La précision est un atout majeur

Everything is Immaculate in the Capitol.

The train that takes our tributes across Panem.  The quarters that all but one spend their last days in.  The stylists may be responsible for their clothes, but it’s the Games interior designers that make sure our tributes spend their last moments before the arena in the epitome of luxury.  Capitol Couture sat down with Phil Messina, the production designer, to talk inspiration, functionality, and sending our tributes off in style.  

CC- How do you personally go about translating the future into design? 

PM- Industrial power felt like the right way to go to represent the Capitol; the power of industry over political power.  It had to be over the top and overstated.

CC- As it should be!  The interiors of the train cars are particularly elegant.  

PM- Yes, we wanted the train to be a bridge between the Capitol and the districts- it’s the yellow brick road that takes Katniss to Oz.  Deco seemed appropriate; I wanted an elegant design that didn’t overpower what was going on inside, but still embodied the opulence of the Capitol.  

CC- We hear that this year, you were consulted on the design of the new Cornucopia in the arena- can you tell us about that?  

PM- We weren’t actually sure if the Cornucopia would change at all from last year, at first.  The redesign still has elements of the last one, although the more abstract concept looks more threatening for the Quarter Quell.  I had thought about making it out of sea glass, but it just wasn’t feasible on a large scale.