Previous experience and theoretical knowledge are an essential basis for the work of any team member on the set. I chose the role of a clothing designer to complete my major project; thus, I selected costumes for the characters of the films “At Bay” and “Leon”. My experience and knowledge gained on the Live events and TV course significantly helped me make the right choice since I understood how the images should correspond with the appearance of a person.
The first important aspect when working on this project was that I have already practiced in this role at sets of films “The Audition” and “Take it from the top” and learned from my mistakes. First of all, I took measurements of the candidates for parts in the “At Bay” film to start searching for clothes as soon as possible after approval. This step helped me save time and use it for fitting.
Moreover, I read the script and discussed it with the director to understand and highlight the main features and moods of the characters. Before I knew the story and saw the decor of the scene, I thought that the characters would be more suitable for bright colors, since they are representatives of baby boomers (Chang and Shin, p. 2). However, Robin’s depressed mood did not match a bright color scheme. Colors for representatives of other generations fitted them. For this reason, I used advice from an article by Twigg (2018) to demonstrate the age and masculinity of Robin and Jack from “At Bay“, as well as Chris and Leon from “Leon.“ The knowledge about showing the atmosphere of the frame, the color scheme, and the characteristics of the clothes helped me to create successful images.
In addition, the understanding of Photoshop and places for finding clothes was useful to me. Earlier, I have studied the Photoshop course for design on Lynda.com to improve my knowledge of the program (MacClelland, 2013). For this reason, I was able to present the collages of the costumes to the team and organize my ideas. For the film “Leon”, I also used this method, so I could select and compose their images by using online photos. Previous experience in finding costumes helped me to find clothes for a small price and quickly for the characters of “At Bay”. I also used the advice to search necessary outfits in charity shops and websites from the book by Jones, C. & Jolliffe (2006, p. 303). Unfortunately, I did not manage to implement the same for “Leon” because of quarantine.
In conclusion, the work on the main project was pleasant and useful because I applied my skills acquired at the university and also gained new experience. My most valuable skills were Photoshop knowledge, the ability to take measurements, and an understanding of the connection of the dressing style and color scheme with the features and mood of the characters. In addition, joint work with the team also allowed me to delve deeper into this issue and find fresh ideas.
Reference List
Chang, H. J. and Shin, S.-J. H. (2017) ‘The perception of colors in fashion: a cohort comparison of baby boomers and generation Y’, International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jones, C. and Jolliffe, G. (2006) The guerilla film makers handbook. London /NY: Continuum
MacClelland, D. (2013). ‘Photoshop for design‘, Lynda. com.
Twigg, J. (2018) ‘Dress, gender and the embodiment of age: men and masculinities’, Ageing and Society, 40(1), pp. 105–125.