Storytelling with Behind-The-Camera Creatives | SAM@Home 2020
Comic-Con's Storytelling Across Media Virtual Press Room
Cultural Conversations : Latinx Designers | Costume Designer’s Guild IATSE 892
“THE COSTUME DESIGN SECRETS BEHIND SCI-FI HORROR SYNCHRONIC” SYFY WIRE
“Existing in a recognizable environment, the costumes are a big factor in balancing the fantastical fragmented narrative. Laura Cristina Ortiz was tasked with designing garments ranging from the Ice Age to the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, as well as contemporary looks to ground the action. SYFY FANGRRLS recently jumped on the phone with Ortiz to discuss how she created distorted time travel attire on an indie budget, why she strives to use ethical resources, how she will be celebrating the release of Synchronic, and her path to becoming a costume designer…”
“Laura Cristina Ortiz on time distortion in costume design for Synchronic” CULTURESS
“The technique was one Ortiz tried to emulate with Steve’s coats. She says, “…the idea was that as he’s going through [time], this costume goes through this kind of Cronenbergian thing where I wanted it to feel like he’s oozing out. I wanted it to feel very bulbous or like primordial oozy.”
To achieve this effect, Ortiz sculpted the polyurethane with Carhartt jackets as the base and used iron filings to manipulate the material. For her, the oozing effect also connected back to Steve’s cancer as if it’s seeping out of him, too, as he time travels…”
“SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW: COSTUME DESIGNER, LAURA CRISTINA ORTIZ” MS. IN THE BIZ
“Piece of advice you can give to women who want to go into costume design?
Make sure you know your craft. Even if you don’t go to school, there are lots of free resources out there so make sure you take advantage of that. And finally, be firm but flexible. Know your value and stand your ground when it is really important to do so. Know that no one should ever talk down to you or treat you like a child. Also know that sometimes you may not get what you want creatively, but you have to keep in mind that there is a bigger picture and a bigger creative battle you might want to win in the future.”
"THIS COSTUME DESIGNER USES SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS TO CREATE WHIMSICAL DISNEY DRESSES" DISNEY STYLE
"When costume designer Laura Cristina Ortiz entered the 2016 Her Universe Fashion Show, she gave herself the challenge of designing a dress inspired by WALL•E out of trash. What she discovered was a new passion for creating fashion with sustainable materials. Now, Ortiz continues to advocate for sustainable fashion practices, all while creating designs inspired by her favorite Disney films."
“Meet Laura Cristina Ortiz, Costume Designer in Burbank” VOYAGELA MAGAZINE
“We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As a Costume Designer, I visually create characters using fashion as my medium. That means my job is not to make someone fabulous just for the sake of being fabulous- I’m a storyteller first and foremost. Fashion is a tool for me to explore the narrative of the script…”
“LAURA CRISTINA ORTIZ & SYNCHRONIC”
A BRIGHTER LENS PODCAST
Image Source: Jake Michaels for The New York Times
"Comic-Con Makes a Fashion Statement"
NEW YORK TIMES
"...Ms. Ortiz incorporated a dizzying amount of recycled material into the design, including cardboard, crepe paper, soda cans, plastic bottles, an Ikea bag and even a cable stripped out of an iPhone, which was used to lace up the bodice at the back..."
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Ann-Marie Alcántara
"The Geek-Couture Designs at This Comic-Con Fashion Show Were Insane" POPSUGAR
"...Pieces included a Wall-E design with recycled materials and a Severus Snape-inspired costume with individually wired lights that we wish we could include in our closets ASAP. See the creations ahead, and don't think twice if all you start thinking is "take my money."
Image Source: Bleeding Cool
"THIS WALL-E DRESS IS MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED MATERIALS" DISNEY STYLE
"...Ashley Eckstien’s LEGO Ahsoka Tano dress definitely caught everyone’s attention, but there was another gown that stood out to us. Laura Cristina Ortiz‘s design, an dress inspired by the Disney•Pixar classic, WALL•E, used all recycled materials to create a unique gown that stayed true to the film’s theme and looked amazing too..."