Released February 1st, 2010
Page count: 72 pages
Size: 9” x 6”
Costume Design 101 – The Business and Art of Creating Costumes for Film and Television, 2nd Ed.
By Richard La Motte
Published By Michael Wiese Publications
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Costume Design 101 Book Review By Erin V.
Sometimes we marvel at the beauty of costumes on screen, but mostly they’re taken for granted. The world of creating costumes is one of incredible artistry, and accuracy. Though we may not know exactly what is wrong with a costume we see on screen, when the costume is off, somehow we know it.
From script breakdown to the actual designing of the costumes, it is a really elaborate artistic process. There is so much to think about beyond the look of the costume. The costumes often have t0 be weathered to be authentic – they can’t simply look like they just came off the rack, unless that’s what you want to convey. And how does the costume change, depending on how the actor wears it? There is all this and more for a costume designer to have to think about.
But besides all of the artistic decisions, there is also the technical business side. What do each of the specific jobs in the costume department entail? How are production designers hired? Costume design is an art form, but it’s also a business. This book gives you a good look at both of the sides of things.
I found Costume Design 101 really gave me a deeper appreciation for the work behind the scenes of this area of filmmaking, and I would definitely recommend reading it. Make no mistake, costume design is a complex art. It’s almost like ‘costume architecture’ – the complex or carefully designed structure of costumes.
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To find out more about the Costume Design 101, or other books, visit MWP’s website here.
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