We show a lot in the clothes that we wear, so the Costume Designer uses clothes to help create a visual identity for the characters.
Before filming, they will look at the brief and think about how the characters would dress, and source different clothes to suit this. When the story has more than one scene, they will also think about continuity and what the characters will be wearing when in the story (“Story Days”).
On set, they will prepare the costumes, making sure they fit the actors, and will have different options ready if the Director decides something doesn’t look right or quite suit. They will also make sure the costumes look correct on the monitor, and that actors are wearing the right costumes at the right time.
In this video, Melanie discusses her role.