7en-scenario with 300 contrasts.

no no non onn no no no no no no no no no no. youre reasoning for the comedian is eactly why your night owl design is all wrong.

 

[Captain Carnage]

'The f uck?

 

[IKnowSomeJudo]

That'd be a good design for maybe Wildcat or Marvel's Nighthawk. But it ain't Nite-Owl. Might as well ditch the character alltogether.

 

[Nepenthes]

While I do agree that Watchmen is one of the few storys where keeping the costumes as they are in the book will serve the story, I do believe at least some of them should be updated slightly.

Niteowl should be a bit more sleek and scary (or odd) than in the book. It should probably be darker and without the big wings on the back. The "wings" or "shield" would look cool if they sorta made out the back, arms and legs.
A bit like this modified Batman-suit (it's just a quicky):

I was thinking something similar. simply removing the bit that hangs down the back of his cowl alone is great improvement for screen.

agreed on Comedian, he's perfect and yeah Silk Spectre needs to look more spunky yet practical while retaining her colorful absurdity

 

[WalterKovacs]

keep them real. keep them close to the comic. keep them silly. the cinematography will do the work.

 

[Sun_Down]

The costumes should look a little silly, that's part of the story. But they shouldn't be eye-sores, either. They can get away with some campiness because it's a period piece.

 

[Sandman138]

Nice painting.

Although to me it just reinforces how badly the costumes NEED to be adapted for screen. Ozy, Silk Spectre and Nightowl will just look really...underwhelming, if they're not updated.

Believe it or not there IS a point where remaining too 'faithful' to the source material can work against you. These costumes^ would actually DETRACT from how the characters are supposed to be viewed. Snyder is right - modern aesthetics have changed and in order to preserve the characters the costumes must change as well.

For instance does Ozy really look that 'regal' in the painting? Does Night Owl look cutting edge? They need more detail, more flourishes to make them appear credible.

Silk Spectre is supposed to be one of the more 'ridiculous' looking heroes, she says so herself. She's embarrassed by her costume, it's wacky and over-the-top. But compared to todays standards she's completely unremarkable. People dress like that in real life. The original designs are 2D flat color line drawings, you cant expect them to translate to real life and convey the intended visual aspects of the characters.

THIS IS NOT A MODERN STORY. It takes place in the eighties, where modern aesthetics would look CRIMINALLY OUT OF PLACE.

 

[Sandman138]

While I do agree that Watchmen is one of the few storys where keeping the costumes as they are in the book will serve the story, I do believe at least some of them should be updated slightly.

Niteowl should be a bit more sleek and scary (or odd) than in the book. It should probably be darker and without the big wings on the back. The "wings" or "shield" would look cool if they sorta made out the back, arms and legs.
A bit like this modified Batman-suit (it's just a quicky):

Rorschach should look the way he looks now, but maybe brown pants instead of purple.

Silk Spectre needs the biggest update IMO. I know her outfit is more a visual thing and not practical. But I'd rather have her look more like Thurman in The Avengers. Maybe with a leatherjacket and she could still be colorful in a non-punk way.

Ozy should just wear his egyptian armor like the man-on-a-powertrip he is.

The Comedian should definitely look like he does in the comicbook. That's sort of his concept. The irony and his attitude. He should look crazy-funny in a twisted way. And as mentioned above, the bright primary colors would look awesome in that dirty and gritty Se7en-scenario with 300 contrasts.

GOD NO! What is wrong with you people?

 

[Nepenthes]

THIS IS NOT A MODERN STORY. It takes place in the eighties, where modern aesthetics would look CRIMINALLY OUT OF PLACE.

read Zack Snyders own comments for what I mean regarding 'modern aesthetics'. I don't mean people should dress like it's 2007. Rather that what passes for a costume in the book, and the qualities they're supposed to provoke, won't actually translate well on screen today. It's a different visual language....the original designs were created for different medium, in a different time, for a different audience. I want the characters to look true to their concepts and not to a 2D illustration from the catalogue of 1980's superhero design.

again the only designs that really need to be reworked are Silk Spectre, Nightowl and Ozy. And you watch, they will be.

 

[Sandman138]

read Zack Snyders own comments for what I mean regarding 'modern aesthetics'. I don't mean people should dress like it's 2007. Rather that what passes for a costume in the book, and the qualities they're supposed to provoke, won't actually translate well on screen today. It's a different visual language....the original designs were created for different medium, in a different time, for a different audience. I want the characters to look true to their concepts and not to a 2D illustration from the catalogue of 1980's superhero design.

again the only designs that really need to be reworked are Silk Spectre, Nightowl and Ozy. And you watch, they will be.

Silk Specter's outfit is fine. It is entirely in keeping with the aesthetic of the eighties. Nightowl could use a bit of updating, but the kind your thinking of is to make him look like a badass, and update akin to Batman Begins, which is entirely the opposite impression he is supposed to make. The man is a geek who let himself go later in life and is suffering a mid-life crisis. These people are not supposed to look cool, they're supposed to look like nuts and sexual deviants. Look at the real world Super-Heroes we have popping up around us these days, do they look badass? No, they don't. They look rather silly, as should the characters in Watchmen.

 

[Hole Shot]

Rorschach is not going to change. We all saw Snyder's little subliminal screen test. Trench Coat, fedora and a mask is fairly easy to transfer to screen. That's probably going to be a real annoying role for Haley, because I doubt he'll just wear a white mask and they'll put the inkblots on in post. He'll probably have to change his mask with different blots several different times during a take and they'll morph in post.

My impressions from the report posted is that Night Owl II is going to have some Batman influence.

I think we're going to see Dr. Manhattan fully clothed a lot more in the movie, until Mars, then he'll go butt nekkid.

Now there is 80's and there is just plain fruity which is what Ozy would look like on screen in a literal adaption. So from what is sounds is that he's going to have a much more Egyptian Emperor like look to him.

Silk Spectre will probably just look a little more practical, probably loose the high heels.