Costume Design

and Makeup

9743043Stella Huang

The Functions of Costume Design

• time and place• character’s social and economic sta

tus• Occupation or lifestyle• Gender and age• Reflect a character’s atypicality thr

ough dress that departs from the norm

• Metaphor, symbol or allegorical concept

• Mood and atmosphere• To establish a particular style• Reflect conventions or a level of

exaggeration• Enhance or impede movement• Establish or clarify character

relationships

• Establish the relative importance of characters in the action

• Underline the development of the dramatic action through costume changes

• Create both variety and unity• Alter an actor’s appearance

The Costume Designer’s skills

• Keep in mind gender, social and economic class, activity, climate, and season, stylistic qualities

• Work within circumstances dictated by the script, director, performance space, and budget

• Fashion designers establish fashions; costume designers use fashions

• Create garments not only for present-day fashions but also for those of other eras

• Skills of a visual artist• Need to envision the garments as tailors a

nd seamsters would• Costume sketches should indicate how gar

ments are shaped, the location of seams, darts, and other features that create visible lines and affect cut and fit

• Need to be familiar with various fibers and the characteristics of each

• Be knowledgeable about weaves, textures, and other qualities

• Well grounded in social and cultural history (including the visual arts, dance, and theatre)

• Be able to analyze characters that actors do

Working Plans and Procedures

• Studied the play and met with the director and other designers to discuss the production concept

• Make numerous tentative sketches and examines them in various combinations

• Series of design conferences• Rendered in color and in a manner

that conveys a clear impression of the final product

working drawing

• Color sketch for each costume• Shows the lines and details of the

costume as seen from the most distinctive angle

• Unusual features, details are shown in special drawings and usually in the margins of the sketch

• Samples of the material

costume chart

• Communicate the broad organization of the characters costumes a a single glance

• Costumes in each of the scenes

dressing list

• Remind actors • Tools that communicate the

designer’s intentions and help keep the costumes organized for running the production efficiently

Realizing the Designs

• Borrow and rent costumes from a existing wardrobe

-Less than idea -Only allow slightly alteration -Restricted primarily to

nonprofessional theatres and short-run productions

• Newly made

rental houses

• Buy costumes from a Broadway or road show when it close and rent these costumes as a unit

• Employ staff designers • Variety of costumes for each

period

newly made costumes

• Permanent theatre organizations that make their own costumes usually maintain a wardrobe of items from past productions

• Can be remade or altered to fit new conceptions

• In the Broadway theatre, the producer contracts with a costume house to make the costumes

standard procedures

• Accurate measurement • Materials must be bought• Patterns must be drafted as guides

for cutting and shaping the materials

• First fitting usually takes place before stitching is completed

• Some new costumes need to be “distressed”

The Costume Designer and the Actor

• Actors are responsible for exploring the potentials and limitations of the costumes they will wear

• The designer can also aid the actors by proper attention to shoes and undergarments

Makeup

• Traditionally, makeup has been considered the actor’s responsibility

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L47tSnjX61w

function

• Makeup characterizes• Makeup aids expressiveness• Makeup restores color and form• Makeup may indicate

performance style

the make plot

• A chart recording basic information about the makeup of each character

• As a guide for applying makeup and as a check on how the makeup of each actor relates to that of all the others

• Sketch of each actor’s face

type

• Painting• Added plastic, prosthetic, or

three-dimensional pieces

painted makeup

• Age groups-not only on face but also concerned with hands, arms , and other visible parts of the body

• Straight or character makeup-character makeup markedly changes the actors own appearance

• Racial/ethnic types-skin coloration, eye shapes, hair color and texture

• Special painted effects-clown makeup, distortions for stylistic reasons and decorative designs painted of the face as in a tribal ritual

materials

• Beards and moustaches are usually made from human hair-ventilation

• Prosthetics• Hair whitener-oiling and

aluminum metallic powder• Wigs

The Costume Parade, Dress Rehearsals, and Performances

• Dress parade-allows the designer and director to evaluate the costumes without the distractions of a performance

• Dress rehearsals-allow the costumes to be seen under conditions as nearly like those of performance as possible

Thank you for your attention