Famous costume maker prepares carnevale outfits
SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Grand Canal from Rialto bridge
2. Medium of gondola on canal
3. Exterior of atelier Pietro Longhi
4. Close of costumes in window of atelier
5. Close of sign in window
6. Medium of atelier trainee Aleksandra Bryla wearing costume
7. Costume Historian Raffaele Dessi carrying costume for Cavalchina Ball
8. Close of elaborate gold pin on costume
9. Medium of Dessi in shop
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Raffaele Dessi, Costume historian, Atelier Pietro Longhi:
We make reconstructions of costumes, each costume you can find here is taken by (from a) picture so you can choose the century and rent or buy a costume of a particular century.
11. Atelier owner Anna Maria Bigi showing dress to customer
12. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Aleksandra Bryla ,atelier trainee:
They give you that little something extra, if you want to be seen, be admired, it is beautiful. You feel like a different person. Stupendous.
13. Costumes on shelves
14. Dessi helping with costume
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Raffaele Dessi, Costume historian, Atelier Pietro Longhi:
During carnival you can put a mask on and anyone can talk without respecting any etiquette. During the Renaissance it was more important because a Turkish couldn't talk with a Roman with a German or a Frenchman because there were big wars between these countries, but if you have a mask you can do what you want and no one can tell who you are. So it was the perfect city to do this, in fact carnival it was six months long.
16. Masks in window
17. Person in costume on street, blowing kiss
18. Set-up shot of Venice Festival Director Marco Balich
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Balich, Festival Director:
The sense of Venice is welcoming and exchanging, it is not protecting. This is a strong city that has been 1000 years been connecting to China, to the East. We are not afraid of engaging tradition with contemporary elements because that is what Venice is all about and has always been.
20. Wide of bridge
21. Wide of Doge Palace, pan down to person in costume
STORYLINE
Dressing up in elaborate costumes and attending some of the dozens of masked balls is a key part of Venice's carnival tradition and there is no better place than atelier Pietro Longhi for festival goers to kit themselves out.
Nestled in the San Polo neighbourhood of Venice, atelier Pietro Longhi is famed for its historically accurate costumes.
The atelier employs historian Raffaele Dessi to study paintings and copy the clothing, making costumes using traditional textiles and decorations.
We make reconstructions of costumes, each costume you can find here is taken by (from a) picture so you can choose the century and rent or buy a costume of a particular century, Dessi told AP Television.
During carnival the shop is packed with tourists and Venetians alike, seeking elaborate costumes for the balls.
To rent one of the gowns costs from 150 euros (222 US dollars) upwards as some are made with precious cloth, feathers, glittering jewels and real gold embroidery.
The shop's owners say they have to trust their clients to treat the rented costumes with respect.
They give you that little something extra, if you want to be seen, be admired, it is beautiful. You feel like a different person, said Aleksandra Bryla, a trainee at the shop.
But the costumes are not just used for the carnival.
The atelier has a Venetian Rennaisance costume collection that it sends around the globe for exhibitions as far away as in Dubai, Korea and Argentina.
Late in the afternoon Saint Mark's Square fills up with elaborate costumes, some of them made at the Pietro Longhi atelier.
Festival director Marco Balich came up with the sensations theme for this year's carnival.
Keyword wacky
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