COSTUME DESIGNER

Regardless of the budget, someone has to worry about what everyone is wearing in front of the camera. The Costume Designer can rent all the clothes or make them or a combination. There are a lot of variations, depending on the genre and type of film, and of course on what the script calls for.

It helps if the Costume Designer can sew and do a lot of the work of modifying and utilizing cost-effective techniques in coming up with the costumes. In the case of the low budget movie, sometimes an experienced and enthusiastic Costume Designer can save the day.

Generally, it's better to deal with most of the costume considerations during pre-production. You don't want to be waiting for the gorilla costume to be fitted while you're setting up the shot. If you rush things, the zipper in the back of the costume might be visible in half the shots! You'll get lucky with the other half as your actor gets himself all muddy as the shooting progresses.

You should also get someone really good with negotiating with department stores. Sometimes they like to promote certain lines of clothing and you may get lucky that way, if your production calls for contemporary ware of course.

Table of Contents

Part I.
The Screenplay.
Story Construction.
Script Formats.
Story-Boarding.

Part II.
Pre-Production.
Script Breakdown.

Budgeting.
Financing.
Casting.
Crew Selection.
Production Manager.
Cinematographer.
Operator/ Focus Puller/Loader/Slate.
Sound Recordist.
Boom.
Continuity Person.
Art Director.
Costume Designer.
Gaffer.
Key Grip.
Prop Person.
Make-Up & Hair.
Production Assistant.
Editor.
Equipment.
Studio & Location Scouting.
Lab Procedures.
Catering.
Insurance.

Part III.
Production.
Producer.
Director.
Hierarchy of Command.
Setting Up the First Shot. 
Procedure for Shooting a Scene. 
Language of Film. 
Long Shot. 
Medium Shot. 
Close-up. 
Aesthetics. 
Coverage.
Sticking to Schedule. 
Sticking to Budget. 
Directing Actors. 
Controlling Technicals. 
Special Effects. 
Special Processes and Genres. 
Finishing Principle Photography. 
Pick-Ups. 

Part IV.
Post-Production. 
Editing. 

Dialogue Cutting. 
Cutting Action. 
Techniques. 
Artistic Considerations. 
Equipment. 
The Editor. 
Editing Music. 
Sound Effects Editing.
ADR & Dubbing. 
The Mix. 
Negative Cutting. 
Printing the Film. 
The Answer Print. 
Release Prints. 

Part V.
Distribution. 
Finding a Distributor. 
Majors' Distribution. 
Mini-Majors. 
Independent Distributors. 
Distributing Your Own Film. 
The Foreign Market. 
Domestic Distribution. 
Festivals. 
Four-Walling. 
Video, TV & Ancillary Markets. 
Building Your Library of Films. 
Business Options. 
Corporations. 
Limited Partnerships. 
Public Offerings. 
Conclusions.