Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536052
MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 21 21 Initially going to college for graphic design, a friend inspired her to transition to costuming through her education at FIDM. Having learned on-set experience by throwing herself into the indie film world, she has been working in costumes for more than a decade. As a Costumer who primarily works on trailer, Yanda says that "being organized and thorough is the best skill. You are the first person in the morning to touch the clothes that the actors will wear that day, so you have to make sure that everything is right from the start. You also must make sure that everything has made it back at wrap, and that every piece is accounted for at any time. There are hundreds or thousands of pieces that come in a trailer during the course of a show. And if anything ever goes missing, you can bet that's what will be needed the next day. Or it's what the designer is going to want you to pull for them to see, so you beer be on top of your game. Never become complacent. Always double-, triple-, and dummy-check yourself, and hopefully, you'll never make too bad of a mistake." Like most horror films, MaXXXine was filmed very fast and with a low budget. Yanda says, "Because of the tight budget, we all had to wear multiple hats during the show. Jayde was our dedicated set person, and whenever she was overloaded, I was supposed to jump in, but because there were so many actors and they were in period costume with adjustments and repairs constantly being made, it was hard for me to be torn away. But I had to remind myself this was a different type of project than I was used to, and that maybe everything wasn't going to get done the way that I usually would. I trusted in the people around me and together, we would make it all happen. Many times I had to leave tasks incomplete in the trailer to go to the set. Leaving things unorganized is the worst nightmare of any Trailer Costumer, but the most immediate concern is always what is happening in front of the camera at any given time." ayde Dennis' interest in costumes came from her love for period and vintage clothing. "I even ran my own vintage store here in LA for a few years, immersing myself in the beauty of bygone styles." Dennis' father encouraged her to explore working in film and television and through her father's childhood friend, Wingate Jones, she was able to work at Southern Costume Company in New Orleans and learned about working in motion picture costuming. Through her mother, she was able to meet Costume Designer Molly Grundman Gerbosi, whom she worked with on several projects. "That introduction was a game-changer, and my career really took off from there." As a Set Costumer on MaXXXine, Dennis worked long hours on set maintaining the continuity, working with blood and wet scenes, and taking care of several actors. Dennis says that her ability to connect with people is her greatest aribute to being successful as a Set Costumer. "Spending over 60 hours a week on set can be incredibly exhausting for everyone involved, especially the actors. Anticipating their needs, whether it's making them comfortable, helping them feel confident in costume or simply ensuring they feel supported, is oen an undervalued skill in my field." Yanda and Dennis have worked together on other projects designed by Ceo, so they were already a cohesive team. The opportunity to work with director Ti West was an added bonus to reuniting for this production. Dennis says, "Having worked with Ti West before, I already knew how much I enjoyed working alongside him. His vision was so fun and artsy, so saying 'yes' to this was an easy decision." Yanda added that she and most of this department had already worked with West when he directed an episode of the first season of Them on Amazon Prime. "We really respected his artistic vision then, and we were excited to see what he would do with a feature like MaXXXine. I genuinely loved the first two movies in the series, and working on a project that you would really want to watch makes the process so much more fun. It makes the long days and weeks of night shoots worth it when you not only get to live the film, but COSTUME LINGO > Dupes/Mults: Duplicates or Multiples Since scenes are often filmed out of order, one version of the costume is not enough. If a shirt has been torn and bloodied during a fight, you might shoot a scene even months later that takes place in the story before the fight. So, you always need at least one copy of the costume in its starting state. > Hero: The original costume among all the dupes. This version always stays unaltered for any scene that takes place before the events of the story result in blood, dirt, or rips. Also refers to the main actor's version of the costume as opposed to a copy for a stunt or photo double. J