Cambridge Edition June 2023 - Newsletter

SCREEN TIME

COSTUMED HERO Dressed TO IMPRESS Following her career beginnings in Cambridge, prolific costumer designer Lucille Acevedo-Jones gives Miriam Balanescu an insider look at her trade O ne could say the impressive career of Lucille Acevedo- Jones, a costume designer who has worked on The Pact , The process of a costume designer involves getting into the nitty-gritty of a character’s internal and external makeup. “I studied psychology at university and this fascination informs my approach – both analytical and intuitive,” says Lucille. “There are many considerations and paths to take when designing a costume.” Lucille creates a mood board for each

Must-watch movies for this month

Devs , Stonehouse , Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and The Flash , began with a happy accident. “I started out studying natural sciences at university and, in my first year, I tried to find a way to get involved in the theatre scene,” Lucille explains. “After a rather hilarious – and disastrous – audition for 42nd Street and a failed application to be a stage manager-technician on a European theatre tour, I spotted an advert in the student paper looking for a costume designer. The job was a student production of The Winter’s Tale that was touring Russia and Eastern Europe.” Lucille went on to intern as a costume assistant at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, which finally pushed her to transition to history of art. London fringe and West End shows followed, before the young designer studied at Wimbledon School of Art. All this acted as a dress rehearsal for her roles on major studio productions yet to follow. “This work felt incredibly exciting and creative, engaging abstract thinking in dealing with important societal themes – realising big ambitions with very little budget,” Lucille recalls.

Riley Keough’s Caméra d’Or winner puts Native American stories front and centre, as trouble is spelled in two boys’ lives on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 9 June WAR PONY

character using images plucked from a specific era, relating to age group, music taste and personal or political values: “I might use real people as inspiration or prominent figures from fashion or history. But I also look at painting and fine art photography for visual ideas on mood, colour or texture to express something about the character’s qualities. “Once you have the story in your mind, you start to look at the whole world through that lens.” To create the wardrobe, an enormous amount of thrift shopping and dressmaking is involved. “Sustainability is a top priority for me,” Lucille stresses, “manufacturing and making, hiring from costume houses, borrowing from sustainable brands if loans can be arranged. You need to think about the number of story days the narrative spans, whether there is any action, or if you need multiple costumes for stunts, picture doubles and that sort of thing. You have to be mindful of the performer’s needs, comforts, neurodiversity, gender identification, their shape, what suits them and whether you want to work with or against that for the character.” Lucille modestly puts her success down to a growing industry. “I have been very lucky because my career developed during an unusual time of expansion in TV and film production in the UK,” she says. “There is more work to be done, especially when it comes to accessibility. I see myself as someone who has come from a working-class background and accidentally found this industry because I went to Cambridge. This opportunity should be available to people from more diverse backgrounds.”

Take That’s stage musical hits the big screen with a cheesy, but ultimately irresistible, coming-of-age fable starring Aisling Bea. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 16 June GREATEST DAYS

PRETTY RED DRESS

After the gorgeous rendering of South London in Rye Lane , this side of the river gets another look-in with Dionne Edwards’ warm debut. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 16 June

A GOOD DEAL Lucille gets to flex her costume designing muscles on some exciting productions, like the second series of The Pact from last year

32 JUNE 2023 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK

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