The Oscar-winning costume designer of E.T. reflects on this Halloween scene and creates a timeless classic [Exclusive Interview]

I know you probably can't say much about 'Avatar: The Way of Water' because it's coming out soon, but I'm so fascinated that you started in that time which was very tangible and old fashioned as it had been for decades. And now we are entering a more digital space in Hollywood. Do you find your work changing at all in this way? Or do you think it's always the same?

Yes, I think that's a very good question. Interestingly on E.T., this was one of the first times the blue screen was used. It was very new at ILM. We went to ILM to do these effects because there was no other place to really do it, and the restrictions on how you could use the blue screen were very severe. You will notice that in this scene the color range is so monochromatic. Even the denim had to be very dyed because the denim was too close to blue.

And now, that sort of thing, it's almost like it doesn't really matter anymore. Anything can pass a blue screen or a green screen, as long as it's not exactly the color that, who would put that on anybody anyway? But I think the concept, the genesis, the heart of costume design has remained exactly the same.

It should be the same, because what you're doing is, whatever technology you have, which on something like "Avatar: The Way of Water" is huge, right? Talk about a whole new world, for which we are not particularly educated. So there's a lot of things about filmmaking where you jump into a project and you're like, "Wait, what?" You have to learn as you go. So there is always something new. There is always something difficult in this kind of technical means. How to make Spider-Man fly? How do you make these kinds of costumes? Things like that. So there are a lot of people working and using a lot of resources.

But I learned a lot technically on "Avatar: The Way of Water". But I was absolutely in my roots, in my wheelhouse, to just look at these characters as people, and the characters they are, the people they are, what the circumstances around them [are], how this unfolds and dresses them accordingly.

So in the "Avatar" movies, it's obviously a fantasy, but it's very grounded in reality, what does a clan of people look like? Act like? How is their society. So all of these things still come into effect. What weather is it? Is it hot? Is it cold ? All of these things come into effect when you're designing costumes. So the core of it is exactly the same. The things at hand or the questions you need to answer can be completely different.

It looks fantastic. I can't wait to see it and see what you've done.

Hope you like it. I think it will actually be a visual marvel.

"E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" is now available in a 40th Anniversary Edition on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and Digital.