Exclusive: Phillip Boutte Jr. Talks MAN OF STEEL Costume Concept Art

Man of Steel is a box-office success, making over $152 million in North America alone, and even it's harshest critics agree it's a beautiful film.

One of the costume illustrators on the film is Phillip Boutte Jr. and he shared some illustrations with me and told me more about working on the film.

Phil has worked on Hollywood films like Inception (2010), Star Trek (2009) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). He primarily focused on the Kryptonian Tribunal Costumes and Lady Lara Lor-Van.

Check out the rest of the images after the jump and click to enlarge.


Thanks for joining me Phillip. What was it like working on Man of Steel?
It was a great experience for me working on the film.  I was surrounded by many talented concept artist that I respect and admire (Warren Manser, Ed Natividad, Keith Christensen, Constantine Sekeris).  It was a chance for me to grow and get better. 

There were so many great ideas being thrown around and it was a dream for me to be able to work on a Zack Snyder movie as I am a huge fan of his work. 

I pestered Costume Designer James Acheson after my job interview and it paid off because he gave me a chance to prove myself for which I am grateful.

Man of Steel (2013) photo Lara (Ayelet Zurer)
Man of Steel (2013) photo Jor-El (Russell Crowe), Lara (Ayelet Zurer)

  Man of Steel (2013) "Lady Lora Pregnancy robes" by Phillip Boutte Jr. 


Man of Steel (2013) photo, Lara (Ayelet Zurer)

 Man of Steel (2013) "Lady Lora in Mourning concept" by Phillip Boutte Jr.

It looks like a great team to work with. Was there any challenge you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I faced was helping to figure out what was special about the Kryptonian Tribunal members.  Specifically, their ornate headdresses and steel cage crinoline-like bust plates. 

Our designer had a very specific direction in mind that he wanted to go and it took me a while to get there. The initial point of inspiration, believe it or not, were the Skeksis from the movie "The Dark Crystal".  We wanted to capture their pompous attitude. 

At one point, I remember asking the question of whether or not the Tribunal members were wearing their clothes or if their clothes were wearing them. The concept that ended up being the basis for all of them was very simple. We looked at traditional Renaissance forms of dress and turned them "inside out" creating an almost skeletal silhouette. What do those big puffy shoulders look like on the inside?  How does this tie back into the architecture of their world?  Those are the questions we kept trying to answer and I think they were pretty successful. 

Between James Acheson and Michael Wilkinson, we could not have asked for better Costume Designers to lead our team in the right direction.
Man of Steel (2013) photo, Tribal Council Member





Man of Steel (2013) "Tribunal Council Concepts" by Phillip Boutte Jr. 

Man of Steel (2013) "Very Early Un-used Concept for Faora" by Phillip Boutte Jr.

Thanks Phil! Where will we see your work next?
You will see my work in the next upcoming installment of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire (2013).  I worked with costume Designer Trish Summerville and it was a blast to work on. 

We had a lot of fun pushing the boundaries of what those characters could be and I learned a lot working with her.

After that, in the not too distant future, you can look for Xmen: Days of Future Past (2014) and Disney's Tomorrowland (2014).

See more of Philip Boutte Jr.'s portfolio at http://www.phillipbouttejr.carbonmade.com and his blog modusmaleficium.blogspot.com/

Official Man of Steel Synopsis
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes "Man of Steel," starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, under the direction of Zack Snyder ("300,""Watchmen"). The film also stars three-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne as her editor-in-chief, Perry White. Starring as Clark Kent's adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are Oscar® nominee Diane Lane and Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner. Squaring off against the superhero are two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon, and Faora, Zod's evil partner, played by Antje Traue. Also from Superman's native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman's mother, played by Ayelet Zurer, and Superman's father, Jor-El, portrayed by Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe.

Official Site: manofsteel.warnerbros.com

Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Russell Crowe
Cinematography by Amir Mokri

Release Date: June 14, 2013

What do you think of the illustrations?
 
© Copyright 2013 Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Syncopy. All rights reserved

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