January 13, 2010

Isabella Rossellini and whales

Sundance Channel's Green Porno has been a runaway hit. The show is the brainchild of the fashion icon Isabella Rossellini and colorfully, and creatively, brings to life animal mating habits. The costumes are works of art themselves. Bradford Shellhammer tracked down wardrobe designer Andy Byers to discuss working with Rossellini and his myriad of creations for the series.

Bradford Shellhammer: When I first saw GREEN PORNO, my reaction was surprise. I was surprised that the show had been made and that someone like Isabella Rossellini was involved. What did you think when you first heard of the concept?

Andy Byers: My friend and GREEN PORNO producer Rick Gilbert had me come over and he handed me this little stack of paper. I flipped through these very childlike drawings with words like “anus” written on them. He opened an envelope and poured onto the table little paper cutouts with googly eyes glued to them. If he hadn’t told me Isabella had made this stuff, I would have guessed he was showing me something his niece or nephew had given him. I can remember giggling with him at the idea that we’d be putting so much money into making this incredibly beautiful women look like she had been dressed up by a second-grade art class putting on a play. But that was exactly what she wanted. The wonder that is present in a school classroom doesn’t really exist in the adult reality. I loved the idea of her bringing sexual ideas back to a setting like that. It is kind of creepy but somehow perfectly fitting, because in a way Isabella was being a teacher.

B.S.: After my initial shock faded, I was most impressed with the visual imagery of the show, most notably your costumes. Can you walk me through how you tackled the design process?

A.B.: One of her first thoughts in regard to the costumes was that she wanted to be in a unitard. That helped keep things simple. From there it was just thinking about the costumes like a sculpture or a drawing. What’s the easiest way to get the idea across that she’s a spider or a starfish? What key elements represent the animal we were doing? And from that, what can we use that keeps her somewhat elegant — or, if not elegant, hilarious? The starfish is actually a good example to discuss. I first made the paper versions that stand next to her as she reproduces them. When she came into the studio to look at some of the sets, she loved the simplicity of the lines that create all the feet on the starfish. So instead of making this super-complicated outfit, we decided to just use the same paper cutout and glue them to a red shirt and pants. I love that one because it doesn’t look great. It doesn’t even look good, but it’s super-funny to me. I think you can even see the paper popping off the shirt once. Taking away the mystery, showing the gag, leaving in the mistakes, that’s what makes GREEN PORNO good for me. In the same way that great records leave in mistakes. It gives them character.

In other cases, the design is based entirely off her drawings. When I saw the script for the squid, there was an image of two big eyes with feet coming out of the bottom as two of the tentacles. I saw that costume in my head almost immediately, even the bubble wrap for suctions on the tentacles. But it was based on this simple sketch she made. I loved the drawing so much I used it again as a pajama pattern for the baby barnacle.

B.S.: What came first, set or costume?

A.B.: Well, at least in one episode, “Earthworm,” the set is the costume. Usually I’ll make the sets first, then take elements from what I enjoy and place [them] back into the costume. For instance, I made the shrimp lover first, then used that same construct to make Isabella’s shell for when she protects her eggs. In “Fly,” I made the sculpture, then decided what needed to be present in the costume. The eyes were the strongest element, so I made sure they were the same even though nothing else would be. Those goggles were made from foam and fabric, though, so she couldn’t see a thing when they were on. We had to guide her over to the fly and get her into position, and then she did her thing. She never seemed to mind when she couldn’t see. I could say that’s good costume design: helping her to forget she was on film and getting her into the character. Mostly, though, it’s just me making something with little idea of how it functions and more about how it looks. I would usually end up putting the costume on right before we’d go to set and be like, “Oh, shit, right, you can’t walk in this thing. Well, just lie down and wiggle around on the ground a bit.”

B.S.: Who constructs the costumes, and what are the materials?

A.B.: I usually make all the costumes myself. If I can, I’ll make them out of paper, as every other element on set is paper. If not, it’s just whatever works. Like I said, a lot of them are unitards that just have additions to them, like the snail. It’s just a gold unitard with little antennae sewn on the hood. She drew on the nipples and crotch. My friend Ryan makes these great papier-mâché sculptures, so I had him make the shells. He has a very playful sense in his work, and I knew they’d fit in with the style of the series.

B.S.: What was the most difficult costume to create? Which is your favorite?

A.B.: I guess the whale was the most difficult. I had to make it twice. I first thought about putting her in this whalelike bulbous thing, and she was worried she’d be a Barney. So instead, I started thinking “fat as a whale.” Making a fat suit is harder than it seems. Equally proportionate fat man boobs are no small task. My favorite is the bee. She just looks so great in that, beautiful and funny. The little vests are cute. The colors are perfect with the pink flowers. It is very preschool play, and I love the “stinger for defense.”

B.S.: When Isabella first appeared wearing the erect whale penis, what was the reaction on set?

A.B.: Of course everyone was laughing like crazy and the penis was held on by these two hooks that lock into the bottom of the belly. We figured it out only a couple hours before it was filmed so it kept falling off, which was also funny and never got old. We had someone holding an extra penis for lighting before she came out, just to light up this huge thing when she hits her spot. Everyone was running around with them between their legs. And when she penetrated the other whale, its vagina kept ripping open. Jokes just rolled off the tongue the whole day. “Whale” was a ton of fun.

B.S.: I also just learned that you created the score for GREEN PORNO. What other creative tricks do you have up your sleeve?

A.B.: Yeah, I was in a band for a couple of years, barely knowing how to play my instruments. Mostly it was just a reason to hang out with my friends. It taught me enough to be able to plug in my guitar and noodle around a bit. I’ve also been classically trained in 15th-century wizardry, and I am currently raising unicorns at my friend’s farm in upstate New York.