Production designer:

The Scene when Gatsby gets shot by George Wilson is one of the most important scenes that
concludes the Theme of illusion and reality in The Great Gatsby. In the adaptation, a lot of care was
taken to create the visuals that made up the wealth and the social values of The American Dream in
Gatsby’s mind. As the setting of the movie is set in the 1920s, our team wanted a fairly accurate
setting of the time but also. It is also necessary to give the adaptation the ability to pull the audience
into a completely different world while leaving room to add modern elements keeping with Baz
Luhrmann’s style which gives the audience more interaction with the film. In this scene, the
production focused on portraying the illusion of Gatsby’s wealth and relationships showing how
other people are only with Gatsby for his money and none of them really cares about him. We also
needed to interpret the changing characteristics of Gatsby and Daisy’s thoughts through their
costuming.

The scene starts with a grand sight of Gatsby’s pool and him diving into it. This part of the scene is
where it is essential to focus on creating a luxurious atmosphere to paint Gatsby’s wealth. Not only is
the luxurious world important to make Gatsby’s story believable, but back in the 1920s the newest
art and decoration were directly tied to the carefree mindset of wild young people in that
generation. This carefreeness and atmosphere are perfectly fitting for The Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s
pool is fabulously modern with the latest decoration which only the very wealthy people can afford,
and its value alone makes it fashionable. In Gatsby’s eyes, fashion doesn't start among everyday
people; its real purpose is to give change and boast wealth. But as Gatsby falls into this dream of
luxury, he does not realise that both in his relationship with Daisy and his social status. The old
money does not accept him into their world and Daisy will always go back to her foolish self who
never leaves Tom.

When the phone rings as Gatsby rises from the pool, Gatsby smiles thinking that Daisy is calling but
in fact, it was Nick who called. The idea of the telephone being dangerous is subtly reinforced
throughout the movie by their ringing and the immediate trouble that comes after it. In fact, the
phone ringing is normally a harbinger of trouble. Put that in mind because there will be examples of
this everywhere after the scene. This scene is linked to the theme of illusion versus reality as Gatsby
is so trapped in this illusion of Daisy that he forgets everyone around him including Nick, the only
person who cares about him. Gatsby’s love for Daisy blinded him from many things, the true Daisy,
Gatsby himself and the illusion of time; the foolish reality and the illusion that he could capture her
love by creating and inventing a deceitful past. He believed that he could repeat the past and have
the dream life forgetting that the wealthy people around him are corrupt and shallow and everything
that is truly beautiful is just a dream he created. Confirming the reality, in chapter five Nick thinks:

“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not
through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.”

This is his interpretation of the meaning for Gatsby of the reunion with Daisy. Nick believes that there
were moments that afternoon when Daisy fell short of Gatsby's dreams not because of any fault on
her part but because Gatsby's idealised image of her was so immense that it was virtually impossible
for her to live up to it.

Right after Gatsby gets out of the pool to answer the phone, we see a vague figure of Wilson
entering Gatsby’s house with a Smith & Wesson M1917 revolver preparing for his final revenge. He
eventually ends up at the pool where he shoots Gatsby killing him almost instantly and commits
suicide. As Gatsby gets shot, he stares directly at the green light across the bay for the last time
before falling into the pool. The green light throughout the movie symbolises the American dream,
representing the idea that anyone and everyone can become wealthy and happy through hard work
and determination. Gatsby sees the green light as his dream of a happy future with Daisy. But in this
scene, the green light represents the unattainable and elusive nature of dreams. Gatsby perceives
the green light as his never-ending chase to win back Daisy and recreate the past even though it is
impossible. When Gatsby falls into the pool, the pool turns into this bottomless dark blue void
swallowing Gatsby as he sinks deeper and deeper. The dark blue colour of the pool portrays
melancholy, loneliness, and sadness. This use of the colour blue makes more sense throughout the
end movie as only reporters, Mr. Jay, Owl Eyes and Nick attend Gatsby's funeral. The water in the
pool can also be a transformative tool in Gatsby’s life. His death in the water represents baptism,
cleansing Gatsby and his soul renewing his life after death.

In the last scene where we last see Gatsby, he was lying in a casket. Gatsby’s casket was left open,
inside was Gatsby in a neat white suit. This was how the audience and Nick saw Gatsby, in a white
suit, surrounded by white orchids, as pure as he can be. The pure love he had for Daisy and their
future together. In this picture, Gatsby is wearing typical clothing worn by men in the 1920s, but his
signet is missing. This symbolises the disappearing love of Gatsby for Daisy and Gatsby’s wealth is
gone and no longer has a use for him. Gatsby’s house in this scene was practically empty, the candles
around Gatsby created a sorrowful atmosphere as the dull candlelight wrapped around him, filling
the room with a daunting mood. The white curtains swaying as the wind blew made the house feel
abandoned and lifeless. The empty room shows that despite having all these extravagant parties and
being surrounded by many others, he’s still alone and everyone was with him only for his wealth.

Vu - What were some of the key costumes created for the film? How
have you used fabrics, design and colours to develop representations
of gender and wealth?
Part 1: What were some of the key costumes created for this film? (Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Nick, Jordan,
Wilson)

There are plenty of costumes that have influence on the film but I will be focusing on Daisy’s and Tom
Buchanan’s costumes as I do love their costumes the most. Miuccia Prada created all the costumes
that we see Daisy in, and each one is more lavish than the last. Daisy purple tea dress in particular
was created to directly match the original text. In chapter five, Nick describes that “Under the
dripping bare lilac trees a large open car was coming up the drive. It stopped. Daisy's face, tipped
sideways beneath a three-cornered lavender hat, looked out at me with a bright ecstatic smile.” This
costume was intentionally made incorrect to the 1920s as the dress is too tight revealing more of
Daisy's body shapes to show her changes from when she reunited with Gatsby.
I personally think that Tom’s appearance and suits are simpler but cannot be mistaken for that of any
ordinary man. His quintessential pencil moustache screams power, wealth and masculinity. While
Gatsby has all kinds of parties and compelling suits to display his wealth, Tom has a subtler “I know
that you know I’m rich.” type of attitude. All that it takes Tom to display his superiority are just a
simple black suit and a cigar. But through his clothing we can truly see the difference between the
new money and the old money. Tom sees himself as the ruler of everything and can have any woman
with a snap of his finger. He denies the American dream and exposes the shallowness of the 1920s
and their obsession with wealth and pleasure.

Part 2: How have you designed, utilised fabrics and colour to develop representations of genders and
wealth?

I have used silk, velvet, and satin which were expensive and were reserved for the wealthy – which is
why we see it on those in Gatsby's social circles. Luxurious fabric was a sign of affluence.

Part 3: Last question, how did you show the contrast between rich and poor using different aspects
of Nick and Gatsby?

Nick Carraway came from Minnesota, his family is neither rich nor poor, they're comfortable. He
went to Yale for education, and both he and Gatsby served in the first world war. Later on, he moved
to New York to be a writer and learn about the bond business. On the other hand, Gatsby or Jay Gats
the “star” of this show that he made up for himself. He is a very wealthy and charismatic man. Can
you imagine someone going as far as buying a mansion and throwing parties with all of his “friends”
just to steal a woman’s heart. Gatsby also is obsessed with Daisy and showing off his flamboyant
suits.

Gatsby and Nick live in two completely different worlds when it comes to wealth. They are next door
neighbours and best friends but Gatsby lives in a mansion and Nick lives in a small house. The
difference in their house alone is so substantial as Nick describes Gatsby house: “The one on my right
was a colossal affair by any standard…marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and
garden.” while Nick’s house as he describes it is: ”only fifty yards from the Sound, and squeezed
between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season.”