COSTUME DESIGN FOR ENTERTAINMENT

Kick off your costume design adventure by meeting your instructor and getting a clear roadmap of the journey ahead. This sets the tone for your creative exploration and equips you with a solid understanding of what to expect. 

• Meet your instructor
• What is a costume designer
• Project types
• Course structure 
• Expectations & outcomes
• Assignments/final project overview

Step into the shoes of a costume designer and discover the vital role costumes play in storytelling. Explore the history and scope of costume design while meeting the wider design team. Begin practicing script analysis, the foundation for bringing characters to life through thoughtful costume choices. 

• Costume designer role
• Costume design history
• Design team: Roles & responsibilities
• Design pipeline and process
• Introduction to script
• WORKSHOP: Group exercise on color palettes & silhouettes for character briefs

Assignment 1: Read the script. Write your first impressions of the story, standout characters, and any costume challenges like stunts or action sequences.

Class 2 is all about turning words into wardrobe strategies. Discover how to read between the lines to find visual and narrative cues that shape a character’s look. Build detailed character profiles, map out costume changes, and explore digital tools like Scriptation to keep everything organized from page to screen.

• Approaching a script
• Script breakdown vs change summary
• Gathering character information
• Developing character profiles
• Tracking changes
• Scriptation & digital script tools 

Assignment 2: Create a costume breakdown and change summary for key series regulars from the script.

Dive deep into research techniques that fuel authentic and imaginative costume design. Learn to craft mood boards that visually translate your ideas into compelling presentations that directors and teams will rally behind.

• Historical and contemporary research
• Mood boards & visual presentations 
• Mood board vs character look board
• Director’s deck vs costume inspiration board
• Color palettes & fabric swatches 
• Translating abstract ideas into visual concepts

Assignment 3: Create mood boards for 4 of the series regulars of our script - include images for key changes you highlighted in your breakdown and change summary.

Discover how every costume choice tells a story beyond fabric and color. This class explores the semiotics of clothing and how accessories, distressing, and alterations deepen character narratives. Learn to create costumes that reveal personality, history, and emotion, from subtle signs to bold statements.

• Semiotics of clothing and costumes
• Accessories 
• Aging and distressing 
• Alterations & modifications 
• Uniforms 
• Logos & graphics
• Case Studies: Orange Is the New Black, The Devil Wears Prada

Get hands-on with the practical side of costume creation by mastering the art of sourcing and collaborating. Learn to navigate rental houses, build relationships with vendors, and partner with costume makers. This class challenges you to think creatively within budget and material constraints.

• Shopping, renting, building 
• Sourcing garments
• Maintaining vendor relationships
• Navigating costume rental houses
• MTO 
• Collaborating 
• WORKSHOP: Create a costume concept for a simple character using limited household items — think outside the box!

Assignment 4: For a finale episode requiring HAZMAT suits, research three acquisition options (build, buy, rent) for principals and background, including cost and logistics considerations.

Equip yourself with vital skills to create and manage costume budgets with precision. Understand how to track expenses, negotiate materials, and prepare for unexpected costs.

• Detailed costume budgets
• Expenses, p-card systems, assets
• Cost reports
• Materials sourcing and negotiation 
• Developing contingency plans
• Communication: Producers & accounting

Assignment 5: Build a budget for your project script, analyze under/overspending, and propose adjustments to stay on target.

Step into the fitting room and learn how to balance artistry with practicality. This class teaches you how to conduct productive fittings, manage actor needs, and maintain your creative vision. Plus, you’ll master documenting fittings for approvals and learn how to troubleshoot common fitting challenges.

• Conducting effective fittings
• Fitting goals & flow
• Addressing actor needs
• Maintaining creative vision
• Fitting photos & getting approval
• What happens after the fitting?
• WORKSHOP: Problem-solve common fitting issues collaboratively.

Assignment 6: Using your kit and closet, create and fit 5 looks for a principal character. Photograph and compile the fitting photos for approval.

Uncover how fabric behaves in front of the camera and how to manipulate textiles to support storytelling. Class 5 covers everything from drape and movement to innovative techniques like dyeing, printing, and even 3D printing.

• Fabric drapage, movement, & light reflection
• Prints and patterns on camera
• Durability and maintenance requirements
• Techniques: dyeing, painting, printing, airbrushing
• Fabric manipulation techniques
• 3D printing, fabrication, shoe making, and more

Assignment 7: Transform a garment using household materials into either a post-stunt outfit or a designer rework for a quirky character.

Explore the magic of integrating costume design with hair, makeup, stunts, and special effects to create seamless, believable worlds. Discover how to collaborate across departments for safety and visual storytelling, managing complex sequences where costumes must withstand action and effects.

• Hair & makeup
• Props
• Stunts
• Special effects
• Prosthetics
• Visual effects
• Case studies: Orange Is the New Black and Russian Doll

Assignment 8: Plan costume resets and logistics for a stunt-heavy hero sequence, considering doubles, stunts, blood effects, and continuity.

Keep your costumes consistent through every take and every day of shooting. Learn to create and maintain continuity bibles, document costumes on set, and troubleshoot wardrobe errors. 

• Sync on set & asset hub
• Continuity bibles & tracking sheets
• On-set photography & documentation
• Strategies for managing changes
• Consistency across filming days
• Troubleshooting continuity errors 
• WORKSHOP: Document and write up continuity photos from class outfits.

Master the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of on-set costume management. From quick changes to emergency fixes, actor comfort to costume integrity, you’ll learn what it takes to keep everything running perfectly on shooting days.

• Wardrobe team
• Managing on location
• Actor comfort & support
• Manipulation, stunts, blood, & intimacy scenes
• Maintaining integrity in costumes
• Emergency kit essentials

Prepare to thrive in the professional costume design world by mastering production meetings, paperwork, and communication strategies. Learn to build your career with digital tools, effective collaboration, and portfolio development, setting you up for success in an exciting and dynamic industry.

• Production-level meeting
• Digital tools 
• Production paperwork 
• Working with production personnel
• Communication, problem-solving, feedback 
• Guilds 
• Portfolio development 

Assignment 9: Start your IMDb profile to reflect all of your credits, including upcoming projects and make sure your website is up to date with your most recent project.