The Art of Costume Creation: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Gladiator and The Fifth Element

When it comes to creating an iconic costume, every detail matters. From the intricate design to the precise weight distribution, a well-crafted costume can transport the wearer back into their character's world. In this article, we'll delve into the process of creating two unforgettable costumes: Maximus' sword from Gladiator and the pistol wielded by Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

One of the greatest challenges in costume creation is finding the perfect balance between form and function. When it comes to a prop like Maximus' sword, the designers must ensure that it not only looks incredible but also feels substantial enough to be wielded convincingly on screen. "It's got to sit in a really specific way," says one expert, who has worked on numerous high-profile productions. "You want it to feel like an extension of the actor's body." To achieve this balance, the prop team often employs a technique called armature casting, where a lightweight framework is created and then cast in a durable material such as rubber or resin.

The results can be truly breathtaking. Maximus' sword from Gladiator is a prime example, with its razor-sharp blade and intricately designed hilt. "It's actually tigris's ax right," says our expert, "but it gets associated with Maximus because Maximus wins him." The prop team spent hours perfecting every detail, from the subtle curvature of the blade to the textured leather wrapping on the grip. And when it comes to wearability, they didn't skimp on materials – "it's got a dense rubber, so you can pick it up and feel its weight," our expert notes.

The process of creating costumes like these is often shrouded in mystery, but Simon Atherton, a legendary costume designer with credits including 3000 BC and The Fifth Element, has shared some behind-the-scenes insights. "I love the reveal of like a totally modern piece of hardware," he says. "Yeah, make sure that stays up." With productions like The Fifth Element, where Atherton worked on iconic scenes featuring the iconic hero Zorg's spaceship, every prop had to be meticulously crafted to perfection.

Another impressive example is the pistol wielded by Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. According to Atherton, this piece was also crafted with great care and attention to detail. "It was putting the pistol in Indy's hand," he recalls. "Raiders oh my God we've got that over here too." This iconic prop has become synonymous with Indiana Jones, and its creation involved a combination of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

For fans of these costumes, the process of creating them is truly fascinating. When it comes to collecting memorabilia like these, some actors are passionate enthusiasts who can't bear to part with their hero's costume pieces. Russell Crowe, for example, has spoken about his extensive collection of Gladiator costumes, which include several armors that he wore during filming. Other stars, however, seem less interested in holding onto their props – Kevin Costner is known to have displayed many of his personal items in a restaurant at one point.

Despite the differing approaches to collecting and preserving memorabilia, there's no denying the allure of these iconic costumes. Whether it's Maximus' sword or Indy's pistol, every prop has its own unique story and history that adds to the magic of the film. As we look forward to future productions and exhibitions featuring these incredible pieces, one thing is clear: the art of costume creation continues to captivate audiences around the world.

The upcoming Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction promises to be an exciting event for fans of these iconic costumes. Featuring some of the most impressive and sought-after memorabilia from recent years, this auction is a must-visit for anyone interested in exploring the world of film history. With two separate lots featuring Maximus' sword and Indy's pistol, this auction is set to deliver the ultimate thrill for collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Auction Details

The Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction takes place on June 28th to June 30th. Featuring an impressive array of items from recent years, this auction promises to be a highlight of the entertainment memorabilia calendar. For those who can't make it in person, online bidding will also be available. With so many incredible pieces up for grabs, including Maximus' sword and Indy's pistol, every fan is sure to find something they'll love.

As we count down to the auction, fans can look forward to seeing these iconic costumes on display for the first time in years. For those who do end up purchasing one of these incredible items, it's clear that owning a piece like Maximus' sword or Indy's pistol would be an experience unlike any other. Whether you're a seasoned collector or just starting your journey into the world of entertainment memorabilia, this auction promises to deliver something truly unforgettable.

The Future of Costume Creation

As we continue to explore the art of costume creation, one thing is clear: every prop has its own unique story and history that adds to the magic of the film. With productions like Gladiator and Raiders of the Lost Ark continuing to inspire new generations of fans, it's clear that the allure of iconic costumes will endure for years to come.

For those who want to stay up-to-date with the latest news and insights from the world of costume creation, be sure to follow our expert tips and advice. From prop-making tutorials to behind-the-scenes stories from production, we'll bring you all the latest news and behind-the-scenes insights from the world of film history.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign Savage at prop Stewart down in Los Angeles I always want to jump right into talking about the stuff that's in front of us Brandon Alger how are you sir I'm doing good uh these are two pieces coming up in your uh coming up auction at the end of June yes um and these are I keep saying this in these videos these are from one of my all-time favorite movies and you guys have carried pieces from this movie before we have collectors love this film this of course is Gladiator Gladiator the best picture of the year 2000 uh directed by Really Scott and which has a sequel in production right this moment yep with Paul Ms Kyle I'm very excited about it but this is this is Russell Crowe's General armor yeah yeah and and this is uh this is the dress version of the general armor so he wears this after the opening battle if you remember the the armor that he's wearing the battle is gold right it's similar in this construction and has that same wolf head Crest it's got much bigger it's got much more shoulder Lanes yeah in that battle armor from there right right um this is the this is the party in the Gathering afterwards yeah he goes to talk to the emperor the emperor says you need to be my successor Marcus Aurelius asking him to pick up the mantle yes yes and and this is that exact one it actually screen matches So to that scene yeah there's some great close-ups where you can see this very clearly you see just the wear and the paint there's some real distinct markings on it uh the way the the leather is kind of aged down Dusty dirty all that matches up exactly like a fingerprint on screen so to have a screen match Maximus armor in the auction is a really exciting thing and uh I know the collectors are excited because it's such a collector favorite title it really I and deservedly so I it is actually made of leather all of this is real leather but that has been aged down uh and this is designed by custom designer and Legend janty Yates yes yeah and I think this film may have won the Oscar for costume design as well so Gladiator did well at the Oscars that year um Russell Crowe of course best actor and uh one of the interesting things about it is that it's it's hero construction and and what that means is I think it's a cast fiberglass base that they've leather wrapped as opposed to a lot of the other armors that are in the movie It's like a phone or a foam right there like a lightweight foam much lighter weight for the action sequences but there is no fighting there's no action that takes place in this one in the movie so they did it as a hero style what I what is really remarkable about all the costume pieces I've seen from this film is how well they hold up when you're standing right in front of them you could easily be made to believe that this is a legit piece from battle armor right now yeah yeah and I think that's one of the reasons the movie's so successful is it's so immersive the World building is great you know it's not just the main character costumes but they had hundreds of extras like that opening battle in the wood I think filmed at born wood in the UK they just had hundreds of guys out there in the Roman outfits and they're all cool you know we've sold a bunch of those in the past too they're all well made they're all high quality not quite as nice as this but they look great the movies that I don't think people might realize just how hard it is to build so much character into a simple piece of armor a lot of times dressing a mannequin it's hard to communicate the actor that played that role but you just feel Russell Crowe in this piece of costume you like you can almost see him standing there yeah and there's and there's so much going on with the construction with the different layers of you know the leather straps that are hanging off and uh you know the little filigree that's been added here to to decorate this out different ones up to up here to the shoulder straps but all in the same style same motifs um and as I'm touching these these chess pieces are actually cast metal oh is that right they are these These are resin but the these pieces are are cast metal they've really they've really gone all out for the veracity like that so again hero construction yeah you know I think the the foam ones they did the the detail pieces are actually cast and foam as well so this is a really different animal here you'll appreciate this too if I if I move this aside look at this little simple post yeah that's just keeping this from falling down amazing because I'm sure when he's walking around right he'll slip off his shoulder but actually all those things are really hard to get right when you're when you're putting a costume together it's got to sit in a really specific way yeah but I love the reveal of like a totally modern piece of Hardware yeah make sure that stays up yeah exactly that on camera uh now two it's right here is another Gladiator prop yeah that's the ax from the tiger Seagal scene this is the one he puts through his foot yes exactly you got it amazing so am I looking at uh an effects end like could they replace this or something I'm seeing a sort of a little nub in at the end I think that may just be an Armature that's been cast around because it's like a dense rubber you can pick it up it's it's Hefty because it's it's clearly been cast around something oh wow wow and I'm sure they had a few different versions that there may have been a version with a metal blade head I know I've seen a behind the scene shot and what you're describing where it gets them in the foot yeah that's a creature effects foot you know silicone oh right of course of course the Prosthetics guys made um but I I love that piece too I mean it's actually tigris's ax right but it gets associated with Maximus because Maximus wines have taken it off of him he uses it against him against it yeah it is a gorgeous piece and you said it's a dense rub oh yeah it's got It's got some flexibility to it yeah so what I've just been told actually is that one of the ways they often do this is they'll add a they'll add a a urethane rubber a small amount of urethane rubber to a urethane resin to adjust a very depth just to give it a little bit interesting okay so also I think so that it doesn't shatter when you bang into something with it yeah but you're right it actually has kind of a really nice balance and this again is Simon Atherton this is Atherton who we were just talking about in regard to another piece uh legendary armor I mean and everything from 3000 years ago to thousands of years in the future he did Fifth Element he worked on Raiders the Lost Ark you know he was putting the pistol in Indy's hand and Raiders oh my God we've got that over here too that's right we do yeah so this auction is at the end of the month that's right yeah this is June 28th to June 30th it's what we call the entertainment memorabilia live auction it's basically the best content that's come up over the past six to eight months as you can see two pieces like this this is insane and these aren't selling together these are selling stuff two separate Lots okay two separate Lots separate consigners um but just just wonderful pieces I love Gladiator you know there's always a few things in every auction that catch my eye when I'm like I'd love to have that this definitely checks the box for me this is yeah really solid so tell me true if you bought if you did end up buying this would you put it on I would totally be putting it on I know you would I know you would I can't say it's uh it looks great on the mannequin form it really really does I also know that Russell uh famously has collected many of his hero costumes so I would suspect that he might have a vertices in his place he definitely has some armors from Gladiator I know he's talked about in the past I think he had a museum open for a while for some of his movie costumes and he's into it it's always interesting some actors are fans they want the stuff yeah they appreciate it other guys don't care at all just walk away from it and and never look back I can't I I I understand that mindset that I can't quite wrap my head around it like this brought your character to you this was part of this whole Adventure you went on inside this personality I totally understand why Russell wants to want to hold on if you spent days weeks months living in it living in this very it's like a little part of you it's I mean some folks are collectors and some aren't I think if you're a collector you view things like that you go I gotta have that you know I'm going to save a little piece of that um other actors you know Kevin Costner he keeps all his stuff oh does he sometimes people put it up Costner had a restaurant uh and he had everything on display in his restaurant for a long time a lot of actors are into it um but I don't know maybe a few still don't care it's an unparalleled bit of costume man thank you so much for showing me these great pieces oh you're welcome look forward to Gladiator too maybe we'll see something like this exactlyforeign Savage at prop Stewart down in Los Angeles I always want to jump right into talking about the stuff that's in front of us Brandon Alger how are you sir I'm doing good uh these are two pieces coming up in your uh coming up auction at the end of June yes um and these are I keep saying this in these videos these are from one of my all-time favorite movies and you guys have carried pieces from this movie before we have collectors love this film this of course is Gladiator Gladiator the best picture of the year 2000 uh directed by Really Scott and which has a sequel in production right this moment yep with Paul Ms Kyle I'm very excited about it but this is this is Russell Crowe's General armor yeah yeah and and this is uh this is the dress version of the general armor so he wears this after the opening battle if you remember the the armor that he's wearing the battle is gold right it's similar in this construction and has that same wolf head Crest it's got much bigger it's got much more shoulder Lanes yeah in that battle armor from there right right um this is the this is the party in the Gathering afterwards yeah he goes to talk to the emperor the emperor says you need to be my successor Marcus Aurelius asking him to pick up the mantle yes yes and and this is that exact one it actually screen matches So to that scene yeah there's some great close-ups where you can see this very clearly you see just the wear and the paint there's some real distinct markings on it uh the way the the leather is kind of aged down Dusty dirty all that matches up exactly like a fingerprint on screen so to have a screen match Maximus armor in the auction is a really exciting thing and uh I know the collectors are excited because it's such a collector favorite title it really I and deservedly so I it is actually made of leather all of this is real leather but that has been aged down uh and this is designed by custom designer and Legend janty Yates yes yeah and I think this film may have won the Oscar for costume design as well so Gladiator did well at the Oscars that year um Russell Crowe of course best actor and uh one of the interesting things about it is that it's it's hero construction and and what that means is I think it's a cast fiberglass base that they've leather wrapped as opposed to a lot of the other armors that are in the movie It's like a phone or a foam right there like a lightweight foam much lighter weight for the action sequences but there is no fighting there's no action that takes place in this one in the movie so they did it as a hero style what I what is really remarkable about all the costume pieces I've seen from this film is how well they hold up when you're standing right in front of them you could easily be made to believe that this is a legit piece from battle armor right now yeah yeah and I think that's one of the reasons the movie's so successful is it's so immersive the World building is great you know it's not just the main character costumes but they had hundreds of extras like that opening battle in the wood I think filmed at born wood in the UK they just had hundreds of guys out there in the Roman outfits and they're all cool you know we've sold a bunch of those in the past too they're all well made they're all high quality not quite as nice as this but they look great the movies that I don't think people might realize just how hard it is to build so much character into a simple piece of armor a lot of times dressing a mannequin it's hard to communicate the actor that played that role but you just feel Russell Crowe in this piece of costume you like you can almost see him standing there yeah and there's and there's so much going on with the construction with the different layers of you know the leather straps that are hanging off and uh you know the little filigree that's been added here to to decorate this out different ones up to up here to the shoulder straps but all in the same style same motifs um and as I'm touching these these chess pieces are actually cast metal oh is that right they are these These are resin but the these pieces are are cast metal they've really they've really gone all out for the veracity like that so again hero construction yeah you know I think the the foam ones they did the the detail pieces are actually cast and foam as well so this is a really different animal here you'll appreciate this too if I if I move this aside look at this little simple post yeah that's just keeping this from falling down amazing because I'm sure when he's walking around right he'll slip off his shoulder but actually all those things are really hard to get right when you're when you're putting a costume together it's got to sit in a really specific way yeah but I love the reveal of like a totally modern piece of Hardware yeah make sure that stays up yeah exactly that on camera uh now two it's right here is another Gladiator prop yeah that's the ax from the tiger Seagal scene this is the one he puts through his foot yes exactly you got it amazing so am I looking at uh an effects end like could they replace this or something I'm seeing a sort of a little nub in at the end I think that may just be an Armature that's been cast around because it's like a dense rubber you can pick it up it's it's Hefty because it's it's clearly been cast around something oh wow wow and I'm sure they had a few different versions that there may have been a version with a metal blade head I know I've seen a behind the scene shot and what you're describing where it gets them in the foot yeah that's a creature effects foot you know silicone oh right of course of course the Prosthetics guys made um but I I love that piece too I mean it's actually tigris's ax right but it gets associated with Maximus because Maximus wines have taken it off of him he uses it against him against it yeah it is a gorgeous piece and you said it's a dense rub oh yeah it's got It's got some flexibility to it yeah so what I've just been told actually is that one of the ways they often do this is they'll add a they'll add a a urethane rubber a small amount of urethane rubber to a urethane resin to adjust a very depth just to give it a little bit interesting okay so also I think so that it doesn't shatter when you bang into something with it yeah but you're right it actually has kind of a really nice balance and this again is Simon Atherton this is Atherton who we were just talking about in regard to another piece uh legendary armor I mean and everything from 3000 years ago to thousands of years in the future he did Fifth Element he worked on Raiders the Lost Ark you know he was putting the pistol in Indy's hand and Raiders oh my God we've got that over here too that's right we do yeah so this auction is at the end of the month that's right yeah this is June 28th to June 30th it's what we call the entertainment memorabilia live auction it's basically the best content that's come up over the past six to eight months as you can see two pieces like this this is insane and these aren't selling together these are selling stuff two separate Lots okay two separate Lots separate consigners um but just just wonderful pieces I love Gladiator you know there's always a few things in every auction that catch my eye when I'm like I'd love to have that this definitely checks the box for me this is yeah really solid so tell me true if you bought if you did end up buying this would you put it on I would totally be putting it on I know you would I know you would I can't say it's uh it looks great on the mannequin form it really really does I also know that Russell uh famously has collected many of his hero costumes so I would suspect that he might have a vertices in his place he definitely has some armors from Gladiator I know he's talked about in the past I think he had a museum open for a while for some of his movie costumes and he's into it it's always interesting some actors are fans they want the stuff yeah they appreciate it other guys don't care at all just walk away from it and and never look back I can't I I I understand that mindset that I can't quite wrap my head around it like this brought your character to you this was part of this whole Adventure you went on inside this personality I totally understand why Russell wants to want to hold on if you spent days weeks months living in it living in this very it's like a little part of you it's I mean some folks are collectors and some aren't I think if you're a collector you view things like that you go I gotta have that you know I'm going to save a little piece of that um other actors you know Kevin Costner he keeps all his stuff oh does he sometimes people put it up Costner had a restaurant uh and he had everything on display in his restaurant for a long time a lot of actors are into it um but I don't know maybe a few still don't care it's an unparalleled bit of costume man thank you so much for showing me these great pieces oh you're welcome look forward to Gladiator too maybe we'll see something like this exactlyforeign Savage at prop Stewart down in Los Angeles I always want to jump right into talking about the stuff that's in front of us Brandon Alger how are you sir I'm doing good uh these are two pieces coming up in your uh coming up auction at the end of June yes um and these are I keep saying this in these videos these are from one of my all-time favorite movies and you guys have carried pieces from this movie before we have collectors love this film this of course is Gladiator Gladiator the best picture of the year 2000 uh directed by Really Scott and which has a sequel in production right this moment yep with Paul Ms Kyle I'm very excited about it but this is this is Russell Crowe's General armor yeah yeah and and this is uh this is the dress version of the general armor so he wears this after the opening battle if you remember the the armor that he's wearing the battle is gold right it's similar in this construction and has that same wolf head Crest it's got much bigger it's got much more shoulder Lanes yeah in that battle armor from there right right um this is the this is the party in the Gathering afterwards yeah he goes to talk to the emperor the emperor says you need to be my successor Marcus Aurelius asking him to pick up the mantle yes yes and and this is that exact one it actually screen matches So to that scene yeah there's some great close-ups where you can see this very clearly you see just the wear and the paint there's some real distinct markings on it uh the way the the leather is kind of aged down Dusty dirty all that matches up exactly like a fingerprint on screen so to have a screen match Maximus armor in the auction is a really exciting thing and uh I know the collectors are excited because it's such a collector favorite title it really I and deservedly so I it is actually made of leather all of this is real leather but that has been aged down uh and this is designed by custom designer and Legend janty Yates yes yeah and I think this film may have won the Oscar for costume design as well so Gladiator did well at the Oscars that year um Russell Crowe of course best actor and uh one of the interesting things about it is that it's it's hero construction and and what that means is I think it's a cast fiberglass base that they've leather wrapped as opposed to a lot of the other armors that are in the movie It's like a phone or a foam right there like a lightweight foam much lighter weight for the action sequences but there is no fighting there's no action that takes place in this one in the movie so they did it as a hero style what I what is really remarkable about all the costume pieces I've seen from this film is how well they hold up when you're standing right in front of them you could easily be made to believe that this is a legit piece from battle armor right now yeah yeah and I think that's one of the reasons the movie's so successful is it's so immersive the World building is great you know it's not just the main character costumes but they had hundreds of extras like that opening battle in the wood I think filmed at born wood in the UK they just had hundreds of guys out there in the Roman outfits and they're all cool you know we've sold a bunch of those in the past too they're all well made they're all high quality not quite as nice as this but they look great the movies that I don't think people might realize just how hard it is to build so much character into a simple piece of armor a lot of times dressing a mannequin it's hard to communicate the actor that played that role but you just feel Russell Crowe in this piece of costume you like you can almost see him standing there yeah and there's and there's so much going on with the construction with the different layers of you know the leather straps that are hanging off and uh you know the little filigree that's been added here to to decorate this out different ones up to up here to the shoulder straps but all in the same style same motifs um and as I'm touching these these chess pieces are actually cast metal oh is that right they are these These are resin but the these pieces are are cast metal they've really they've really gone all out for the veracity like that so again hero construction yeah you know I think the the foam ones they did the the detail pieces are actually cast and foam as well so this is a really different animal here you'll appreciate this too if I if I move this aside look at this little simple post yeah that's just keeping this from falling down amazing because I'm sure when he's walking around right he'll slip off his shoulder but actually all those things are really hard to get right when you're when you're putting a costume together it's got to sit in a really specific way yeah but I love the reveal of like a totally modern piece of Hardware yeah make sure that stays up yeah exactly that on camera uh now two it's right here is another Gladiator prop yeah that's the ax from the tiger Seagal scene this is the one he puts through his foot yes exactly you got it amazing so am I looking at uh an effects end like could they replace this or something I'm seeing a sort of a little nub in at the end I think that may just be an Armature that's been cast around because it's like a dense rubber you can pick it up it's it's Hefty because it's it's clearly been cast around something oh wow wow and I'm sure they had a few different versions that there may have been a version with a metal blade head I know I've seen a behind the scene shot and what you're describing where it gets them in the foot yeah that's a creature effects foot you know silicone oh right of course of course the Prosthetics guys made um but I I love that piece too I mean it's actually tigris's ax right but it gets associated with Maximus because Maximus wines have taken it off of him he uses it against him against it yeah it is a gorgeous piece and you said it's a dense rub oh yeah it's got It's got some flexibility to it yeah so what I've just been told actually is that one of the ways they often do this is they'll add a they'll add a a urethane rubber a small amount of urethane rubber to a urethane resin to adjust a very depth just to give it a little bit interesting okay so also I think so that it doesn't shatter when you bang into something with it yeah but you're right it actually has kind of a really nice balance and this again is Simon Atherton this is Atherton who we were just talking about in regard to another piece uh legendary armor I mean and everything from 3000 years ago to thousands of years in the future he did Fifth Element he worked on Raiders the Lost Ark you know he was putting the pistol in Indy's hand and Raiders oh my God we've got that over here too that's right we do yeah so this auction is at the end of the month that's right yeah this is June 28th to June 30th it's what we call the entertainment memorabilia live auction it's basically the best content that's come up over the past six to eight months as you can see two pieces like this this is insane and these aren't selling together these are selling stuff two separate Lots okay two separate Lots separate consigners um but just just wonderful pieces I love Gladiator you know there's always a few things in every auction that catch my eye when I'm like I'd love to have that this definitely checks the box for me this is yeah really solid so tell me true if you bought if you did end up buying this would you put it on I would totally be putting it on I know you would I know you would I can't say it's uh it looks great on the mannequin form it really really does I also know that Russell uh famously has collected many of his hero costumes so I would suspect that he might have a vertices in his place he definitely has some armors from Gladiator I know he's talked about in the past I think he had a museum open for a while for some of his movie costumes and he's into it it's always interesting some actors are fans they want the stuff yeah they appreciate it other guys don't care at all just walk away from it and and never look back I can't I I I understand that mindset that I can't quite wrap my head around it like this brought your character to you this was part of this whole Adventure you went on inside this personality I totally understand why Russell wants to want to hold on if you spent days weeks months living in it living in this very it's like a little part of you it's I mean some folks are collectors and some aren't I think if you're a collector you view things like that you go I gotta have that you know I'm going to save a little piece of that um other actors you know Kevin Costner he keeps all his stuff oh does he sometimes people put it up Costner had a restaurant uh and he had everything on display in his restaurant for a long time a lot of actors are into it um but I don't know maybe a few still don't care it's an unparalleled bit of costume man thank you so much for showing me these great pieces oh you're welcome look forward to Gladiator too maybe we'll see something like this exactly\n"