Weaving movie magic
Tim Yip is casually dressed in dark clothes and a black cap when he works at his spacious and very cool looking studio in Beijing's Dashanzi art district.
It might be difficult to link this plain-looking guy to superstars, such as Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun, but the low-key Oscar-winner is the man China's best film directors call when they need some clothes.
The Banquet starring Zhang Ziyi brings Tim Yip awards for Best Art Direction and Best Make-up and Costume Design during the 43rd annual Golden Horse Film Awards in November. |
"I give all my colorful design and vast imagination for my art works," Yip says (also known as Ye Jingtian) "but picking the right clothes for myself might be difficult."
Chinese costume designers are yet again in the spotlight and later this month Yee Chung Man is tipped to win an Oscar for his stunning creations in Curse of the Golden Flower.
Yip has been there, done that and won the Oscar for Best Art Direction in 2000 for his work on Ang Lee's internationally successful romantic fantasy, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Feng Xiaogang's The Banquet brought him more awards for Best Art Direction and Best Make-up and Costume Design during the 43rd annual Golden Horse Film Awards in November.
Yip is currently working on Hollywood director John Woo's historic drama Battle of Red Cliff, an adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Yip says Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon not only propelled Chinese cinema into the mainstream, but did so while embracing Chinese style a thread that has weaved its way through Chinese international hits most notably Zhang Yimou's Hero and The House of Flying Daggers.
The plain-looking and low-key Tim Yip says he invests all his imagination in his art works and finds it hard to pick the right clothes for himself. Photos courtesy of Tim Yip |
"We wanted to do a movie that reminded people of the good things about Chinese culture. My costumes were like Chinese paintings the colors move, but softly."
"I was concerned about how they would look when they were flying," Yip said regarding the bamboo forest scene. "In these scenes, you would have more expression of body, so the costumes have to move with their bodily expressions."
Since his early work on Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) with director Wayne Wang, Yip has worked as designer of production and costumes in a handful of feature films.
Later he spent seven years working on oriental arts, exploring more media and more classical forms to enrich his artistic vision. His immersion in traditional art forms primed him for his Oscar award.
Battle of Red Cliff depicts the war fought between three warlords in AD208, when China had separate rulers.
During the battle the joint force of two warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeated the much stronger invading army led by warlord Cao Cao. Shortly after the battle, the Han dynasty came to an end and the country split into three kingdoms.
Yip has high expectations for the film, not only for the A-list cast with Chow Yun-Fat playing Liu Bei; Jet Li as Zhou
Sketches done by Tim Yip for the queen and the king for Feng Xiaogang's film The Banquet. |
"My current approach to work is a humble one to hide myself in the textures and tones of his scenery," Yip says. "I want to go back to the reality on the basis of the real history instead of picturing a drama or play on the stage."
Yip says the film is his third-time collaboration with John Woo since 1989. "He is my career starter and now, both of us have our own position on the international stage, we come back together again. It is really interesting."
Despite winning fame and fortune through his field, Yip says his life is not all about film and more about art. "I would like to publish my books abroad, bringing my China-inspired stories to the outside world," Yip says.
"All I love is art, everything related with art. So I won't close myself in the film circle. I will reinvent more."
(China Daily 02/13/2007 page18)
