I’m writing the film script for a short film and it’s going really well: the script is simply steaming ahead! The film will be based on my story about Colette, The Silver Stopper, which is adapted from my novel in progress, Nights in Paris. In only three weeks the script is already halfway there: we are on scene six already! It’s very exciting. Although the script is the foundation for a short film — without a script there is nothing — this is also the easy bit. Once the script is finished, then it’s time for the real, hard work to begin!
There is so much to research: dresses, hats, gloves, shoes, corsets, jewellery, furniture, and all the little odds and ends: combs, plates, glasses, ornaments: they seem trivial but are crucial to a film’s authenticity. It’s like reading a fantastic story and then — arrgh — you come across a blazingly obvious error, and it’s so horrible that it ruins your enjoyment and respect for the story. Accidentally doing something like that in our film would embarrass me forever, so it’s essential that all the details are perfect.
Luckily, I adore research, especially historical research. Well, who wouldn’t enjoy researching corsets? Under their black dresses, tightly fastened with hundreds of tiny buttons from neck to toe, those supposedly stiff, proper Victorians wore the most sumptuous, gorgeous undergarments. I have found the perfect corset for Colette to wear on her wedding night: the corset is a beige-pink colour with pink ribbons threaded through the white broderie anglaise lace at the bosom. The corset hooks up at the front and laces up at the back with white ribbons.
The corsets on www.antiquecorsetgallery.com are simply fabulous: this site has the most beautiful antique corsets from the 1600s to the 1900s. You can click on any corset to view a close-up from both the front and back view. It answered some questions I had, such as Colette’s corset should lace up at the front or at the back (lacing varied in different countries and periods). It seems that French corsets around 1900 were back-lacing. But I would love to hear from any corset experts!
Another site, www.1860-1960.com, has the most incredible vintage clothes for sale. It’s stunning to think that it’s possible to actually own a pair of those white, Victorian wedding boots, or that Edwardian glittering black lace dress. It’s so tempting to reach for the credit card — mind you, I probably wouldn’t fit in any of the dresses anyway — even the dresses for larger ladies have tiny, 22 inch waists! We’ll have to work out a budget, and hope that there is room to buy at least one genuine item for our costume department. The rest will have to be hired, but perhaps we can stretch to a small luxury item… a pair of gloves, maybe, or an embroidered handkerchief!
Le scénario pour le film de mon histoire de Colette avance super bien: on est déjà à la scène six! Je pensais que ça allait être difficile, mais en fait, être scénariste, ça me plaît bien!
