Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531371
helmets underwater didn't go past the prototype and underwater camera tests but Javier says that's just part of the job. "When it comes to creating things, you can't get stuck on them. There's been many films and TV shows I've done where I really liked and wanted to do something, but once it's off the table or it's wrien off, I just turn it off. For instance, that diving mask, once it was off the table, it wasn't going to work, I put it aside, forgot about it, and just addressed the next thing. 'What's the next priority on the list of us building?' And go to that next thing. I wish we could build everything we see, but sometimes it's not going to work. It's not feasible, not in the budget, not in the writing, and you just goa forget about it and move on." Working as a Manufacturing Key and Foreperson, Javier has to have as much information as possible to run his department of costume manufacturers. "I approach it with constant meetings. I always fight for meetings within the department, whether that's with the Supervisor, Costume Designer, ACD, a Key, anyone who knows anything that I don't know. Schedule, time hacks, time frames, screen tests. I try to partner with them and make sure I'm in that meeting or in their circle. That way I'm not the last to know because I think our job is the hardest to create something from hand—from scratch—from artwork to real life. I'm always in those meetings, always looking at my emails and always anticipating … figuring out what the priority is… We'll say, 'This works on this day,' and by that backward-planning, they can get the team together. Anytime I have a team, I stop them, and we'll take a minute to sit and talk and look at that. I work with them to build that schedule out and the goal is to hit this target date. That way it gives us a lile more time and lile breathing room for adjustments and for anything else that may follow. I also have to ensure that the right person has a task to do and delegating who should take on development on the chemistry of the materials we were going to use. Like how it would act and react to water. Before we even started shooting, we had to test our items in the water and see what it did on camera because a lot of things failed. We knew leather wasn't going to work because anything that has buoyancy automatically wants to float up. We had to do a lot of R&D and then make things look good, but flexible. Next, I was given a set of images and something to model and make. That's how it started for me. Aer that, it was constant. 'Hey, we want to make this.' What can we do to source, prototype, and get materials? And we were just making samples, a ton of samples, for the first three to four months. We were making things to see what would actually function in the water and what would look visually appealing." Building his custom pieces involves quite a bit of testing materials and making mock-ups before it reaches its final form. Javier has to be able to have samples or prototypes in a short amount of time, so he oen works in sculpture first. For work on Wakandan underwater helmets in Black Panther, he needed to hand sculpt a prototype shape. "I did that with clay, and then I went with fiberglass and Bondo in order for me to vacuum clear plastic over the top and get a shape I could actually present. I just looked at it and thought, 'What can I do? What would be the fastest process to get me a sample to sell it?' Instead of 3D modeling it and taking all the time, I took it upon myself to hand sculpt the shape within a couple hours and vacuum it within the same day to get us a shape as a starting point. I always approach it as giving a prototype as fast as you can. That way you can say, 'Look at what I have. This is the quick prototype, and I can make it that much beer.'" Some of the ideas for Wakandan (From top) Fitting of scribe costume; electronic Med-Tech bases; (opposite) Marvel case for Gustavo Dudamel. 38 SPRING 2025