BROADWAY AND DANCERS, I LOVE THEM ALL!

Last night I watched “SMASH” on TV and it reminded me how much I love Broadway performers, singers and dancers. Well yes, I was one once, and I treasure every moment I spent performing on several Broadway stages.

I remember those auditions - terrifying! If I got to audition first as a dancer, even in those huge cattle calls (as they were called) on stage where 400 dancers got whittled down to 30 or so for callbacks, I knew I had a very good chance. If then I got to audition as an actress, I knew I had a good chance.  But as a singer? No, no, no. 

I would have worked on a song or two with my coach in preparation, it would go somewhat OK, but the moment I was standing in front of that table of producers and directors, I knew I really sucked. And I knew it after the first few lines of the song, knew the directors wanted to cut me off and were being polite. I would feel so humiliated, and would usually hail a cab and cry in the back seat all the way home to my fourth floor walk-up apaprtment just down the street from Lincoln Center!

But dancing, yes, I usually made it to call-backs, and made it into four different Broadway Shows!

In fact, it was my experience as a dancer that got me my first costuming job. I met one of the producers of Ann-Margret’s lavish Las Vegas act who was looking for someone to co-ordinate the 12 dancers’ and 6 singers’ costumes for her show. I thought I didn’t know anything about costumes, only having worn them, never made them, but the man said I must know what dancers need, and so gave me the job. That was what started it all!

I certainly made some mistakes along the way, especially in the beginning. In one of my early jobs actually creating costumes, I asked to be allowed to make the dancers jumpsuits for a dance number to “Car Wash”. Believe it or not, two way stretch material was not yet on the market, but I was able to find a ski pant fabric that did stretch one way. Thinking the guys would need it to stretch sidesways to allow for their chest expansion, I cut the jumpsuits in the wrong direction. I got that call from Roger Smith that no-one just starting their career wants to get....”your costumes are all ripping at the waist when the boys do the dance number”. A good friend gave me some excellent advice. He said, the best way to deal with a big error like this is to offer several choices of solutions, so I got up my courage to call Roger back and suggest that I come to Las Vegas, and spend the day inserting a stretchy band at the waist so the guys could move. It was a LONG day, as I had 8 jumpsuits to fix in time for them to be worn that night in the show, but there seemed to be no hard feelings. And I NEVER cut stretchy costumes the wrong way again!

1% LUCK, 1% TIMING, 98% PERSISTENCE!

This morning I got a call from "Kenny" (fictitious name), a fellow I have never met, but who calls me about every 6 weeks to see if I have any assistant work for him or have any leads on production. I hope to meet this guy or at least find out from others that he is really good, because I am so impressed with his persistence, persistence in a good way.

A dear friend of mine recently landed a really good job doing what she loves and is so thankful for her good luck. But as I point out to her, only a fraction of it is luck. She works hard at sending out resumes, knowing that 99% of them will end up in the circular file. She does designs for charity events so her work will be seen, and she puts in serious time honing her talents, networking, and expanding her range of contacts. When the job came, she was ready for it, and the company is lucky to have her.

Man oh man, it is never easy. I wish it was. But in the world of entertainment (film, TV theater) the looking-for-a-job part never gets better. That’s the worst news that you are going to hear in this blog. The good news is that with the right tools, and with that old word persistence, all things are possible.

But you also need some personal discipline, and some organization. Anyone looking for a job, be it full time or per production, needs to keep a log of people they have met (anywhere, on set, at a mixer, even virtually). In this log shold be their contact information, where you met them, some basics about them, and when you last called or emailed them. Here is an example:

DIANA EDEN     

diana.eden@yahoo.com   

costume designer and wardrobe stylist    

met at Women in Entertainment mixer 12/21/10.  

Notes: encouraged me to stay in touch with her.     

Last contacted:    Jan 25th.  Got vm.   Will try again tomorrow.

People tend to remember the LAST person who contacted them when looking for an assistant, not someone who gave them a card six months ago.

Another tip: I have always HATED making “cold calls”. HATED the idea that someone would 

1. not remember who I was;  or  

b) be cool or abrupt with me and make me feel like a fool! 

So I do a little exercise before I make a call. I go through the reasons why that person might WANT to hear from me:

1. as it happens, they are just starting to think about crewing a new project
2. it makes them feel important to be a potential employer
3. they were really bored, and like having someone get in touch
4. they really really like you!

Also, be consistent. If someone invites you to stay in touch with them, then do so. Often I invite people to do just that, or to “call me in a month”, and then I never hear from them again.

Another tip: if someone is really encouraging or helpful on a phone call, do a very quick (and to the point) follow up and thank you by email. “That lead you gave me was really helpful, thank you so much for giving me his/her name”.

Lastly, remember when you are “pitching” yourself, find the thing that makes you not only special, but employable. Perhaps its just your personality! That’s OK, its good to have people who are fun on board. Perhaps it is your research skills. Perhaps its your connections - you might know exactly the right people to get locations for a certain type of scene. Perhaps its your experience in a particular area that you know the film is going to be dealing with: “I just finished a three year course on Japanese Samurai Warriors and I hear you might be filming a few scenes with samurais....” You get the drift.

And now, because MY phone hasn’t rung in a few weeks, I must get up my courage and go call a few people!

BRIDES: ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

A fan asked me today what my favorite moments were on “Santa Barbara” and who my favorite stars were. Though there were many, the actress who came to mind immediately was Sidney Penny. She was so easy to design for! Not only did she have a lovely body to clothe, but she was so down to earth and adventurous and open about ideas that I had. That is always such a treat! Sometimes I want to design something a little different from the norm, especially when it comes to wedding gowns, and though the producer always has final approval on designs, it always helps when an actor is willing to go along with some crazy ideas.

I have found that bridal gowns tend to always look the same (strapless, full skirts right now) and on both “Santa Barbara” and “Passions”, I wanted my wedding gowns to be unique. I didn't always succeed - sometimes the fans hated what I did, but more about that later!

“BJ” and “Warren” were to wed on the final show of “Santa Barbara” and we were to shoot on location at the gorgeous Ritz Carlton Hotel at Laguna Niguel on the California coast. We filmed in December, and though all the actors were in formal wear, the icy ocean breeze was whipping up the bluff, and we were all freezing! I had wanted to do a 1930's themed gown for Sidney and I had actually found an authentic 1930's dress that I liked in a costume rental house. But I wanted to add my own unique touch, so I designed a white velvet coat to go over the gown, and a "juliet" cap with silk flowers for her hair. Sidney's face and bone structure allow her to wear things close to her head, and she just wasn't a big fluffy veil type! Needless to say, she looked amazing. As she approached her groom, a small breeze picked up the train of the coat and gave the whole outfit some movement. I was standing just off camera going yes! yes! 

Another actress who was a dream to design for is MacKenzie Westmore on “Passions”! Not only is she gorgeous, tall, incredibly shapely, but she also went along with my wild ideas. When "Sheridan" was to wed "Luis" I also went once more to a 1930's theme, basing her gown on my mother's 1930's wedding gown, though I added some sexiness by creating a very bare back, and a keyhole opening in the front. The dress had a stand up lace color, and to me she looked every bit like an amazing Carole Lombard or Marlene Dietrich. However, the young fans didn't get it (who is Carole Lombard to them??) and blogged about what a horrible choice it was!

Another successful wedding gown on Santa Barbara was the 1940's inspired gown for "Julia" when she married "Mason" for the umpteenth time. Nancy (Grahn) told me she liked the 1940's silhouette, and since in the 1990's, when this was being filmed, wide shoulders were still in style, this wasn't too much of a stretch. But to make the somewhat masculine silhouette more feminine, I made it of silk chiffon, with a long sheer cape attached at the shoulders that I hoped would billow in the breeze. I've never been big on tulle veils, at least on camera, as sometimes I think they overwhelm the actress' face, which is important to see.

At least my fictional brides don’t have the wedding day nerves of a real bride! For them, it’s all in a day’s work.


PS I had two great photos posted along with this, but they keep disappearing. Not sure why.

GOD BLESS MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SKYPE, AND MENTORS!

I just hung up the phone (no, actually, I was on the computer on skype) with Joe I Tompkins, a very successful, Oscar nominated, Emmy winning costume designer. He is now retired and living  happily in Merida, Mexico, and I was "on assignment" for the Costume Designers Guild to write about some of our best retired designers. What an amazing career Joe has had, and what a wealth of great advice he had.

As a mentor myself, naturally I am biased toward mentors! But I think back to when I was just starting out in a career in costumes and how much it meant to me when a more seasoned designer gave of their time to help me.

Had someone told me back then that I should seek out someone I admired as a mentor and contact them, I would have shrunk in fear from the idea! Who, after all, that was successful and whose work I admired would have the time to give advice to lowly me? Would I have had the courage to ask for help? Could I have made that call?

But actually  I got lucky when I was hired by Bob Mackie to work as his assitant for the Oscar Awards in 1980, and then the original Jubilee production for the MGM Grand. I consider Bob and the designers I worked with at his company Elizabeth Courtney Costumes my mentors. I didn't actually call them that, but everything that I know now about costume design I learned from working with them - watching them, listening to them, asking questions, and following their examples. They were all generous with suggestions or information when asked for, and to this day I feel I could call on any of them if I got "stuck" on a design. One time I asked Bob Mackie whether a white pique vest should show below the point at the waist of a man's black formal tailcoat. He said that Fred Astaire had told him directly that no, it should not, as a clean black line from head to toe elongated a man, and the vest should only show when the arms were raised, perhaps to dance? Astaire also said that he had learned that from the Duke of Windsor, fashion arbiter and innovator. So my simple question to Bob elicited an answer that went all the way back to the 1930's for authenticity! I have never forgotten that moment.

I would suggest to any young designer, writer, film-maker, or creative being, not to be afraid to reach out to those whose careers they admire. Sometimes, yes, they are too busy or not interested, but as often as not, especially in their later years, they are very mellow, very understanding, and actually love the fact that their experience and wisdom might be appreciated by someone.

START OF A NEW YEAR - onward and upward!

Its been a few weeks since I've posted a blog. I've not thought much about costumes over the last few weeks as my days have been occupied with the usual holiday activities of parties, family, and friends. All of which have been great.

But here it is January, and I am feeling eager to get started working again in my chosen profession of costume design. The pursuit of work and its rewards never ends, no matter what stage you are at.

I heard recently from a young art director /costumer whom I had recommended for a possible job with a film  coming to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. She was discouraged as she did not get the job, and wondered what she might have done better. It reminded me of how difficult this career can be when you love the work but feel powerless when others hold the strings.

There are a number of reasons why you DON'T get the job, and a lot of the time you don't even know why. Perhaps the producer decided to cut the budget and not hire anyone in that position, or perhaps it was between you and one other person and they just edged you out. Perhaps the hiring person had a friend, or owed a favor to someone who requested their candidate be considered.  Or (and this is not the case of the young woman I refer to in the paragraph above), maybe you did not give a good interview or appear prepared.

Practicing you interview style is as important as knowing your craft,  having a good resume and portfolio. Its all part of the package. Having been the one in the position of hiring, I do know that I usually hire the costumers that impress me with how they can make MY job easier! I know that may sound selfish, but, after all, when  you are looking for a job on any rung of the ladder, you are looking to make the person directly above you look good! As a costume designer, my employers want to make sure that I can stay within the budget, keep the actors happy, get everyone dressed and to the set on time, as well as make the right artistic choices.

I in turn want assistants who love the work, show up on time, work well with other crew members, deliver what they say they can deliver, and in general help make my department run smoothly.

Believe me, having spent many years earning my living as a costumer and costume designer, I had my heart broken more than a few times. I did not get all the jobs I wanted or thought I deserved. Its a tough competitive world out there, and if you don't have drive, persistence, and a love for the work, you'll lose heart and become discouraged.

But don't be.  Stay true to what you believe about your abilities, strive continually to improve your knowledge, your talents, and your presentation, and next time it will be someone else feeling sad because you got the job instead of them!

CELEBRITIES BEHAVING BADLY

So, this past week actor Alec Baldwin was in the headlines again for “behaving badly” on an airplane, and in general making an ass of himself. Actors and celebrities are just as likely to act like idiots as any other group of people, but regular folk don’t make it into the headlines. It really bothered me that Alec felt so entitled to be exempt from both courtesy and FAA rules.

I have worked with a LOT of celebrities (if you doubt me, check out my celebrity page on my website at http://hollywoodmentors.co/HM/celebrities.html,) and I have come to the conclusion that if someone is by nature and upbringing kind, considerate, appreciative, and well balanced, they will remain so if they become famous. If they are basically shallow, insecure, self involved, with a strong sense of entitlement, these traits will only be exacerbated with the addition of fame.

Stars do not have the right to think the rules do not apply to them, that common manners are not necessary, that respecting one’s assistants, co-workers, and colleagues is of no importance. What they DO have the right to, in my humble opinion, is enough “space” to prepare for a big performance. When I worked with Diana Ross, she needed a quiet dressing room for at least an hour before going out and singing for 30,000 people, and it was not a time to engage her in petty conversation. She had her diva moments, but she was respectful and generous to her cast and crew. The one time she snapped at me about some minor thing, she later apologized.

Stars also deserve to be left alone in restaurants while enjoying a night out. I was out with Larry Hagman (in a group!) when filming “Staying Afloat”, and he could barely finish his dinner without fans coming up and expecting him to lay down his knife and fork and have their photo taken with him. He also told me that he used to wear a huge baseball cap when flying as people would sneak up and take photos of him sleeping!

Some of the really wonderful actors I have worked with are:

Ann-Margret; if you work in her company, you are “family” for life. The dancers and singers that traveled with her when she had her nightclub act were definitely her family and she would do ANYTHING for them . After she heard that I was in the MGM fire with other members of the Bob Mackie group, she called all over town to trying to find me and see what she could do to help and if I was OK.

Betty White: she NEVER expects any special treatment, NO concessions to her age or celebrity. 

Tony Danza: on the first day of filming he would go around the set with his assistant memorizing his crew’s names. He would point to a gaffer or grip or prop master, and his assistant would whisper their name in his ear. He does have a hot temper, but also has an Italian heart of gold. 

The late Gregory Hines would not only greet every cast and crew member, but would go up and say hello to the stand-ins and background actors, often treated like “outsiders” and considered invisible until needed.

George Clooney was an unknown when I worked with him back in the 1980’s, but I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams him putting on airs.

Tom Hanks, who directed an episode of the TV series “A League of Their Own” that I costumed, said that sometimes the yes-men unwittingly encourage the bad behavior. They try and satisfy every demand, not wanting to be the first to say no, and so the scope of the requests gets more and more extreme, until you tempted, Hanks said, to ask for the impossible and unreasonable, just to see at what point someone would say no.

Its always a tough place to be, especially for a young designer or film-maker, to know at what point one can draw the line and not go along with unreasonable requests. The producers just want their stars to be happy and don’t want any of the crew standing up to an unruly actor and making waves. So there are times when you have to suck it up and go along, but there are also times an experienced designer will know that a star is testing you, pushing you, and sometimes it seems they relish being told, sorry, I can’t do that.

One star I worked with recently wanted a particular kind of socks. I searched and searched and bought every possibly variation of what he was looking for. None of them were right. On the first day of shooting I presented him with 6 different pairs of socks. He said these aren’t the ones. So I said, I’m sorry, but these are the choices, pick one. And he was fine with it!

I love working with actors - their needs, their peculiarities, their insecurities, their creative instincts. So as long as they respect me as their equal in all things except perhaps income and notoriety,  I’m in. 

UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS AND FOUR PAIR OF GREEN SNEAKERS

Hello everyone. Holiday time is a busy time and I haven’t been thinking much about costumes.......except 

I was invited to a holiday party the other day where there will be an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” competition, and that reminded me once again about darling Betty White (whom I did blog about recently, but there are no end of funny stories about working with her). We were filming a Christmas movie called “Stealing Christmas” with Tony Danza, Lea Thompson, and Betty, but, as is often the case with Christmas movies, it was being shot in spring for the following year. Betty was playing the owner of a store that sold model trains, but was all decorated for Christmas, so I wanted to dress her in nothing but Christmas sweaters. But it was March, and there were no more in the stores! Nothing but spring merchandise!

Thank goodness for the internet - what did we do before it! I was able to find three great sweaters, covered with all sorts of sequinned trees, snowmen, reindeer, and gifts, from various sources, including Ebay. She looked quite adorable in the sweaters and it perfectly matched her character, the decor of her little store, and her personality!

Often costume designers have to find things that are out of season. In retail stores, try finding slippers except at Christmas - why should that be the only time to buy slippers?  Even the thrift stores are now getting so sophistocated and well organized that they put away their summer clothes in winter, and vica versa in summer!

Shopping online is a relatively new thing for costume designers, and of course is not always possible when things are needed immediately. But it is quite amazing what you can find. I was costuming the wonderful BB King, and we needed a pair of green sneakers for him for his video “One Shoe Blues”. I needed at least 4 choices, as the shoe would be prominently featured, and he wears a size 12, so where on earth was I going to purchase those? Thank goodness for Zappos.com (I am not affiliated in any way) because, believe it or not, they had 4 different styles of GREEN sneakers in the right size! In the end we kept all 4 pairs.

Sometimes costume designing requires a treasure hunt, and it is quite fun. One time for “Passions” the script called for one character to give another character a “Partridge in a Pear Tree” pin, and I thought, where on earth am I going to find that? Again, thanks Ebay!

Have I been stumped? I’m sure I have. Anything can be made in Hollywood, given enough time and money. One jewelry designer said, you can only have 2 out of 3: fast, cheap, or well-made.  Fast, well-made, but not cheap. Cheap, fast, but not well made. Etc. 

But producers don’t want to hear us whine, so somehow, we find what we need!