Will Smith graces our television screens with Apple TV’s Emancipation. A historical narrative about an enslaved man, Peter, who escapes a Louisiana plantation in 1863.
Peter runs towards freedom at the cusp of emancipation, the Civil War to be exact. He finds himself on a 10 day trek through dangerous swamps to the Union site, where he heard Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by William N. Collage, Emancipation shows the undying love and strength a man holds, on his journey to gain freedom and reunite his family.
blackfilm.com spoke to Emancipation’s costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck about her process in designing and clothing Will Smith and the cast. For more than 40 years Jamison-Tanchuck has worked in the television and film industries. Working her way up from apprentice, in the early 1970s to become lead costume designer for productions such as Glory, Boomerang, One Night In Miami, Just Mercy, and many more.
Jamison-Tanchuck used her wise wealth of knowledge to her advantage when faced with a few difficulties, like late castings. Maneuvering around creating the movement and sizing of costumes without knowing the actors was tricky. Jamison-Tanchuck spoke about wanting the story to be told realistically. So she focused on creating realism with the clothes instead of a romanticized depiction of slavery. So having Harlan Glenn, Emancipation’s key military customer and military technical advisor, on her team was a game changer in making sure the accuracy of the period was clear.
Another challenge, blending the costumes with the film’s black and white cinematography. A decision the studio was not completely on board with at the beginning of production. You can only imagine the meticulous eye needed when aging, overdying, and matching the fabrics for shots primarily filmed in swampy water, mud, and dirt. Jamison-Tanchuk made sure she considered how other departments like sound design, set design, and cinematography would affect her methods. Fuqua along with cinematographer Robert Richardson and production designer Naomi Shohan met daily to view how the fabrics and colors looked on screen. With Jamison-Tanchuk dyeing fabrics or the editing team changing the shades and tones in post production. The work involved was beautifully orchestrated and is present visually throughout the film.
Emancipation released on Dec. 9., and is currently available on Apple TV.
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