Costuming Song Sung Blue with Respect and Verve

In writer-director Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, two Milwaukee performers (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) find each other and their talent when they partner up to create the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning and Thunder. The remarkable true story of the two, Mike and Claire Sardina, chronicles their marriage and family, their triumphs and tragedies, and most of all their love of performing. Variety writes, “there’s nothing jokey or tacky about their presence, and the actors’ performances do nothing so much as bring the love.” 

To capture the authenticity of the film’s place and time, Brewer recruited his former collaborator, costume designer Ernesto Martinez. Creating both stage outfits and the everyday garb of the characters, Martinez succinctly captured the couple’s reality and brilliance. Mashable writes, “Hudson is radiant, the way of small-town women who don't have designer clothes and custom jewelry but department stores and thrift store finds, yet they shine all the same.”

We spoke with Martinez about his vision for each character, the hand-made style of Lightning and Thunder, and the film’s inspiring message.

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How did you end up working on Song Sung Blue?

I did a show called Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist for which Craig directed the pilot and three other episodes. We got along really well. When Song Sung Blue was greenlit, he called me.

What did you see as your chief creative challenge?

When I first read the script, I didn't realize that the characters were real people. When I learned about the real Mike and Claire, I went back and watched the documentary. I was so impressed with Mike’s story. As a recovering alcoholic, he had a very hard life yet stayed sober through it all. I felt that I had to approach the costuming in a way that honored who Mike and Claire were. I needed to anchor the costumes in reality. Even in their show clothes, I wanted them to look real. They weren’t poor, but they didn’t have a lot of money to invest in costumes. I approached both their clothing and costumes with a hands-on approach. Everything was hand sewn, including the glitter and sequins. For some of the costumes, my work was more about undoing things to make the outfits look less finished.

Can you talk about your approach to specific characters? For example, what does Claire’s costume tell us about her?

Claire’s a very simple woman. She's a beautician who is trying to be the best mother she can be with very little money. On stage, she has a fantasy of being Patsy Cline. As a performer and singer, she gets to live another sort of life. I was thinking of her as a hairstylist or manicurist in Milwaukee. So I asked myself, “how would she dress?” Every day she would add a touch of pizzazz to what she wore. In designing her costumes, I added just a little bit of shine to everything she wore. Her sweater sets had a little bit of gold stars, and her sweatshirts even had some silver, which was very popular back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. She didn’t wear current fashion styles, but she made what she wore very stylish.

Would she wear name brands?

None at all. I made most of her clothes for her. I really stayed away from using name brand clothing.

What about Mike?

In everyday life, he was a dad and a mechanic. He had a real job. I tried very hard to make him look very normal. He doesn't see himself as a Neil Diamond impersonator or cover artist. When he chose to be Lightning, he wanted to bring his own personality to the character. But to create his look, I leaned into Neil Diamond. We gave him a Neil Diamond hairstyle, and as Lightning, we got the Neil Diamond look.

How did you create the costumes for Lightning and Thunder?

There were multiple influences. I used the documentary as inspiration but also worked in conjunction with the production designer and the DP, as well as thought about what was right for Kate and Hugh. I stole some of the ideas from what they wore in the documentary, but a lot of the stuff didn’t work for Kate or Hugh and we had to go in a different direction. The costumes reflected that they were local, but they also showed off their charisma. There was a couple in Los Angeles called Marty and Elaine who used to perform at The Dresden Room there. They were an old couple who would perform cover songs and play the piano. For Mike and Claire, I really thought of people like that and tried to mirror that spirit.

What about the look of Claire’s teen daughter, Rachel who is played by Ella Anderson?

She was my grunge girl. She’s young but circumstances push her to take a lot of responsibility early in life. I wanted to show that in the way she dressed. She’s not borrowing anything from her mother. Instead, she has a job, so she's buying things that other kids in high school would wear.

How did you adjust their costuming to reflect the emotional turns in the story?

I did it with color. At the beginning, Claire is wearing much brighter colors. But as things happen, her palette turns darker and more somber.

Did you work with cinematographer Amy Vincent to establish a palette for the film?

She was involved in many of the color choices. I would check in with her about whether a certain color would work in a particular scene and we would discuss with the production designer to get the right look. Overall, Amy and Craig had a very clear sense of what they wanted the film to look like. There were parts where we wanted to use primary colors—like a lot of red, white, and blue to create a sense of Americana. Other times, I would suggest a color for contrast, like adding in a soft yellow in a biker bar.

You capture the regional look of Milwaukee in your costuming as well.

For research, I looked at everything in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the ‘80s and ‘90s, from Pearl Jam to local looks. There was a lot of plaid, a lot of faded and acid-wash jeans. Milwaukee was getting fashion happening elsewhere a few years later. What we wanted most was a sense of authenticity in what people wore.

What do you want people to take away from the film?

It's a beautiful story about perseverance. They had an unconditional love in the story. That’s what really drew me to the script.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.