Inspired by 'The Lord Of The Rings' films that swept the recent Academy Awards, local costume enthusiast Jeff Stringer created his own orc costume. See story in Happenings. Click to enlarge.
photo by
Photo Editor Michael Locke
At the Academy Awards ceremony last week 'The Lord Of The Rings' won Oscars in every category in which it was nominated.
"Eleven for eleven - that's not bad," says Jeff Stringer, a Chattanoogan whose interest in costume design gives him insights into at least two of the winning Oscar categories - Costumes and Makeup.
Stringer especially liked the movie's depiction of the orcs, the goblin creatures that populate J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel. His favorites are the orcs of the Mines of Moria, a smaller breed than the towering Uruk-hai and Mordor orcs that are seen in the movie's outdoor battle scenes.
Stringer liked the look of the Moria orcs so much he decided to make his own orc costume. The result, after working on and off on the project for three months, led to an award of his own - Best of Show at the 2004 Chattacon science fiction convention in January.
Using Lord Of The Rings movie photo books as a guide, Stringer produced an orc that features a finely detailed green face mask complete with realistic hair and metal rings protruding from the skin. He created armor patterned after the "flakes and spikes" look that the movie designers gave to their Moria orcs.
Stringer used some of the same materials used by the movie's designers. He crafted his orc's helmet and armor from polystyrene, a versatile hard plastic used to make common everyday items like hairdryers, computer housings and model cars.
Polystyrene was used extensively in the movie to create sets as well as costumes. Stringer produced his parts from a single 4x8 ft. sheet, using a hand-held heat gun to bend the armor into shape.
To make the face mask Stringer used natural latex sculpted from a mold of his own head and neck. The 200 orc heads made for the film were similarly made, using latex foam silicone and given unique facial features and different hair styles.
The skin of Stringer's orc is made of painted Spandex fabric, which he said left behind some of its green color on the inside of his clothes dryer.
For the orc's shield he used laminated cardboard covered in fiberglass. Stringer crafted the sword from wood, using a belt sander to taper the edge.
Despite being made of wood, the edge was unexpectedly sharp. "It cut my hand," Stringer said.
Other materials were used to complete the costume. World War I-era army leggings were chopped into pieces to make the forearm guards. The footwear was built over watersport shoes.
This isn't the first orc costume Stringer has made. Orcs are also found in the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games, and Stringer's D&D orc costume has also been seen at Chattacon.
"I've been making homemade costumes for two decades now," Stringer says. "My first costume as an adult was Darth Vader."
Stringer and his wife Susan have been professionally involved with costumes since 1989, when they opened their Beauty and the Beast costume shop on Dayton Boulevard in Red Bank.
"She does beauties, I do beasts," Stringer says.
At first they used mostly their own costumes in their shop. "Most of our stock came out of our own closets," says Susan Stringer.
Eventually they stopped renting their favorite homemade costumes. "We never rent a costume that we're emotionally attached to," she says.
Jeff's orc costume, therefore, isn't available for viewing at the store. It is kept safely at home, ready to be brought out for some orkish fun.
Whenever he wears it, Stringer knows he'll spend his time standing up. "I can't sit down because of the spikes," he says.
To see more photos of Mr. Stringer's orc costume, go to 'Photo Gallery: Jeff Stringer's Moria Orc Costume.'
Email Michael Locke at malocke@bellsouth.net