You booked that commercial job. Congratulations! What happens next? Typically, your wardrobe is decorated.
This fitting will be your first formal face-to-face contact with the production team as a commercial actor. Logically, the wardrobe renovation takes place either in the office space of the production company or in the facilities of the sound stage at the filming location (e.g. Cinespace, Essanay). When you arrive, 1st or 2nd AD will check you in and take you to the wardrobe stylist to begin your fitting. Standard fitting time is one to two hours per actor. It’s nice to know that the director and their team have a lot to do on fitting day as there’s only a day or two left before filming; your contact with them is likely to be very brief.
Advertising wardrobe accessories have changed dramatically over the past decade. When I started directing commercials in the early 2010s, fittings were a more awkward version of a theatrical costume parade, a multi-step process of showing an actor’s various looks to directors and clients, always in person, and almost always It’s uncomfortable.
In this situation, if the client has notes about the wardrobe, in my experience they usually don’t wait until the actor leaves the room to start sharing their concerns. These note-taking sessions, whether valid or not, can be very frustrating for an actor (or anyone!) when you’re forced to stand in front of a room full of strangers who are all commenting on your appearance. Not ideal.
These days, it’s all about shareable images. Instead of showing actors to directors and then clients, stylists take photos of actors in each look and upload those photos to a shared folder or Dropbox. Then, when the agreed-upon looks are all photographed, the stylist and director confer, select preferred options, and send their recommended photo set and backup options to the client, while the actors remain relaxed in the dressing area at the back. Then, once the costume selection is approved, the actor may be asked to don that costume again and come to the client area for a less embarrassing live costume presentation. Digital image sharing makes this task more efficient and less embarrassing for everyone.
However, thanks to this innovation, good wardrobe pictures have become very important. One mistake I see actors make in commercial costume photos is that they project a “cool guy” aloofness to the process. They called. They don’t even look at the camera. In my experience, this is almost always a choice made out of fear or anxiety, and this approach almost always results in bland images, sour expressions, and an almost obvious “I don’t want to be here.” Feel.
So one commercial director offered some unsolicited advice on how he could easily turn bad wardrobe photos into a coffee table book: Put your best foot forward here. Literally. Venture out into the field and bring some positivity to these photos.
Why? For the benefit of the project and your career. These photos travel. The director saw them. Producers and production executives saw them. They are included in the pre-production manual as a production record. One could argue that these photos have almost the same importance as your headshot, just to the people in the industry who see them, evaluate them, and begin to decide whether they want to work with you again. Fitting is an important part of the job you strive for. Yes, you may need to try on a dozen outfits. Bring the same energy to every photo. Getting costume approval is a team effort and your energy in these photos matters. If you don’t make an effort to show your presence and energy in these photos, it will show up. When you choose to be half-hearted, the clothes don’t look that good, the stylist may start to resent you, the client wonders what’s wrong with you (is she sick? Why is she making that face?), and the director starts to panic. , everything becomes more difficult than it needs to be. Your confidence and charisma can lower everyone’s blood pressure in small but real ways.
As an example, here are some outfits from a recent commercial job I directed that I thought were really cool. These actors play prestigious roles in The Party 2 and The Party 3. They look great in every shot. They are there! They are smiling! The clothes look great! (Hats off to the amazing stylist Jana Hwang!) A+ all round! As a director, just looking at these photos reminds me of what a joy they were to have on set, and I would happily work with them again if the opportunity arose. As an actor, that’s the memory you want these photos to evoke.
On a related note, to get the conversation between stylist and director started in a more concrete way, your callback footage will often be shared with the stylist and their team, which is a good reason to consider it when you audition The attire and if you are going to self-adhesive, also make sure to include full body panels. These things can really help the costume department if time is of the essence.
I asked my friend and frequent collaborator Lizzie Cook, one of Chicago’s preeminent costume designers and stylists, for her best tips for actor fittings. Here’s what she shared: “The best way to have a successful fitting is to make sure we have accurate, up-to-date measurements. If we purchase a cast from an outdated or inaccurate size chart, everything stops immediately.
Expanding on Cook’s point, it’s not uncommon for actors to have a fitting the day before filming a commercial. So if the fitting is in the early afternoon and all your measurements are wrong, the designer only has a few hours to re-shopping for you before the shoot. Then the next day you have another early morning fitting on set. No one wants to be under that kind of pressure at the last minute.
Additionally, Cook says a little effort goes a long way when you’re asked to provide personal wardrobe choices during a fitting.
“I know it’s hard to bring the right look to any given role, but always bring something that you think might work. Even if it’s just a pair of pants that fit perfectly. I asked Cook what actors might also want to avoid doing.
“My biggest pet peeve is when actors say ‘I would never wear that’ when they’re trying it on. Okay, but your character probably will. In fact, you probably won’t see one worn by you personally in real life. clothes. That’s okay! As designers, we shop based on what the character wants, not what you personally wear. But dressing up as someone else seems to be part of the fun. It feels like a big part of the character is looking like the character.
Great perspective.
As an actor, fittings should be a time when: 1) your character comes more clearly into focus for you, with the help of the wardrobe and costume department; 2) your actions and attitude solidify your relationship with the director, stylist, and production staff Continuously developing professional relationships between teams. Ultimately, as an actor, taking a passionate risk in a fitting to prove you’re a professional and show you want to be a part of a creative effort is a choice that always, always pays off.
Matt Miller is a director based in Chicago. His recent commercial work includes work for Crumbl Cookies, TD Ameritrade, The Hartford, America’s Best Eyeglasses and Lowe’s. His song “Let’s Get Ready to Crumble” with Michael Buffer won the 2022 National Golden Addy Award.
The article Going Inside the Wardrobe: Adjusting Your Business Clothing first appeared on Acting Studio Chicago.
