How do you become a costume designer?
I want to either become a director or a costume designer (preferably for film) so I was thinking about double majoring.
What courses do you need to take for a costume designer? Do you need prior experience before applying to college? etc.
Comments
What classes a costume designer needs varies. From my experience they end up taking:
Costume history
costuming (applied..working in a shop)
Costume Design
Make up Design
Wig Design
as far as prior experience, you don't really need any, but read some plays or books and create costumes you'd like to see characters where and build a portfolio to show off. Please remember that you may need not only your Bachelor's degree, but you may need/want to go for your Masters, which is an additional 3 years.
Also, I highly suggest you look at undergraduate schools that offer theatre graduate programs. Not because you should stay there for both degrees, but because you can work with the graduate students and they are an invaluable resource I wish I had in my undergrad.
Well, you need to major in Theatre, in case these other answerers are confusing you. And you take pretty much what they tell you to take, the program is really specific. Everyone has to take the basic classes in all areas of theatrical design, and then more in their specific area. The costume classes I took were: Intro to Costume Design, Costume Design I, Advanced Costume Design, Drafting/Draping, Tailoring, Costume Crafts, Period Styles (Costume History), Makeup, and then production credits from working on shows.
You don't really need much prior experience before college. Some require portfolio presentations to get in as a freshman, but it doesn't have to be extensive, just a few high school things and an eagerness to learn and you're in. These are most of the colleges that offer BFA programs in Theatre Production (which is what I'd recommend, they're more developed programs towards specific emphases.)
Fashion Design College degree, theatre experience. Then you have to be recommended to apply to the costume guild. THEN you have to take a test. If you are accepted, you then get to shell out $$$ for the joining fee.
Top design schools: Parsons and FIT.
Hope you're a trust fund baby.
go to college
gsdt deploma
apply for gov grant or loan
start a business