What Is a Costume Designer’s Role In Film?

A costume designer is someone who designs costumes (clothes, accessories and other props) for a production, working with the director, scenic designer, lighting designer, hair and makeup artists, and other creative departments to help tell the filmmaker’s story. Sometimes the costumes are purchased or rented, and other times, they are adapted or constructed.

There are many things that a costume designer needs to consider to help a film come to life through their work. These include:

Time Period
For authenticity and accuracy, the time period and location of a scene needs to be well defined so that the costume designer can get as close as possible to what each character needs to look like based on local fashion trends of the time.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Contrast
If there are multiple actors in a scene, the costume designer plays a very important role in making sure that the focus is on the right character(s).

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Durability
Sometimes filming needs to take place over the course of several days or weeks with actors wearing the same costumes, so the materials used to create a costume need to be durable. This includes props and accessories such as hats, gloves, shoes, jewelry, canes, and more.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Movement
Some actors may need to move around a lot, particularly in action shots, so costumes must also allow for the right kind of movements that an actor needs to perform.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Lighting and Angles
Costume designers also need to make sure that their costumes look good with the lighting and camera angles chosen for each scene.

Focus (2015)

In Nevada, we have Emmy award-winning costume designers with decades of experience in live theatre, feature films, television, commercials, pageants, live sporting events, music videos, and photo / catalog shoots.

Their credits include working on such productions as Think Like A Man Too, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Academy of Country Music Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, “Legends in Concert” tribute show, the Michael Jackson tribute show, and many more.

If you are looking for costume designers in Nevada, check out our online Nevada Production Directory for a list of companies, individuals and crew in Nevada offering costume design services or drop by our office and pick up a free printed directory!

If you are a costume designer in Nevada and are not yet listed in our Nevada Production Directory, you can learn more about how to sign up for the NPD here.

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