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Set and costume design of Australia movie

October 28th, 2008 · 26 Comments

Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Australia

I am ready to be blown away by the upcoming epic, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley) and Hugh Jackman (The Drover). There has been a lot of hype surrounding director Baz Luhrmann’s latest project because the countryside of Australia has yet to be the setting or character of a film of this magnitude. Besides sound stages, the majority of the filming took place in The Kimberley — home to a diverse landscape of billabongs, salt flats, open plains, and mountain ranges in the northwestern part of Australia. So yes, even the exquisite Nicole Kidman had to “rough it” in the outback during the many months of filming.

Baz Luhrmann's Australia movie filming on location

Production and costume designer, Catherine Martin, brought Luhrmann’s vision to life by using a series of drawing and collage techniques to carefully plan out the scenes. Every detail was meticulously sketched out prior to filming, from Hugh Jackman’s jodhpurs to the town setting. Above you can see a few examples of the models for the house, territory hotel, and movie theatre.

Set design of Australia

The house was actually built on marsh land and became the home to Lady Sarah Ashley. According to Vogue Living, Martin decorated her room with art deco pieces from both Australia and Hollywood and included oil paintings on her walls by Grace Crowley. If I can find more images of the interior, perhaps this will make a great Double Take…

Costume design of Australia

The styling of her wardrobe changes as Lady Sarah Ashley transforms from a tightly controlled woman who is disappointed in life to a character who is powered by the landscape and loved by her drover. Here are just a few examples of the costumes worn by Nicole Kidman, which are part of the 1,800 costumes designed for the cast of Australia.

Lastly, did you know that Hugh Jackman was actually second choice after Russell Crowe for the part? When Crowe refused the role over money, Jackman became the leading man — better choice anyway…

If you are interested in learning more about the film, watch the podcasts that are available on the official site. Enjoy!

Image credits: Australia Movie and Vogue Living Australia

Tags: Good Days

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