Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1997 - 50

rooms. In addition, on-set work can involve styling extras under the guidance of the designer. Or are you better at prep
work? Research, shopping, doing returns, stock organization,
rental, phone specking, fitting, doing alterations, dyeing and
distressing, loading wardrobe trucks and styling extras may all
be called on during the prep period. Many costume/wardrobe
jobs in film require no construction or sketching skills so remember that at the entry level, you are in competition with
people ,,~thout any of your hard-won skills.
When you decide to switch from theatre to film, you need
to be prepared. If you have the opportunity to take film classes
and study film history it can improve your understanding of
the field and the filmmaking process. I would also recommend
reading Sidney Lumet's book, Making Movies, to get the feel of
being on set, and to help understand what drives the shooting
process. It would also pay to have a solid grounding in modern fashion-from a couture perspective as well as a
streetwise one. Knowing how to tap different shopping sources
and how to shop for different kinds of styles and looks is what
can make costume "styling" a creative and interesting design
adventure. Finally, really study the current film market. Analyze the stylistic range of contemporary films. Study the work
of designers, directors and cinematographers whose work you
admire. Become familiar with the many different production
companies, learn which ones do the kind of work that you
want to do. Look closely at what work really appeals to your
taste and your talent and who is doing it. Then find out where
it is being done and go there. If you want to pursue this field,
you need to be really hungry to do it because the unions are
tougher to break into and the job sources are more secretive
than ArtSearch or Theater Profiles are for theater folk. Once
you start pursuing the work and gathering film contacts, however, the doors can open to you and mth enough determination, people skills, savvy and talent you can go far.

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEWS
Film designers, directors and shop heads seem to have very
short attention spans when it comes to looking at portfolios. Make
it short and easy to look at. Complicated collage work, elaborate
page layout, dense visuals are not desirable. If you have any film!
video work, it should be featured in your portfolio. If you have
only theater work, concentrate on your contemporary, "real
life" productions. "Don't show me another Brecht project." one
designer said, "Prove to me that you can do menswear and kids."
The interview is your opportunity to show off your
people skills. Let your engaging personality shine; prove
that you can listen well and that you have excellent powers
of observation. Without these, your artistic talents may
never get noticed. Richard Hornung, designer for Nixon,
The Grifters, Barton Fink, and Raising Arizona, said that he
used to always bring his portfolio into a first interview with a
director, but he would set it by the door and pull it out only if
asked. He wanted to know that he and the director would click
as people. An interview was his opportunity to establish a dialogue \vith the director, and perhaps intrigue him or her with a
few ideas about concept or look.

Be prepared to de-emphasize your theatre training. Many
people in film and television never had any theater training. Many
set costumers and designers cannot sew at all, and many have little
knowledge of costume history. Consequently, they can be uncomfortable looking at a lot of period work or "theatrical" designs.
Film directors have often come from film school backgrounds or come up through the ranks as writers, actors or
camerapeople. Unlike most theatre directors, they may have
very little formal training in design. Many are uncomfortable
looking at sketches, especially designs that seem "stagey."
Photos are the best way to communicate your design talents,
especially ones that have a look or style similar to the project
for which you are interviewing. Some film directors talk mth
designers about other films as a way to see if their tastes \vilI fit
the style of the production. Conversation typically start \vith a
question like, "What did you think of so-and-so's clothes in
Return of the Killer Bees?" Los Angeles is a very style-conscious town and whether you are attracted to hip-hop or
Armani, your success \vilI depend on finding the right director,
designer or project to work on.
Some of the experienced film costume designers I spoke
with commented that young directors tend to be impressed by
portfolios that include examples of flashy, strong styling. They
like to see exotic print ads or still shots of MTV videos. In fact
many film design portfolios are a smorgasbord of types, atmospheres and looks. Where theater design portfolios tend to
stress interesting approaches to well known plays, in film
portfolios, projects tend to be expressed in one or two photos
rather than pointedly showing the full range of atmospheres
and characters in a project.
Technical portfolios in theater generally show off a broad
range of period construction techniques. Film tech portfolios,
on the other hand, stress a broad range of modern dress construction and alteration techniques and display a flare for ease
with different kinds of materials. How well you build a bias
dress, a hat, a difficult leather jacket or a robot will all be
judged through eyes accustomed to close up camera work.
Your ability to handle radical alterations or tailor qUickly is a
godsend to personnel feeling prep time crunch.

A FINAL NOTE
Establishing a career in costumes is not easy whether you
choose theatre, film or television. You have to love the work,
and be prepared to sacrifice most of your personal life for it.
Time and budget pressures, understaffing and other stresscausing hassles are a permanent part of the working conditions. The marketplace will winnow out those with little
patience, overblown expectations or rotten attitudes. Luck, or
call it karma, \vilI control the opportunities that come your
way. One designer told me, "They don't exactly hold talent
against you, but it takes a whole lot more than just talent to
make it in this field." However, if you're smart, fun to work
with, learn quickly, and have an ardent desire to do this work,
you \vilI do well, so dig in and get started. *:.
Holly Cole is associate professor ofcostume design and

head ofthe MFA costume program at Ohio University.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1997