CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Interview with Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky

The incredibly talented and three-times Academy Award Nominee costume designer Judianna Makovsky (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Hunger Games) did another fantastic job in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR.

I had the opportunity to talk to Makovsky about her experience in the latest Marvel Studios film, available on Blu-ray on Tuesday Sept. 13.

Desde Hollywood: How much artistic freedom do you have working on a film that is part of a huge franchise?

Judianna Makovsky: You have a little bit of freedom. But because there are many franchises, with shared characters, the ultimate vision comes from Marvel. So we work very closely with Marvel’s visual development team to adapt what is appropriate for our film, but also what will be believable in the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe. They have a lot of control, for sure. After we have the concept and we start making it, of course things change in the process.

DH: And that formula has been working pretty well so far.

J.M: It’s different from other movies. But the truth is that the fun comes from the collaboration with other people. You learn from other films, and they learn from yours. On these films, we costume designers talk to each other.

DH: The only thing I can complain about a Marvel Studio film is the Captain America costume from the first Avengers. It was, maybe, too faithful to the comics. How do you approach that?

JM: We learn from every film. What works, what doesn’t, how we improve it, absolutely. If it doesn’t work you change it and move on. That’s a luxury that we don’t have in stand-alone movies. Adapting from other films and sources is always a challenge. How do you make them that don’t look silly? The director has a specific taste and you have to make it work in your world, regardless of what was done before.

DH: Do you get frustrated when unauthorized photos from the set are made public and people start judging your work?

J.M.: I learned a long time ago not to read that stuff. It’s ridiculous. We often have versions of customs for stunts, that aren’t the real thing, and they get out and the comments come. I am like “Can you wait for the final product before you judge, please?”

DH: Do you have to make special adjustment when you have a big set piece taking place under a bright day light, like the airport scene?

J.M.: Absolutely. Like the Spider-Man costume.I work closely with the director of photography and test the fabric in every light. Also, in front of the green screen to make sure that it doesn’t bleed into the costume. Sometimes we have outside and and inside versions of the costumes. We don’t have unlimited budgets so we test, test and test until we find the color that will work in all situations.

DH: Were there more people involved in the decision-making process of the Spider-Man costume?

J.M.: Getting back the simpler, iconic look of Spidey in the comics was Marvel’s goal. But, there were a lot of opinions about him, for sure.

The Marvel Studios film, directed by the Russo Bros., stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl, and Tom Holland.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR will be available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and on-demand on September 13th. .

“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.