What are the ways behind collecting costumes for movies and TV dramas?, The price of "Phoenix Nine Wedding Drama Costumes" skyrocketed 10 times in 6 years

In 2017, a set of Feng Jiu's wedding costume from "Three Lives, Three Lives, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" was auctioned off on the film and television prop auction platform "Shuangyu Museum Collection" for 7000 yuan. Now, on the second-hand trading platform, the same set of clothing is priced at 98000 yuan, and its authenticity is difficult to distinguish.

What is a collection of film and television artworks? Who are buying and collecting costumes for movies and TV shows? Recently, the Double Fish Collection and Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy jointly hosted a lecture on "From Bronze to Gold - The Post broadcast Process of a Costume". The founder of the Double Fish Collection, Wang Bing, revealed the secrets behind the collection of film and television artworks to teachers, students, and collectors.

Turning surplus film and television products into artworks

As Li Bihua, the screenwriter of the movie "Farewell My Concubine", said, every costume contains an extremely beautiful soul. In the past, clothing for movies and TV shows was basically ignored after being stored, making it difficult for production companies to recycle and reuse it, and fans and enthusiasts had no way to collect it. In 2016, Wang Bing and his partner Zhao Meng established the "Pisces Collection", serving as a bridge between the production company and collectors. Both of them are professionals in the film and television industry, one is a screenwriter and the other is a director, who had been in the industry for over a decade at the time. "Our work experience has made us very familiar with the entire industry chain of the film and television industry. We are very clear about the artistry and value of film and television props, as well as their fate after filming."

Lecture site

To coincide with the lecture activities of Shanghai Wenying, the Shuangyu Museum has brought four previously filmed costumes for film and television dramas. The purple gold armor worn by Xiao Dingquan in the novel "He Yao Hua Ting" is quite eye-catching. This set of armor was designed by Hong Kong designer Zhang Shuping in China. It is colorful and includes 11 pieces, including an inner lining jacket, body armor, skirt, gloves, wrist guards, waist cover, etc. The lining robe, skirt, and armor are boldly contrasting in color. Each piece of this armor is handmade and sewn together by a master's hand. "When approaching, one will feel that this set of things is alive."

The Armor in "The Crane and the Flower Pavilion"

In the past, many beautifully crafted and expensive costumes for film and television dramas were stored at the bottom of the box after filming, lacking proper preservation. Wang Bing still remembers that in the summer of 2016, the Pisces Collection began to explore its first film and television drama project. The cost of clothing design alone exceeded 12 million yuan, with some clothing items costing over 20000 yuan per piece. I heard that the project is about to be filmed, and many young collectors expressed interest. But when they went to the warehouse to pick up clothes, they opened the door and found black water flowing under their feet. Due to poor warehouse management, dozens of sets of clothing have been damaged and cannot be photographed due to rain leaks and rodent bites.

The costumes in "The Legend of Yunxiang"

"A considerable number of clothing boutiques have been picked out without any luster. We need to clean up, shoot, register and store them again." Wang Bing introduced that the Shuangyu Museum has started to standardize the management of surplus assets of film and television artworks, hoping to turn the remaining products into artworks, so that they can shine again after exiting the screen. At present, the Pisces Museum has nearly a thousand sets of project costumes for sale and to be broadcasted. "When a play is submitted to the production team for auction, the copyright ownership of the clothing must be determined first. Then, a commission auction agreement must be signed, and the client will deliver the item to our library. We start preparing the item for auction, including taking photos, organizing and registering, creating auction catalogs, promoting, etc. Then, we determine the number and time of scenes to be auctioned, and finally proceed with the auction. We charge a certain proportion of auction commission for the auction proceeds, and the remaining amount belongs to the authorized party."

The buyer participated in the event wearing clothing auctioned from the Pisces Museum collection, presenting the beauty of film and television costumes to everyone.

Film and television artworks collect memories about film and television, and are also emotional extensions of film and television content. Someone bought Chu Beijie's armor and a 1.8-meter-long sword from "Lonely Fragrance without Self Appreciation" and specially drove to Beijing to pick up the goods. That day, the collector happily put on the suit of armor and took a set of his own film and television art photos with a sword in the photography studio of the Pisces Museum. "If these film and television artworks can still have some healing effect, it would be the best thing," said Wang Bing.

The market is gradually becoming larger, and the industry urgently needs to be standardized

Who are buying and collecting costumes for movies and TV shows? "At present, there are generally two types of original film and television clothing collectors. One is collectors who come for the artistic and excellent quality of their collections, and the other is fans who come for actors." Wang Bing explained that it is difficult to depict users with age and occupation, which also makes them feel the bright future of the industry.

The reporter found on a second-hand trading platform that there are many clothing sales information labeled as "produced by the Double Fish Collection". In addition to film and television stills, there are also physical photos with the Double Fish Collection logo, and some even claim to have "collection certificates" to show that these clothing are circulating in an orderly manner. For example, a Feng Jiu wedding dress from "Three Lives, Three Generations, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" is priced as high as 98000 yuan. In addition, there are also a large number of film and television costumes on the platform that are labeled as "replica" or "same style", such as the same hairpin and dance clothes of Daji in "Fengshen First Part", and the same hairpin and costumes of Li Lianhua in "Lotus Tower", with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan.

On second-hand trading platforms, a large number of film, television, and drama costumes are on sale

"Many people have come to inquire whether our Fengjiu wedding dress was auctioned off from Pisces, but we cannot distinguish whether it is the original. As far as I know, at least 1000 sets of that dress were replicated after it was auctioned off from Pisces." Wang Bing believes that both the replication and the same style trend indicate that the market is developing, and consumers need to distinguish differences and place orders carefully when purchasing.

At present, purchasing and collecting original costumes and props for film and television dramas has become popular abroad. When well-known IPs such as Star Wars do street tour promotions, 90% of participants wear original costumes. "There is a chain of disdain in the film and television costume collection industry abroad, and participating in such a level of activity cannot wear replicas." Wang Bing said that doing film and television costume auctions hopes to fill the gap in this part of the film and television IP industry chain, and it has great potential for expansion and derivatives. "We have been exploring and moving forward since drafting the first commission agreement in the industry. Currently, the film and television collectibles market is gradually becoming larger, with more participants. Relevant laws and regulations, industry norms, and cognitive promotion urgently need to be improved and standardized. We hope that all parties and practitioners in the industry can work together to continuously establish a sound system."

On the second-hand trading platform, the Feng Jiu wedding dress is priced at 98000 yuan

The Phoenix Nine Wedding Dress Aucted at the Pisces Museum Collection

Wei Dongxiao, Director of the Creation Center of Shanghai Academy of Drama, believes that the auction of costumes and props for film and television dramas may affect the entire industry structure in the future. "Considering the success of primary and secondary creations, the attempts currently being made by the Shuangyu Museum Collection are very meaningful." Through the auction of costumes for film and television dramas, Wang Bing also noticed that the style of ancient costume dramas is evolving with cultural trends, craftsmanship, raw materials, and new technologies. "In recent years, it is particularly noteworthy that traditional culture has been valued and intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship has been applied."

In the future, the Pisces Collection will collaborate with Shanghai Wenying in areas such as film and television costume design training. In the view of Cheng Bo, Executive Dean of the Vancouver Film Academy in Shanghai, whether it is the current trend of Hanfu, Chinese style, or the rise of Chinese animation, it is full of the love and closeness of excellent traditional culture in the blood of the Chinese people. "Film and television drama costumes not only remain in the material dimension of clothing, but also in a flexible and vibrant aspect of cultural inheritance."