How Costume Designers Embrace Characters In Order to Make Their Clothing a Natural Part of the Storyline

In a stylish video essay, Daniel Netzel of Film Radar takes a look behind the scenes at how costume designers work to make the clothing a natural part the storyline. Netzel lists four habits of successful costume designers who make it look easy, when it’s not. This includes understanding and analyzing the script, speaking with the director about the vision for the film, research the decided look and coordinate with other departments to ensure the look matches what was discussed with the director.

Behind every memorable character is a memorable costume and behind every costume is a costume designer. Their job is to create a look for each character that serves the needs of the story. Sometimes to make a character stand out from the crowd. Sometimes to blend into one, but always to make sure that they’re clothed in the appropriate attire. That’s the definition of good costuming.