Voice Of Costume - Creating Character through Costume Design Catherine Baumgardner - Costume Designer and Educator

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. An behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Anne Dixon and Catherine Baumgardner.
Please Welcome Anne - Anne’s design career includes designing for theatre, ballet, ice skating, opera, film, and television. A few of her film and series credits include: The Shrouds, The Marsh King’s Daughter, Falling, Lost Girl, Anne with an E, and The Dead Don’t Hurt (written and directed by Viggo Mortenson)
Topics Include:
Childhood with a father news producer
Making clothes for dolls and sister
First job at regional theatre
Traveling costuming theatre
Enjoying the adventure
Schooling in London
The apprenticeship that launched her
Following the inspiration 
Only live once perspective
DEAD DONT HURT (min 15)
Getting the job
There’s no one path
Viggo - writer/director/composer
Creating from the music
Collaborating with Viggo
Research and Look Books
Clothes from the ‘First Nations’
Importance of ‘strong truth’ in the design
Lead Character Design Arc
Shades of Red for her arc
Challenges to overcome
Working in Durango, Mexico
DEEP DIVE:
Proud aspects of oneself
Commitment choices now
Favorite movie
Favorite place to visit
An inspirational creative book

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. An behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Annie Symons and Catherine Baumgardner.
Please Welcome Annie - Costume Designer for Worried About A Boy, Crimson Petal & the White, Great Expectations, The Hollow Crown, Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur, My Policeman and Mary and George
Topics Include: 
Parents influence in the arts
Pilot dad who also painted and made super 8 films
Falling in love with costume room
Instant best friend with a costume designer 
Starting at age 14 in stage
Deconstructing old wardrobe
Art School
Making clothes for bands in 80’s
Getting starting in music videos 
Journey to TV and Film
Ideal Format - Indie Film
Fun of Researching Period
Mary and George Process
120 person department
Lightning sketches
Contemporary much more challenging
More voices in the room
Working with Actors
Solutions arriving in your sleep
Adding subtext in costumes
Great team of Mary and George
Learned about herself
Words of advice
What all should know about costumes
Favorite Movies
Favorite places to visit

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. An behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Loulou Bontemps and Catherine Baumgardner.
Please Welcome Loulou - Costume Designer for The Covenant, Operation Fortune, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Henry Cavill and Carry Elwes), and Netflix series The Gentlemen (created by Guy Ritchie)
Topics Include:
Mom running an antique shop and making her clothes
Dad encouraging her to sketch daily
Entry into costume design
First few jobs as a designer
First working with Guy Ritchie
Hard to transition from assistant to lead designer
PROCESS: creating with Guy Ritchie
The Gentlemen Netflix Series
Creating the silhouettes
The costumes reflecting the characters
American version of show idea!
The British ditto suit
PROCESS: The most expensive outfit - the “chicken suit” story
Elevating a scene into an iconic moment
An emotional moment enhanced w/costume
PROCESS: Creating the character in the first fitting
“How do you want to feel in it?”
The emotion of a look
PROCESS: How to read the script and research
Learning Sustainability
When your costumes impact brands
*Father’s words of wisdom*
Being Brave
Favorite Films to Rewatch
Favorite Places to Visit
Design Hacks
*Restyle your own closet
Accept your body shape

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. An behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Ann Foley and Catherine Baumgardner.
Please Welcome Ann - Costume Designer of The Spiderwick Chronicles, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Godzilla vs Kong, The Last of Us, Skyscraper, and Altered Carbon and the first four seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
Topics Include:
Moving around as a child
First time on set in Georgia
Inspired by Julie Weiss
Moving to LA with $500
Personality as a child
Motivated by being scared
Altered Carbon
World Building
 
Talking Spiderwick (min 9)
Getting attached
The design team chemistry
Inspiration for design work
Working with the book authors
The color Red
Easter egg design finds in
Thimbletack Costume Design
Agents of Shield fanbase reaction to Costumes
Learning how to pivot
Just keep moving
Inspired by Michael Wilkinson for a solution
Spiderwick creature design
The pedal dress origins
Proud moment(s)
A real Thimbletack for fittings
Favorite Movies
Favorite places to visit
Pirates House
Chasing your dreams
 
 

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. Please comment and leave a 5-star review to help get the voices of these Costume Designers into the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Michael Wilkinson and Catherine Baumgardner.
Please Welcome Michael - Costume Designer of Garden State, American Hustle, and Babel, Man of Steel, 300, Tron Legacy, Watchmen, Terminator Salvation, Twilight’s Breaking Dawn, Andor and sci-fi series 3 Body Problem
Topics Include:
Growing up in Sydney
A Dresser at the Opera
Going to a theatre school NIDA
A designer that has powerful impact on him
Constant communication of ideas
The actor - costume designer collaboration
A good challenge with lighting clothes on Tron
3 Body Problem - starting at zero
Mindset needed
3 Body Problem (min 16)
Diving In with “Science Realism”
Where do you begin?
The Magnitude of multiple worlds
The end product reaction
Panama Canal buzz
Creating a completely unique character
Going from small scale designer to large scale designer
Zack Snyder giving Michael that opportunity
300 experience
Working on American Hustle
David ORussell’s process
“Humanity”
How to choose projects
Being an influence 
Favorite pair of shoes
Favorite movie to rewatch
Favorite place to visit

The “Voice of Costume” is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. Please comment and leave a 5-star review to help get the voices of these Costume Designers into the world.
Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation between Allyson Fanger and Catherine Baumgardner.
Welcome Allyson - This fabulous costume designer is well known for her design work on Shrinking starring Harrison Ford, the Netflix series: Grace and Frankie starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and Apples Never Fall
TOPICS INCLUDE: 
STARTING OUT:
Growing up in Minnesota
Aunt Molly and her bag of jewelry
Mom and her Vogue Magazines
Dad outfit
Travel influences
Undirected and exploring
Anthropology Degree influence
The beauty of India
Not knowing what to do with her life
The moment she knew what she should do with her life
Her first film
Her first mentor in costume design
Moving to LA
Learning all the positions
 
COMING BACK (min 13):
Taking a 7 year break to be a mom
Being very directed and purposeful
 Doing a favor that propelled her back
Being a mom as a priority while working
 
GRACE & FRANKIE (min 19)
Grace inspired by her mom
Grace color palette and visual arc
Frankie as the converse to Grace
Frankie as colorful and chaotic
“What would Sharon Davis do?”
Taking more than one fitting to find it
Finding it with Lily Tomlin
 
SHRINKING (min 33)
Contrast colors for character mood
 
APPLES NEVER FALL (min 35)
Contrast color to create a focal point
Love designing families
Using Brands to define characters
Shop where the characters shop
Characters “closet shopping”
SPOILER - character arc reveal
Many brands of tennis capsule looks
Pickleball vs Tennis looks
‘Shapes of tennis looks’
Breakdown of the Final Scene Looks
Pajamas as a Final Look
Relating to being a mom
Fitting room with Sam Neill
 
PROCESS (min 56)
Finding real people
Staying goal oriented
Working in LA
Happiness as a costume designer
 
RAPID FIRE (min 68)