Costume design
For this project, I chose the role of a costume designer. My reason for selecting this role not only entails my passionate interests in theatre and film but also my love for clothing and fashion. I also believe that I will effectively play this role because of my creativity. Costume designers should have creative ideas not just for sketching costumes, but also for introducing design concepts that fit the production budget. I am also enthusiastic about costume design because I believe that sketching a costume for characters is part of storytelling. Even though costume designers do not directly participate in storytelling like the characters in a film, they do it through the clothes worn by the characters.
I was inspired to choose this role by Susan Hilferty, a renowned costume designer globally. In the year 2004, she was recognized as the best costume designer in the Tony Award. Apart from making outstanding costumes that match the physical appearances of the characters in a film, her costumes effectively reflect the emotions in the film (Gold). Among Hilferty’s work that impressed me was the costumes he designed for the character in “Wonderland”. In this musical, the designer did a great job of matching the personality of the character with her designed outfit (Gold).
For one to be a costume designer, an associate or a bachelor’s degree is usually required. Through the degree program, one can take various courses such as pattern making, textiles, and designing of clothes. Employees in this industry focus on one’s creative vision and the level of one’s design skills. They also prefer people with a lot of experience in the theatre or costume industry. This implies that costume design is not usually offered at entry-level as one is required to have experience and an established reputation in the industry. Apart from enrolling in a degree program specific to costume designing one can also have a degree in fashion design or fashion merchandising.
I am also interested in costume designing because it pays well. Based on the 2018 requirements of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average pay of a costume designer should be 42.12 dollars per hour. This implies that on an annual basis, a costume designer should earn a salary of about 87,610 dollars (Thomas)
The costume designing industry has vast job opportunities. This is attributed to the wide variety of professional roles in the industry. Among the roles includes designing garments, fashion photography, and personal shopping. With the projected growth of the film industry globally in future, it is expected that there will be more job opportunities for costume designers.
Being a costume designer involves more than just choosing clothes for characters in a film. Apart from designing clothes, the requirements of costume designers include the ability to help the characters realize their roles in a film. In order to achieve this, costumes designers are required to watch many rehearsals and recordings of the production in order to fully understand the goals of a film and each character. Costumes help actors to fully embody their characters. Costume designers are also required to have the ability to translate the creative vision through their sketches. This implies that they should incorporate their opinions of the character’s clothing with that of their colleagues and the overall goal of the production.
Costume design plays a crucial role in the production. Among their roles in production includes matching the clothes of the actors with the settings in the film. For instance, after knowing the era in which the production was set, designers help in matching the clothing styles with the era. Costume designers also help the audience to easily interpret the characters in the film. For instance, through the actors’ costumes in a film, the audience can determine factors such as age, personality, and the social status of the characters (Odi 1). Moreover, costume designers help in creating a symbolic connection between the fashion world and production. This means that if well handled by costume designers, clothes and accessories worn by characters in the film can effectively communicate hidden messages to the audience.
Works cited
Gold, Sylviane. “What Befits a Legendary Queen.” The New York Times. 2018.
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/theater/susan-hilferty-creates-queen-of-hearts-for- wonderland.htmls
Odi, Abuku. “Costume and makeup in cultural development.” A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies. Vol 5 (1): 2010.
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/cajtms/article/view/76567
Thomas Greg. “Costume Designer: Job Description, Duties and Salary.” Study.Com. 2019.
https://study.com/articles/Costume_Designer_Job_Description_Duties_and_Salary.html