Cory Stillman
Only moments into Divinity – the new sci-fi film from director Eddie Alcazar and executive producer Steven Soderbergh – you know you are watching something wholly unique. Its remarkable visual style is notable for several reasons. The film is shot in sumptuous black-and-white, and features a bizarrely mesmerizing combination of both live-action and stop-motion footage. And then, of course, there is the singular costuming from designer and textile artist Francine LeCoultre.
Speaking on the role of stop motion in the film, LeCoultre explains the relationship between her and the onset puppeteers.
“We created puppets with small miniatures of the costume. I had to get out the costume quite quickly so the fabricators of the puppet had time to start,” LeCoultre says. “I had to provide the measurements of the actors, pictures, sketches, tests, and also fabric samples, so the process of the puppet – that was very complex – could start as soon as possible.”
Sci-fi has always been a particular interest for LeCoultre. The Swiss native came to Los Angeles with the specific goal of designing specialty fabrics for sci-fi films. Divinity marks her second collaboration with Eddie Alcazar.
“This film is definitely a cross between science fiction costumes that have prosthetics and specific makeup, but also it has several characters that are old-fashion and are very simplified, almost like dance costumes.”
LeCoultre is referring in part to Bella Thorne‘s seductive Ziva, whose minimalist outfit contrasts with some of the more muscular or garish uniforms in the film. Alcazar places significant emphasis on the human form throughout Divinity, and LeCoultre’s costuming further bolsters the physicality of the film.
Listen to the full interview below to hear LeCoultre discuss Divinity‘s relationship with retrofuturism, as well as what it was like to collaborate with the rest of the team.
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