CREW SPOTLIGHT: ‘Blueback’ costume designer, Lien See Leong
A Western Australian costume designer who has worked across a wide array of local and international projects (including The Heights and Crazy Rich Asians), Lien See Leong chats to Screenwest about her career and her work on WA feature Blueback.
Western Australian costume designer Lien See Leong has worked in costume departments on high-profile international productions, including Crazy Rich Asians and The Leftovers, and designed the costumes for homegrown features I Met a Girl and Paper Planes, along with ABC series The Heights (series 1 and 2) and Itch (series 2).
Recently, Lien See served as costume designer on family-friendly feature Blueback, filmed in Bremer Bay on the rugged Great Southern coast of WA. Written and directed by Robert Connolly and based on the best-selling book of the same name by acclaimed WA author Tim Winton, the film premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival, and here at home at Perth Festival.
We chatted with Lien See about her work on the film, her design process for new characters, and her advice for emerging WA costume designers.
What originally drew you to costume design specifically and how did you get started in the WA industry?
It was a snap, last minute decision in my final year of high school: choosing a design subject to study to offset the mathematics and science. I ended up applying for WAAPA and studied Costume for Performance, which is mainly theatre based. In my final year I volunteered to assist in sourcing the costumes for the WA Screen Academy student films and did a secondment on a professional set with [costume designer] Sarah Jameson. The WA screen industry is small, but mighty, and I’m lucky to have had great mentors like Sarah and Sooz Rigg who gave me my first jobs in the industry as a Costume Assistant.
Ilsa Fogg (Teen Abby) in Blueback
What is your process for creating a costume design for a new character?
I always start with the script, I pull out all the details about the character that I can (written and implied) and try and form an image of what I want to see onscreen. Sometimes it’s really clear, and other times I require a more collaborative approach – a sounding board like the director or waiting to see who is cast in the role. Collaborating with key creatives, such as the director, production designer and make-up designer are important aspects of my design process. As is research. Lots of research!
Blueback follows protagonist Abby from childhood, through to her teen years and into adulthood. How did you approach Abby’s costuming with the different ages?
Rob [director Robert Connolly] and I talked about how we wanted something that linked all the versions of Abby together. Something that grew with each new rendition of her. I researched shells and other links to the ocean, which was the underlying theme, and found the Puka shell which symbolises a sort of life journey in Hawaiian culture. Abby has these shells scattered in her bedroom and wears a handmade bracelet of them when she is young, a necklace of them as a teen and a single shell on a chain as an adult. As the young and teen Abby are memories of adult Abby I wanted to wash and sun fade their costumes – like a hazy, unfiltered memory.
The nineties in a small remote Australian town would not sport the latest fashion, so sticking with simple vintage pieces that work from the late seventies and eighties. The adult depiction of Abby I wanted to saturate in warm block colours, a contrast to the past. Ensuring that we could be as socially conscious with her costuming choices as possible were critical to the essence of the Blueback narrative. Everything adult Abby wore in the film (including her wetsuit) echoes the key themes of Blueback, including purchasing from stores that have sustainable clothing practices; including using recycled materials, natural dyes and fabrics, and ensuring the garments were ethically made.
The ocean features prominently in the film, with the characters diving, swimming and boating. From a costume perspective, was it challenging to design for so many scenes set under or on the ocean?
Some of the best parts of design is figuring out how to do something that’s a bit tricky, finding solutions to make it work. The wetsuits were always going to be a huge part of the story – the characters spend so much time on and/or under the water. Constant exposure to saltwater and sun also make any wetsuits from that time period very difficult to locate in good condition, and in the case of Abby and Dora’s characters we needed more than one. I designed wetsuits for young Abby, teen Abby and two for Dora that kept the silhouette of the respective time periods and they were custom made. New wetsuits don’t look right for characters that spent so much time in and around the ocean, once the wetsuits arrived they were meticulously broken down by the art finisher and the rest of the costume team to pull back and fade the colour and make them look salty and worn. A lot of research went into the other items they needed underwater, such as masks, fins and weight belts. I collaborated with the props master in the art department and together we finished the last bits and pieces off.
What has been a career highlight thus far?
Every film/television project holds incredible memories for me – it’s hard to narrow it down to one. Some standouts include seeing Uluru with traditional land owners on Tracks. Working in Far North Queensland with the Royal Australian Navy on Sea Patrol. The incredible Dampier Peninsula on Dirt Music; I’ve never seen such a sight. Creating new things from scratch like The Heights in Perth and [upcoming Amazon series] Deadloch in Tasmania. The absolute madness and scale of shooting Crazy Rich Asians with all the designer couture and jewellery. There is nothing like what we do!
What are some of your all-time favourite costumes in any film or series?
Captain Fantastic. Whale Rider. Pan’s Labyrinth. I love these movies, the costumes are perfect and couldn’t be more authentic to the story. I think you also can’t go past the level of detail and meticulous work that goes into television shows like Game of Thrones.
Lastly, what advice would you give to emerging costume designers in Western Australia?
Never stop learning. Meet new people, make connections and accept opportunities if they are offered. Always try and do the best you can. Be kind to yourself and other people. Love your team. Wear appropriate shoes!
Blueback is currently screening in cinemas, as well as being available to purchase online via Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.
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