Summer of 2024, I was a costumer for "Berny", a SCAD thesis film, written and directed by Aiden Kelly and produced by Lyric Gonzalez.
Set in 2008, on the path to redemption, a divorced dad must anonymously confront his family as a clown hired to work at his own daughter’s 9th birthday party. I worked with long-distance costume designer Bella Grutta, to find secondhand pieces to fit into each character's wardrobe, taking into careful consideration the time period and setting of the film. on set, I was responsible for tracking continuity between scenes and any wardrobe malfunction. I helped with maintaining the illusion of a seamless world, making sure every detail held up to the scrutiny of high-definition cameras.
I joined this project a week before filming started so I got straight to work. I sourced the costumes for every character except for Bernie. The costume designer sent me the character visual deck to help me with finding specific items of clothing to match each character. I spent three days going to numerous thrift stores and resale shops around Savannah to find costumes that fit actors' measurements, taking into consideration the time period the film is set in and their character's individual personalities. The first day of filming we had the actors try on their costumes and completed last minute tailoring.
One of the biggest challenges we faced on set was two of the actors dropped out the first day of shooting. We got two of the child actors' moms to fill in the roles, so I quickly took their measurements and ran to Walmart to get them outfits and accessories for their new costumes. By noon, all the actors were ready in their costumes for shooting.
Costume department worked hand in hand with hair and makeup to complete the look. With more complex narratives and visually driven content, I was focused on transporting the viewer into the story.