WAR HORSE Production Notes

WAR HORSE (2011)PRODUCTION NOTESaway I sent it to Steven, and it became my personal way into the film and gave me something onwhich to base the scope of the costumes."Ultimately, Johnston and her team made 85% of the film's clothing by hand, largely based onhistoric documentation. "Joanna did an incredible job with such meticulous research, to figureout what all the different nationality troops wore," says Spielberg. "She even found out howGerman helmets evolved from 1914 when they had those spikes on the top to the moretraditional German helmet that developed in the second half of the war. She spent a lot of time atthe Imperial War Museum, assuring that each costume was correct right down to the threads theyused to sew them together."Johnston approached the design as if each different adventure Joey finds himself in was a newchapter in a book. "It was absolutely fantastic for me to do it that way, because each of theepisodes in the story could then be defined very clearly. You turn the page and you're on a newchapter. And the different chapters hardly overlap," she notes. "I wanted to give each section itsown sense of design. Historically, everything was created more or less as it would have beenexcept for the scene at the French farm. That I made a little bit sweeter than it probably wouldhave been because I felt that was an oasis in that war-torn time. It's this one place of safetytucked away in a corner."To underscore the Narracott family's salt-of-the-earth origins, she looked at rural clothing of theperiod. "They are country people, so I tried to combine texture and simplicity," she explains."With young Albert, the thing was to keep him looking very youthful and endearing. Ted is moreold-fashioned, wearing a jacket that he's probably had for at least 15 years. Rosie's clothes arevery practical, but she does her best, always trying to keep standards in their home as good as shecan."For the military uniforms, Johnston's research showed that they were hardly very uniform at thetime. There was no standard- issue officer's uniform at all. On the contrary, officers went topersonal tailors to have their uniforms put together to their own specifications, which allowedJohnston more leeway as well. She used different fabrics and different shades for Britishcavalrymen Nicholls, Stewart and Waverly, setting them apart. "My military costume grouploved it because there really hasn't been any movie set in WWI of this scale in a while. It wasvery thrilling for them," she muses.The actors found the costumes adding layers to their performances. "The costumes were soimportant," says Emily Watson. "Rosie has simple clothes, yet every fabric was carefully chosento be strong and feminine at the same time. Everything was beautifully hand-stitched withincredible detail."SOUND AND FURY: THE SCORE AND SOUND DESIGNOne of Spielberg's longest-running cinematic collaborations has been with five-time Oscar®winningcomposer John Williams, whose lush, emotive scores are among the most recognized ofall time. In addition to "War Horse," Williams also scored Spielberg's "The Adventures ofTintin" this year.© 2011 DreamWorks Pictures 20