{"id":1936,"date":"2021-06-14T12:05:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T19:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sftvproductionhandbook.lmu.build\/?p=1936"},"modified":"2024-05-28T13:20:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T20:20:43","slug":"costumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sftvproductionhandbook.lmu.build\/index.php\/2021\/06\/14\/costumes\/","title":{"rendered":"Costumes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THEY’RE NOT JUST CLOTHES<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costuming is one of the most crucial elements of cinema. However, costumes are often an afterthought for the amateur filmmaker. Understanding how to costume your characters is one of the most powerful tools in filmmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costumes communicate the details of a character\u2019s personality to the audience and help actors transform into new and believable people on screen. Costuming is an important device in furthering the authenticity of your characters; the audience should believe every person in the story has a life before the movie begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many things to consider when making creative costuming decisions. Here are a few key questions to help guide you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Questions to Ask Yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. What time period does your story take place in?<\/strong>

    Whether it be set in the 1800s or the 1990s, making sure your costumes are accurate to the era can be the difference between a believable and non-believable film. Your job as a filmmaker is to immerse the audience into the world of your story. Study the era your film takes place in and find out who was wearing what at that point. Be as ACCURATE as possible.\u00a0

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  2. Does the texture match the character?<\/strong>

    Most people don’t wear brand new clothes every day; is your character the exception? Whether you’re going to rent, buy, or borrow the costume, make sure it looks and feels like items of clothing that your character truly owns. Is it worn out and soft? Is it stiff and well-kept? Is it obvious they wear this often? Where does your character shop and what can your character afford? Wardrobe is an integral part to your film’s visual language, so consider what your costuming says about your character.

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  3. What is the color scheme of your film and how can your costuming enhance that?\u00a0<\/strong>

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    1. Color can inform your character’s relationship with self. Color can reflect your character’s mood, outlook on life, inner turmoil, and self-perception. Equally so, color can also contrast these ideas. Does your character want to present themselves in a way that opposes how they truly feel? For example: Say your character is in mourning. If they’re trying to conceal their grief, they might choose to wear something bright and colorful to support an illusion of happiness.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Color can also inform your character’s relationship with the outside world. Is your character in sync with the people and environment around them? Or is your character on a different page from everything around them? If your world is filled with blues, is your character in red?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Color can also be useful to differentiate between good and evil, Protagonist vs. Antagonist, real vs. fake, natural vs. commercial. What subtext can colors create in your film?\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Pre-Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n