FIDM Magazine

FIDM Alumna Michelle Liu is Set Costumer For Avatar

The biggest grossing film of all time, Avatar, featured a a graduate of FIDM working on set. "It was an amazing experience to work with James Cameron," says Set Costumer Michelle Liu, who is a Film & TV Costume Design Alumna. "This film was like his baby and he was very hands-on and wanted to make everything perfect. There were no compromises and he would do whatever it takes." Michelle's work will be seen in the upcoming Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway.

Students Construct Doll-Size Dangerous Liaisons and Elizabeth Film Costumes

 

MOVIE ROYALTY, FILM & TV COSTUME DESIGN PROJECT, Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in ELIZABETH, THE GOLDEN AGE - 2007,  Costumes designed by Alexandra Byrne,
Doll Costume hair and makeup by Jessica DeLong and Rebecca Howard, Instructor: Morrison Jackson

 

MOVIE ROYALTY, FILM & TV COSTUME DESIGN PROJECT, Glenn Close as Marquise de Merteuil, DANGEROUS LIAISONS - 1988.  Costumes designed by James Acheson,
Doll Costume hair and makeup by Sarah Quillian, Instructor: Morrison Jackson

Each student in this year's graduating Advanced Study Film & TV Costume Design Program constructed a doll-size iconic film costume worn by a star in a royal role. The costumes represented were originally designed by a notable Costume Designer for stars like Greta Garbo in Queen Christina (costumes by Adrian), Cate Blanchette in Elizabeth (costumes by Oscar winner, Alexandra Byrne), Marlene Dietrich in Scarlet Empress, Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons, Tilda Swinton in Orlando, Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (costumes by Edith Head), and Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette. See more costumes from this project.

Fantastic Mr. Fox Costume Contest Winner is FIDM Alumna Tiffany Kline

Gen Art and Fox Searchlight recently asked young filmmakers and designers to create a short film on how to make a Halloween costume based on one of the characters from Wes Anderson's upcoming film, Fantastic Mr. Fox. FIDM alumna Tiffany Kline participated in this contest and is one of four winners. One lucky team will win a bonus cash prize of $1,000.

You may watch Tiffany and filmmaker Alan S. Neal's short film here where you can vote for their film!

Students Construct Doll-Size Iconic Film Costumes

Each student in this year's graduating Advanced Study Film & TV Costume Design Program constructed a doll-size iconic film costume worn by a star in a royal role. The costumes represented were originally designed by a notable Costume Designer for stars like Greta Garbo in Queen Christina (costumes by Adrian), Cate Blanchette in Elizabeth (costumes by Oscar winner, Alexandra Byrne), Marlene Dietrich in Scarlet Empress, Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons, Tilda Swinton in Orlando, Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (costumes by Edith Head), and Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette.

FIDM Grad Designs Shoes for World Premiere of WOLVERINE

FIDM Footwear Design Alumna Kim Dingman has her own line of customizable high-end, handmade shoes called Jen + Kim. Actress Lynn Collins wore a custom-made pair called "CeCe" to the premiere of Wolverine in Tempe, Arizona. Kim also designs shoes for the popular brand Chinese Laundry. View the Jen + Kim collection at www.jenandkimshoes.com.

Interview with Film & TV Costume Design Grad Michelle Liu

FIDM Film & TV Costume Design Grad Michelle Liu is the Motion Capture Key Costumer for the upcoming film Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway.

Read our interview with Michelle to find out what it's like to work with Tim Burton and see how FIDM helped launch her dream career!

FIDM's Movie Costume Exhibition Launches!

 
The FIDM Museum & Galleries' popular 17th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition opened on Saturday night. Over 150 FIDM Grads, including Kevan Hall, Nick Verreos, Estevan Ramos, Daniel Caudill, and Suzy Magnin, and their guests attended the event, along with industry notables. "It was our biggest opening to date," said Exhibition Coordinator Michael Black. Alumni Relations Director Nathalie Holtzman added, "It was a spectacular evening and great to see all the grads!"

Costumes featured in this year's exhibition include Academy Award Best Costume Design nominees The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess, and Milk, as well as Doubt, The Dark Knight, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and so many more--over 22 movies in all!

The free exhibition runs through March 29, 2009. Group Tours are available. Visit the FIDM Museum & Galleries online for more information. --Kim

Closer Look at FIDM's Movie Costume Design Exhibition

FIDM's 17th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition opens on January 28 at the FIDM Museum & Galleries. The popular exhibition features actual costumes from the previous year's most memorable films. This year, the costumes are from a host of fabulous movies, including The Dark Knight, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, The Duchess, and so many more--over 22 movies in all!

We sat down with Michael Black, the Exhibition Coordinator, to find out more:

How did the annual exhibition come about?
Michael: The first FIDM Museum & Galleries Director, Maggie Murray, had many good connections with costume designers, the studios, and costume rental companies. It was her idea that showcasing the work of all these talented people was a natural tie-in with FIDM.

This was initially planned as a one-time only exhibition, but proved so successful, we have now been putting it on for seventeen years. In the beginning, we showcased both current and vintage film costumes, and have expanded from one small gallery to three galleries of over 10,000 square feet.

Sixteen out of seventeen exhibitions have featured costumes from all five Academy Award(R) nominated films, which is quite a feat, as we are set up before the nominations are announced.

When do you start preparing for the exhibition?
Michael: We start planning the new exhibition as soon as new films start coming out in January. Making lists of possible films to pursue goes on all year long. Generally, we start contacting the studios around October, reminding them that our exhibition is coming up, and getting their feedback on what costumes they have available.

What is the most interesting/unusual piece in the exhibition?
Michael: Probably the elf costumes from The Spiderwick Chronicles. They are examples of work that gets done for a production but for any number of reasons do not actually make it into the final film. These costumes were requested for scenes in the film, but then as filming got under way, it was decided to go with CGI (Computer Generated Images) instead.

Are there any interesting stories you can relate about procuring the costumes or getting them ready for exhibition?
Michael: It is always a gamble going after costumes for this exhibition. Many production companies no longer have the budgets or facilities to store every costume from every film, or even key costumes from major films.

Many times, the costumes get auctioned off before we get a chance to display them. In the case of very popular films, there is increasing interest to display the costumes, so other venues may get items we would like to show and vice versa. We are very popular with the costume designers themselves, so a lot of them will work on our behalf to get what we need.

The free exhibition runs through March 29, 2009. Group Tours are available. Visit the FIDM Museum & Galleries online for more information. --Kim

FIDM Grad Is Key Costumer for Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND

FIDM Film & TV Costume Design Grad Michelle Liu is credited as the Key Costume Designer on the new Tim Burton film Alice In Wonderland, which is currently in production. Michelle, who graduated in '06, has also worked on Bedtime Stories and The Cleaner. For more pix from the set of Alice, click here. --Kim

The Latest Buzz on Film & TV Major Internships/Jobs

Film & T.V. Costume Design Grads are really using their FIDM education to make a name for themselves within the Entertainment Industry! FIDM's amazing Career Development Center and our unique industry partnerships help make it possible.

It's also exciting to see that successful working alumni are usually more than willing to hire new FIDM Students and Grads because they know that they have the skills necessary to perform well on the job. Here is just a small sampling of some of the most recent jobs held by our grads within the field of Costume Design. --Kim

Kristi Hoffman, Set Costume Designer for Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page's upcoming film Whip It
Agata Maskiewicz, Costume Designer for NBC's The Starter Wife
Kelli Martin, Designer Contestant on Project Runway: Season 5
Suzy Magnin, Set Costumer for FOX's Prison Break and Costume for So You Think You Can Dance
Michelle Liu, Costume Designer for CBS's The Cleaner and Key Costumer for Steven Spielberg's Tin Tin
Rumaldo Medina, Designer/Sampler Maker for ABC's America's Prom Queen
Andrea Galer, Emmy Winner and Costume Designer for Jane Eyre miniseries
Christie Tackett, Design Guest for Tyra Banks Show
Diana Savone, Set Costume for Teen Choice Awards
Ray Baltazar, Producer for Ed Hardy's Smashbox runway show
Rumaldo Medina, Sketched Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's wedding attire for In-Style Celebrity Weddings
Joan Lee, Intern for City Ballet of Los Angeles
Greg Lavoi, Costume Designer for The Closer