During the annual SCAD ATV Fest, I attended the Sketch to Screen: Costume Design for Television panel. The panelists included Janie Bryant (“1883,” “Mad Men”), Sarah Trost (“The Righteous Gemstones,” “A.P. Bio”), Trayce Field (“The Afterparty,” “A League of Their Own,” “Dead to Me”), Frank Helmer (“Cobra Kai”), Isis Mussenden (“The Wheel of Time,” “The Chronicles of Narnia”), and Donna Zakowska (“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).
I was left star-struck by all these designers because their work has given us iconic moments in television and provided so much depth to the plot.
They started by discussing each designer’s journey to becoming a costume director and how they fell into film and tv. They all had varied starts to the industry, but the one thing in common was how unglamorous the start was. They all have worked tremendously hard to get to their position now.
Early on, one thing that stood out to me is that they even think about what underwear the character would wear. This seems like such a small detail that most people don’t think about but it helped them build a character and helps the actor take on the role.
They then mentioned some challenges in contemporary dressing, and how they overcome those challenges:
- Make it interesting.
- Find things that aren’t readily available on the market.
- Make every character very unique.
- Find regional differences.
They also mentioned how shoes make such a big difference in the way the actor carries themselves, and how the wrong costuming will distract viewers from the plot. They all agreed that accessories are really the glue to the whole outfit.
Finally, they gave tips to aspiring costume directors, including:
- As a designer, you have to inspire.
- Passion in this profession is very important because it is a very hard job.
- Be ready for a super-fast turnaround time.
Overall, this was a great discussion to be a part of. I learned things I had never heard about before. On-screen you see this perfectly dressed person and end up not thinking about how much work went on in the background. And I think when you don’t even notice the costume is when the costume designer has been the most successful because their costume doesn’t pull our focus from the plot, and all these designers do that in their TV shows in the best way.
