In this episode, Max chats with costume designer Avery Plewes about her work in Warner Bros' 8-BIT CHRISTMAS, now streaming on HBO Max.
Plewes discusses the creative approach she brought to this holiday film in designing the 1980s costuming. Based on the book of the same name by Kevin Jakubowski, 8-Bit Christmas takes place in an idyllic Chicago suburb in the ’80s, centering around a 10-year-old’s epic quest to get the Christmas gift of his generation - a Nintendo Entertainment System. The film switches back and forth between past and present as adult Jake Doyle (Neil Patrick Harris) tells his daughter the story of the unforgettable Christmas where he and his friends did everything they could to get their hands on the latest and greatest video game system.
Plewes chatted about her inspirations while designing the colorful and graphic period costumes, while making sure the costumes would appeal to kids watching the film, as well as bring nostalgia to adults who also grew up in that decade. She can also discusses the challenges of designing costumes for film during the lockdown period of the entertainment industry, and how it gave her the opportunity to build a significant wardrobe without the help of clothing stores.
Plewes' other credits include Everything, Everything, Ready or Not, Sex/Life, and the upcoming series Painkiller starring Matthew Broderick and Uzo Aduba.
