Can you talk about the process of designing the dress?
There was a whole team. I know nothing about designing dresses. For me it was mostly about describing how I wanted the dress to flow through the air and feeling like silk and chiffon, the type of store you’d find it in is this middle-class suburban store. This isn’t Bond street and high fashion. It’s middle class, aspirational, slightly off. It has this beading … there’s a fantasy element to it, you put it on and you imagine you’re invited to some important function at some embassy somewhere. So communicating those ideas to the team.
There are moments when the dress is floating in the air and another where it skitters underneath a door. How did you accomplish these effects?
Well, it was a bit ridiculous if I’m honest. You have to play it for real and with as much seriousness as possible. But it’s essentially humans yanking dresses with piano wire. I didn’t want to do anything in post of the dress. I wanted it to be in-camera. The hardest thing was the car crash when the dress is flying through the air. We had a wind machine barrel that we put the dress on top of and when you push a button the dress would fly through the air. It was endless, endless, endless retakes. It went so quickly. But I really wanted that quality to it. We tried to hang it from a drone at one point in rehearsals but the problem was that it looked too taut. We wanted it to look like an amoeba or a jellyfish so we’d shoot it into the air with a wind machine and it took on this very different shape.
Can you talk about your influences? There are some definitely some “Halloween III” vibes with the commercial for the department store. But what were your inspirations?
“Halloween III” comes up and I need to see it. Not movies, to be honest. In the past, I was taking a lot from films but I’ve calmed down with all of that. A lot of it came from real life, from shopping as a kid in department stores. There was also stuff like Edward Keinholz, who did these very nightmarish mannequin sculptures, which are really terrifying. Also Herk Harvey’s wonderful film “Carnival of Souls.” It was super important for me to get the right look of the old catalogs and also the sound — the pages, how thick they were.
Was “Suspiria” a touchstone for the department store ghouls?
Not at all. I’ve seen a thousand times and maybe subconsciously. When I finished writing it, my producer said, “That is like ‘Suspiria.'” But that was back when I had finished writing it. I think she’s right. That comes up but it was not on my mind. A big thing was ASMR videos on YouTube. That was a huge inspiration. I wanted the whole film to feel like an extended ASMR video. So the way the sound was done, Reg with his washing machine, the sounds of the store, it’s all designed with that in mind. If I had to take one visual inspiration, it would be those YouTube videos. Putting the witch thing to one side, my attraction to department stores is very similar to my attraction to old Italian films. They’re very flamboyant, very theatrical, very heightened. The lighting was very bold. Basically, you were living in “Blood and Black Lace” for a moment as a kid. The good stores were remarkable; the window dressing was so opulent. They’re almost like film sets.
Do you know what’s coming up next?
I don’t, I’m afraid. It’s out of my control. With “In Fabric,” I had another film that was ready to go and that fell through. I was going to shoot a film a few months ago in August. We had it cast. The script was done. And everything collapsed. These things happen. I’ve got three films I was working on, this was the low budget film, I’ve got a kids film and a New York film called “Night Voltage” that I’ve been speaking about for years. I’ve been working on that for eight years. We had someone who was going to play the lead character but then they fell out.
Your producer on “In Fabric,” Ben Wheatley, is about to make a “Tomb Raider” sequel. Does making a big-budget studio movie appeal to you at all?
Not really. I enjoy making a film if it deals with something I’m interested in. It’s so difficult making films, even if it’s a huge payday. The films I get to make are very personal and that keeps you going. I’m not against anything. The whole Scorsese thing that came up, I agree with him on many levels, but I would never begrudge anyone enjoying a franchise film. I don’t particularly enjoy those films myself but I would never judge anyone else for enjoying them. But to make them, I can’t be bothered to be honest. If the money was there, in the bank, and off we go, I’d consider it. But if it’s years of development, which is often the case, life is too short.
Maybe Ben will have such a good time on “Tomb Raider 2” that he’ll bring you in to do “Tomb Raider 3.”
I’d rather do “Police Academy 8,” honestly.
“In Fabric” is in select theaters on December 6th and on digital soon after. Don’t miss it.