Lady Filmmakers Film Festival 2018 - Dressing a Renaissance Queen
Dressing a Renaissance Queen is a short documentary film about the unusual circumstances surrounding the wedding of the future Queen Marie de Medici. The film takes you through the various stages of her dressing process detailing the dress itself and its relation to fashion of the time, along with facts surrounding her proxy wedding to King Henry the IV of France in 1600.
Interview with Writer/Producer Nola Yergen
Watch Dressing a Renaissance Queen here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I am a professional Costume Designer and Professor. A few years ago, I spent a year of research and another year of construction to build a historically accurate replica wedding dress for my renaissance-themed wedding. More recently, while preparing curriculum for my Costume Design Class I scoured the internet for a good video about Renaissance Fashion to show my class and found nothing, which inspired me to make my own.
As the dress had outlasted the marriage, I wanted to find another use for this labor of love. So, with the encouragement and support of my friends, family and producer, Sonia Hines, I decided to give it a try.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Aside from learning about fashion history, you also get a glimpse into the weird world of the super wealthy of the early 17th century. Marie not only married a man she never met, he wasn’t even at his own wedding! Are we surprised he turned up dead the day after she was finally crowned Queen of France?
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
There is the universal theme of the nervous bride, an arranged marriage going horribly wrong, jealousy and assassination. The history of women has been overlooked in our education system and stories like these need to be told and shared.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script had a variety of incarnations. As a designer I have learned not to be precious with my creations, so I welcomed input from several friends and the story evolved from a simple “these are the many layers of clothing a Renaissance Queen would wear” to the true story about a wealthy woman preparing to leave her home country seeking a match that would make her a queen.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far all of the feedback has been extremely positive, I am excited to see the reactions of a wider audience.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has inspired me to create a series of these stories, now I just have to find the TIME to do it!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Hopefully that your readers might be interested in learning more, or even helping with more similar projects. In the best of all possible worlds this could become a series spanning stories from Native Americans, Asian Princesses, Vikings, African – you name it, we could cover it. Or it could become a mini-series about Marie de Medici’s tumultuous life (and I would do costumes of course).
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love to find people who are interested in expanding this story or helping to create a series of these documentaries that share the experience of women throughout history and how dress has played a role in not just shaping women’s bodies but their lives as well.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that viewers will begin to understand that fashion has so many weird and wonderful stories.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What is a Proxy Marriage?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
This is the first film I ever wrote; my team and I have learned so much since then. We are looking forward to so many more.
We are currently working on a variety of projects. Brian Lapham (the Director Of Photography and Editor) and I have a YouTube Channel “CostumeTrek” where we explore all aspects of Costuming and Cosplay with tutorials, interviews, and visits to costumed events such as Wild West Con Steampunk Convention and Costume College. (https://www.youtube.com/c/costumetrek)
We are also working with Sonia Hines on a project set in Ancient Egypt that we are all excited to be working on and with each other again.
I am currently creating costumes for a theatrical production of Macbeth and of course teaching costume design at Grand Canyon University.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Dressing a Renaissance Queen
Dressing a Renaissance Queen is a short documentary film about the unusual circumstances surrounding the wedding of the future Queen Marie de Medici. The film takes you through the various stages of her dressing process detailing the dress itself and its relation to fashion of the time, along with facts surrounding her proxy wedding to King Henry the IV of France in 1600.
Length: 8:15
Producer: Nola Yergen
Writer: Nola Yergen
About the writer, director and producer:
NOLA YERGEN (conceived, written, produced and starring in the film) is a professional Costume Designer and Professor. She also has a YouTube Channel called “CostumeTrek” on which she provides costuming tutorials, interviews and travels around the world attending and reporting on costume events
BRIAN LAPHAM (director of photography and editor) does most of the editing for “CostumeTrek”; on YouTube and a former news photographer.
JOEL LEVINSON (second camera) is a motivational speaker and business guru.
SONIA HINES (executive producer) founded the Production Company Black Plus Plus and is busy at work on a variety of films.
Key cast:
KAY GRAY plays the nurse as well as did hair and make-up. She is a professional hair and make-up artist and is currently teaching High School in Phoenix Arizona.
SARAH LEVINSON plays Marie’s Lady in Waiting and was also On Set Costumer. Sarah is also a professional costumer, working on several films as over 42 theatrical productions.
Looking for: producers, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: CostumeTrek
Twitter: @CostumeTrek
Instagram: @CostumeTrek
Other: www.CostumeTrek.com and http://costumetrek.com/dressing-a-renaissance-queen/
Funders: Nola Yergen & Black Plus Plus
Made in association with: CostumeTrek and Black Plus Plus
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? You can see the trailer on http://costumetrek.com/dressing-a-renaissance-queen/ or the full length short at the Lady’s Film Festival in Beverly Hills CA.