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USEFUL PAPERWORK

  • Character/Scene Breakdown

  • Character/Scene/Costume Breakdown

  • Character Costume List - Costume Supervisor

  • Character Analysis - Costume Designer

  • Measurement Forms

  • Costing Template - Costume Makers

  • Budget Management

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Character/Scene Breakdown

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This is simply a table showing who is in which scene. One axis of the table is character and on the other is scene numbers. Include page numbers so you have a rough idea of the length of each scene. Then as you read the script simply highlighted or tick when a character is in a scene - remember they might not have any lines but are still onstage so need to be counted. It may be easier to list by actor if they are playing numerous roles, and then write which character they are playing as well as highlighting.

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It gives you an overview of the production. It can highlight any potential issues for example with quick changes and it can be used as the start of a running wardrobe plot. It can also act as an indicator of potentially tricky scenes in technical rehearsals, for example if there is a considerable volume of cast on stage at one time.

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An example template is below for you to download;

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CHARACTER SCENE BREAKDOWN TEMPLATE | EXAMPLE 1 | EXAMPLE 2

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Character/Costume/Scene Breakdown

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This is similar to the above except it also contains a list of costume items/ a costume description. One axis is scene number, including a little detail of what happens if that is useful [e.g. fight scene or so and so's monologue]. The other side is by character or actor. Instead of highlighting or ticking the box you write a list of costume items. 

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This allows you to predict any quick changes and cater in advance. For example can the actor wear the same trousers for both characters. It can be adapted to suit your needs. See the examples below, one is for a pantomime. Rather than listing every costume item, as panto follows a similar format and costumes are easy to describe, it simply states which type of costume is being worn in what scene. 

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An example template is below for you to download; along with an example to download supplied by Emma Clifton

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COSTUME SCRIPT SCENE BREAKDOWN EXCEL | COSTUME SCRIPT SCENE BREAKDOWN WORD | EXAMPLE

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Example
Example

Character Costume List - Costume Supervisor

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As a supervisor you will need to create a document that lists every item of costume an actor wears; sometimes divided into what character and scene. There is a template below for you to use - as with all our paperwork make it work for you. 

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Here is a template and a real life example created by Emma Clifton for 'Panoptican' 

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CHARACTER/COSTUME TEMPLATE | EXAMPLE

Character Analysis - Costume Design

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The way people design varies massively and there is no right and wrong way to do it. The depth to which you analyse character depends on the type of project you are working on. If you feel like you need to delve deeper into character then here are some helpful resources to get you thinking about the sort of person this character is - which should help you decide what they are wearing and how they wear it. 

 

You can also google 'character questionnaire' to find plenty of resources - mostly aimed at writers but can also relate to design. They are simply questions designed to help you get to know your characters. It will be rare that you know the answers to all the questions - and depending on the show there are questions where the answers are unknown and/or irrelevant. 

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CHARACTER ANALYSIS | CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS ANALYSIS

Measurement Form​

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Here are a few versions of measurement forms

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SIMPLE MEASUREMENT FORM | MALE/FEMALE FORM | COLLATED CAST FORM

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Costing Template - Costume Makers​

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We've put together quite a substantial spreadsheet. It's part of our mini project on 'The True Cost of Costume' series where we are collating images of costumes and how much they cost to make.  We thought we would add the template here for you to use if you would like. 

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BASIC | DETAILED

Budget Management

 

We've put together some spreadsheets to help with budget management. There is also an example for VAT Calculation supplied by Emma Clifton

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BUDGET SPREADSHEET | VAT CALC

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