Big Fish

The Big Fish movie deals with the tense father-son relationship between Edward and William Bloom. After a long period of estrangement, William and his wife, Joséphine, travel to the small town of Ashton, Alabama to be with his father in his final days. The film switches between present-day scenes and flashbacks depicting Edward’s fantastical life stories.

My design concept for the film pushes the flashback sequences forward by about 10 years from the original script. Throughout the flashback sequences, we see events happening in 3 different decades: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. I aimed to ensure that the playful energy of each flashback was emphasized by playing with color, bold patterns, and textures.

The vision for present day was to remain very grounded in reality to juxtapose the flashbacks to Edward’s outlandish stories. While Sandra’s costume is brighter and warmer than the rest representing the caring and comforting figure she is, the costumes primary lives in neutrals and earth tones, reflective of the somber tone and Edward’s imminent death.

The Death Dream sequence, at the end of the film, melds modernity with nautical imagery. Lots of white, light blue, sea form, and sandy hues meshed with angular motifs and silhouettes.