Compiled by TEH ATHIRA YUSOF, C.ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
MAYA Karin, who appeared as a mermaid in the 2008 fantasy comedy film Duyung, says that advances in costume design and production techniques have significantly eased the physical demands of wearing elaborate outfits, cutting preparation time from hours to minutes.
The 46-year-old actress, who stars in the upcoming sequel Duyung: Legenda Aurora, said before it took almost four hours to don the costumes to complete her mermaid transformation.
Speaking to Utusan Malaysia, Maya said it now takes the team about 20 minutes to dress her as lighter materials, as well as improved makeup techniques and efficient costume designs, have made filming far more manageable for actors.
“In the past, the costumes were extremely heavy. I would wake up at 3am and start preparing early because putting everything on took such a long time.
“The hardest part was filming at night and in water. But now it is much easier and saves a lot of time,” said Maya.
With the new outfits, Maya is also able to move freely.
Besides the ordeal of changing into character, Maya was also anxious about diving into the sea, which was another requirement of her role.
“It has been years since I dived and I can only do it up to three metres. And to jump in the waters at five metres with the costume, it was daunting.
“But I eased into it and am now able to dive like before,” she said.
However, Maya acknowledged that challenges remain as an actor, including health risks such as coughs and fever after shoots.
“Filming in Malaysia can be fun because it is warm but try doing it during heavy rain and storms. You end up shivering,” she added.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
