kathrynlawton

[kathrynlawton]

Final Photos

The finished garments before breaking down.

#final photos

[kathrynlawton]

Bibliography

Botting, D (1978) The Pirates. Time-Life Incorporated

Cottle, J and Matthews, K (2014) Buccaneers. Self published 

 Cunnington, C and Cunnington, P (1964) Handbook of English Costume in the 18th Century. Faber

 Friendship, E (2008) Pattern Cutting for Men’s Costume. Methuen Drama

majoliroja, (2012). JOHNNY DEPP IN COSTUMES AND MAKE UP CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. [video] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw8LDpK8EJU [Accessed 14 Apr. 2014].

Mojo (2013) Waistcoat Tutorial [online] Available at: http://jacksparrowcostuming.wikispaces.com/Waistcoat+Tutorial [Accessed 12 May 2014]

Pinterest (2014). Buccaneers.[online] Available from: http://www.pinterest.com/kathryn2633/buccaneers/ [Accessed 10 May 2014]

 Pyle, H. The Book of Pirates. Dover Children’s Classics

Verbinski, G (2003) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. [Film] USA: Walt Disney Pictures

Unknown, (2014). Blogger. Romantichistory.blogspot.co.uk. [online] Available at: http://romantichistory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/regency-breeches-for-david-progress.html?m=1 [Accessed 1 May. 2014].

#bibliography

[kathrynlawton]

Evaluation

My initial work plan gave me an outline of what stage I needed to be at for each week but I found that it was very difficult to stick to due to fittings taking place much later than I thought and also having to complete tasks I had not considered like dyeing, or workshop days. I have learnt much more about the pace I will be expected to work at and the standard of costume I need to produce in order to succeed in industry from my taster days at the RSC and National Theatre. This has encouraged me to start developing these skills more within this project, as it will prepare me more for third year.

I now have a better understanding of how to research the construction of costumes independently, looking at previously made garments and also using historical references and online resources. This was not an area I had previously considered as in my previous projects I have relied on instructions from tutors. It has given me the confidence to work more independently and use this research to judge whether or not a pattern or garment has the right style and shaping. I also now have experience working with historical patterns, adapting them rather than working from a basic block. I can use this experience in future projects as I am now more confident in where seams should be altered.

Working as part of a team has been a major change for me in this project as I am not used to collaborating on projects. It has been extremely helpful in that I have been able to figure out patterns and construction techniques, overcoming problems as part of a team rather than relying on help from a tutor. It has also been useful in preparing me for industry as I have discovered on my workshop days, all of the various departments work together as a team to complete the costumes. I will be able to use the communication skills in order to be an effective part of a team and also to organise my work better as I know that there are others depending on me.

Creating a costume for screen is also a relatively new experience for me and I now know more of what is expected from me. There is much more emphasis on the high standard of finishing on the costume as it will be seen much more up-close on camera than it would be if it were on stage. This has made me consider the details of the costume as they will be more visible, for instance some of the buttonhole stitching was not as neat as it could be and it will need to be hidden when breaking down. Another aspect was the eyelets on the back of the waistcoat which will need to be covered before filming.

Overall, this project has been a huge learning curve for me and has helped me to understand the role of a costume maker within the industry. In future I will need to be more confident when making decisions and communicating within a team, as I have learnt that this is very important when working in industry.

#evaluation

[kathrynlawton]

Weekly Reflection - Week 6

This week has been very stressful in that studio time has been very limited due to presentations and the first year dress parade and I also realised that I did not have enough time left to finish my shirt properly. Although I have been trying to develop my skills as a maker, working at a faster pace, closer to what is expected in industry I came to the decision that my shirt would not be finished in time for hand-in. I was nervous about discussing this with my tutor as it would be going against my learning agreement but they agreed that due to the slow start of this project and the amount of work I had taken on that it would not be necessary for me to complete the shirt. This has given me more time to focus on finishing my waistcoat and breeches to a high standard and possibly to begin breaking down. It was also good to know that my supervisor was happy to help finish the shirt for me if there was not enough time, an advantage of working as part of a team I had not previously considered. 

Constructing and finishing my waistcoat proved to be much easier and quicker than the breeches as I was able to draw on my knowledge of tailoring from Defining Practice. I was glad that I was able to use these techniques again as it was something I had set out to achieve in my learning agreement. The most difficult part of constructing the garments was the buttonholes. I did not have any previous experience with making buttonholes and although my sewing machine had an automatic buttonhole stitch it was not particularly easy to use. I experimented with the settings first but found that it was still very temperamental, causing some of my buttonholes to be out of line. I did attempt to unpick some of the stitching but this only damaged the fabric. When I am breaking down I will need to look at these areas and see how they can be covered up so that they do not stand out as much. This is a skill I will need to work on as buttons are a very common fastening, I will experiment more with the settings on my machine in order to work out how to create neater button holes. 

#weekly reflection

[kathrynlawton]

Final Fitting - 26/05/14

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Today I had a final fitting for my costume, again using the replacement model. Fortunately I did not have any alterations to make after this fitting as I would have had very little time to make them. It was good to see the costume nearly completed on the model and gave me an idea of how it will look on film. The fit was much better this time, particularly around the calves where it had previously been rather tight, due to me not realising I should have adapted the pattern. This fitting has given me more confidence in my abilities as a maker as I now have a better understanding of how to approach fittings and where I may have gone wrong in previous initial fittings which has led to more changes being necessary. 

#fitting #development

[kathrynlawton]

Costume Parade - 22/05/14

Today we had a dress parade with the designer and supervisor. It was useful to see how all the costumes worked together and also to get the designers input on how we had interpreted her designs. Placing the costumes together allowed us to see if there were any changes that needed to be made and if there was anything standing out in the colour scheme or style. Although the costumes are intended to have an 18th century feel rather than be historically accurate it was a good experience to judge the costumes as a whole and share opinions with the designer and supervisor. This will give me the confidence in future to ask the designer more questions on my costume, to ensure that we are both happy with the end result. For instance, I wanted to check the styling of the shirt I was making and whether or not it should be fastened with buttons or left open at the neck. So far the designer and supervisor are pleased with the progress with my costume although I am slightly concerned that I am not as close to finishing as the other maker. I will need to increase my pace in order to complete this project on time.

#dress parade

[kathrynlawton]

Weekly Reflection - Week 5

This has been a very productive week in that I have finally been able to have a fitting and can now concentrate on putting my garments together and finishing them. Unfortunately I now only have 2 weeks left unlike the 3 weeks I had originally planned for. As I have learnt from my workshop days at the RSC and National Theatre I need to work on my speed when sewing in order to keep up with the pace in industry and this will give me an opportunity to do that. I will need to organise my time wisely to ensure everything is finished on time. Improving my speed and time management will also be helpful after hand-in as there are a lot of costumes still to make, alter and break down and the producers have given us very little time to do it. It is possible that we may be able to get other costume students involved with this, which will develop my social skills, communicating with a wider range of people on this project. 

Another area I am concerned about is the final fitting with my actor, although I am pleased that there will be an opportunity to fit the costume on him, I am worried that the measurements might not be accurate and there will not be enough time to alter the costume. I will hopefully be able to overcome this by communicating with my supervisor and the other Buccaneers maker to ensure that it is completed in time and that the costume works well on set. I will also need to consider how far I can break down the costume before the fitting. If it is taken too far it will make alterations more difficult to do. I will need to discuss this with the supervisor as previously we had said that it would need to be quite heavily broken down to give the impression he has worn it for a long time. This is an aspect I had not previously considered and I will take it into account when working on future productions.

My taster day at the RSC has been useful in helping me to decide on my future aspirations. I have always been interested in armour but have never had the opportunity to work with it before. I would love to have a work placement within this department as not only would I be learning new skills and techniques but I would also have a skillset that could set me apart from other applicants when applying for jobs

#weekly reflection

[kathrynlawton]

Costume Meeting - 15/05/14

Lucy had organised a meeting with me and Tiffany to see how our work is progressing and also to inform us of the meeting she had with the producer and director of Buccaneers.

Rehearsal will be on the 21st and 22nd of June, I will also hopefully have the opportunity to fit the costume on my actor during this time

Filming will begin on the 23rd of June and will be on location rather than on set as we had initially been told

The producer would ideally like the costumes to be ready for the 14th June

I am glad to know that I will now have the opportunity to fit my costume on my actor before filming, however, this will most likely only be 2 days before. This means that if there are any alterations needed to be made then it will be under very strict time constraints. This will be a test of my skills as a maker and will hopefully give me a chance to improve my time management and speed when making. It will be helpful for experience in the industry as things are much more fast paced as I have learnt from my taster days at the RSC and National Theatre.

#meeting #planning

[kathrynlawton]

RSC Taster Day - 14/05/14

Today I had the opportunity to take part in a taster day at the RSC, exploring the different departments and completing tests for the possibility of a work placement. I really enjoyed this experience as I was able to talk to people working within all the different departments and learn more about the roles within the industry. It was particularly exciting to look at the armoury department as this was my main reason for applying, I learned more about the different types of armour that they make and what skills are used to make them. The timed tests were very helpful in that they gave me a chance to see what is required within the industry and I now know that I need to improve on my speed and accuracy in order to succeed. It was interesting to see how the departments communicated with each other, depending on different aspects of a costume to be completed before it could be moved on to the next stage. It also sparked an interest in the breaking down aspect of costume and showed me what goes into consideration when breaking down a costume. I will use the experience I gained during this day in future projects and will hopefully be successful in my application for the work placement.

#working in theatre #armoury #tailoring

[kathrynlawton]

Fitting - 12/05/14

Photos Before the Fitting

Photos After the Fitting

Fitting Notes

-seam allowance on breeches at calves needs to be let out as they are currently too tight.

Shirt cuff needs to be taken up by 5cm.

The opening in the neck needs to be bigger, around 11 or 12 inches deep.

Back of the waistcoat needs to be shortened to 21 inches so it finishes at the top of the breeches.

Coat hem needs to be taken up where pinned and this fabric will be used to make the cuffs.

Front of coat will be cut off as pinned and excess used to create pleats.

Cut for pleats up to waist at the back of the coat. Change shaping of front to a curve following historical references.

Add darts into the back to look like curved seams of frock coat.

Consider collar on the coat.                                                                                                 

Waistcoat needs to be slightly bigger at the front. Coat needs to be dyed brown and buttons replaced.

From this fitting I have found that my adaptations to the pattern have been fairly accurate and that I should have more confidence when judging the accuracy of measurements. After being unable to fit my costume on the actor, my supervisor was able to find a suitable replacement with very similar measurements. Lucy and I also had the chance to discuss the alteration of the coat for the first time and were able to experiment with the shaping of it on the model to get an idea of what changes needed to be made. This was a useful experience for me as I have not previously altered an existing garment in this way and it was interesting to hear what ideas Lucy had. As she is already adapting a coat into a frock coat she had some plans as to what needed to be changed and I found that working together we were able to come up with solutions to other problems, such as how to create the pleats at the back. Although I will not be starting on this until after my fitting, it is helpful to have an idea of what to do in my head as there will not be much time to change it before filming starts. I will be able to use the skills and knowledge from adapting this coat in future projects.

#fitting #development

[kathrynlawton]

Construction and Breaking Down Research - Blogs

As well as looking at garments from the costume store and National Theatre I have found various blogs and resources online with helpful information on how to construct a garment, what techniques should be used, what difficulties there are and how to overcome them. One of the most useful has been JackSparrowCostuming, although we have been advised by the producer not to look at costumes from Pirates of the Caribbean this is one of the closest examples of a waistcoat I have seen to my design and also has helpful tips on breaking down a costume. This will be useful to refer to when breaking down my costume as it will give me an idea of what materials work best and the different effects I can create. 

#research #breaking down

[kathrynlawton]

Weekly Reflection - Week 4

This week has again been very different to my original work plan. I had intended to have a fitting at this stage but unfortunately my actor could not attend the read through on the 10/05/14 so now my supervisor is organising a fitting with a model with similar measurements. Having a later fitting means that I will have less time to make alterations and finish my costume. Also not being able to fit my garment on my actor means that any alterations I make may not be entirely accurate and I am not sure if I will have a fitting before filming to ensure that it fits properly. This will be useful experience for future productions as it shows that I can not always rely on having an actor available for fittings. I have learned from Lucy that I will need to be resourceful and find other methods of ensuring that my garment fits properly, such as having a stand in model. 

I have also learnt that I need to communicate with my supervisor more about what is required from my costume. Tiffany was informed that due to changes in the script she would now need to create a pocket for her frock coat. This was not something I had considered before as we had previously decided to just create false pockets to save on fabric and time without discussing it with the supervisor. This knowledge will be useful in industry as I will know to discuss the requirements of my costume with the supervisor, actor and director and also read more carefully through the script, taking note of any costume issues.

The National Theatre visit was a very insightful experience for me as I do not have much knowledge about how a costume department works within theatre. I now understand more about the different roles within each department and how they work together. I can see how communication between each individual is important in order for them to work successfully as a team. 

#weekly reflection

[kathrynlawton]

National Theatre Visit - 08/05/14

Today I took part in a student visit/workshop day at the National Theatre, looking in particular at the Men's Tailoring Department. This was a very informative experience for me as during my second year I have taken an interest in pursuing a career in men's tailoring. It was very helpful to talk to someone who had many years experience in tailoring and who was working in the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and even had the opportunity to work with a tailor to create a sample for a jacket. I learned more about the construction of different suits and jackets and the types on tailoring techniques used. This will be extremely helpful when constructing my waistcoat as I will be able to apply these techniques. I also had the opportunity to look at the different departments within the National Theatre and was particularly interested by the Prop Costume Department which covered armoury, millinery, footwear and various other areas. I have always had an interest in armour and was excited to learn more about its use in theatre. During this visit we were told about the opportunity to go on work placement and I will be looking to apply for this during the summer or as part of my third year. I think it would be a good experience to learn more about working within the industry, seeing how the different departments work together and what each individuals role is within a team.

#tailoring #working in theatre

[kathrynlawton]

Construction Research - National Theatre

These fall front trousers from National Theatre's Frankenstein have been very helpful in understanding how to construct my fall front breeches. They are much closer to my pattern than the example I found in the costume store and show how pieces like the straps are sewn onto the garments. I now understand that I will need to cut 4 strap pieces,which will be attached to the fall front, an aspect which I was previously unsure of. I also have a better idea of what fastenings will be needed and how many as well as what pieces will need stayflex. This will be helpful for my supervisor as I can now inform her of exactly what I need to complete the breeches and I will know more about when these will be available to me so I can progress with my garment. Using this research method to understand the construction of garments has developed my skills as a maker as I am now able to look at previously made garments and see how they have been put together rather than relying on instructions from a tutor.

#research

[kathrynlawton]

Construction Research - Costume Store

As I have not previously made fall front breeches I thought it would be useful to look at examples from the AUB Costume Store. The above pair are the closest Tiffany and I could find to our pattern and I have taken photos of the main areas that I will need to consider when making the breeches. My main concern was the construction of the fall front as although I had all the pieces from my pattern cut out I was unsure of how they were sewn together. After looking at the costume store example it is clear that the fall front is part of the main garment rather than a separate piece joined by a seam as I had initially thought. This garment is, however, very different to the pattern I am working from and I will need to research more into the different styles of fall front breeches to get a better idea of how to make the garment.

I have also looked at an 18th century style waistcoat from the AUB Costume Store, again it is different to the pattern I am using as I have adapted mine so that the front of the waistcoat is much longer.Other than that it appears to be very similar to the original pattern and will be helpful in terms of looking at how it has been put together and the techniques used to finish it.  I had initially planned to use the same method for constructing a waistcoat as I used in Defining Practice but I now see that there may be some differences in how it is put together, for instance I did not have to create a standing collar and will need to research how that is done. This example has helped me to identify the 'jiggar' pattern piece, I did not previously know what this piece was used for but can now see it is used to lace the back of the waistcoat,  creating shape. 

It has been extremely useful to look at these examples and I now have a better understanding of how to make my costume. I will need to research more into how I will construct each garment, in particular the breeches as I am still not entirely sure how to complete this. This has been useful in terms of developing my ability to figure out how to construct a garment independently and also on how useful research on previously made costumes can be. I will use this knowledge in the future when I am unsure of how to make something and it will also give me the confidence to try making more difficult garments independently.

#research

[kathrynlawton]

Weekly Reflection

This week has seen a lot of compromise and alterations to my initial work plan. I have found that I am already a little behind on where I should be in terms of constructing my garment but dyeing the fabric now will save me time later on when I need to break down my costume. I have learnt more about the dyeing process and also discovered a new technique to create patchy coloured fabric, which will be useful for future projects. I am also learning more about working within industry on a small budget production. It has been the main concern when fabric shopping, considering what to buy and exactly how much will be needed. Although this has been a consideration when buying fabric for my previous projects I have been more concerned about what fabric best suits the character/garment, whereas now there is more emphasis on making it more cost effective. This has taught me that when working on small budget productions I will need to consider what will actually be seen by the audience and whether or not a cheaper fabric could be used, for example I will be using calico for my lining as it saves on costs. 

This week has also been useful in terms of developing my ability to work within a team. Previously I have worked individually on my projects but now I need to communicate with my supervisor and other maker to ensure I am making the right decisions. The main area this has applied to has been fabric shopping, previously I have made my fabric choices independently, only checking with tutors to ensure it suits the production. Now I find that it needs to be agreed with the team to make sure that it is within budget and that it works with the other costumes. It has also affected how I progress with the project as all fabric needs to be bought through Lucy I need to organise with her when I need fabric and how much I need. This has been useful as it has shown me that I need to work on my communication skills otherwise I will not be able to progress with my work. Developing these skills will be useful in future when working in industry as I will have to be more organised and communicate effectively in order to work well as part of a team.

This week has also been a test of my making skills as I am working on garments I have not previously made. Fortunately Tiffany is working on a similar design so when there is confusion on how a certain piece is constructed we can work together to figure it out. This has developed my ability to use my own initiative when making a costume rather than relying on a tutor to instruct me on what to do next. 

#weekly reflection

[kathrynlawton]

Amended Work Plan

The main alterations to my work plan this week is that I have had to allow time for dyeing my fabric. This has put me behind on where I initially wanted to be with all of the garments sewn or tacked together ready for a fitting. This will be good experience for the future as I will have to be prepared to change my work schedule at very short notice, it will also help me to improve my speed when constructing a garment as I now have less time to put them together. 

#planning