| Breaking the Mold by Clifford Gallo From "Theater Crafts" Magazine Beating the clock is a fact of life for anyone working on a weekly television show. In fact, grace under pressure is one of the prerequisites of success. If the pace on a a feature film is akin to that of a marathon, then a weekly television program is like a series of continual 50-yard dashes, since the demands of prepping one episode typically begins in the middle of shooting another. Besides the deadline and budgetart pressures, every show presents special design problems for the individuals who are racing to turn this week's script into next week's program. Nevertheless, some shows are more problematic than others. On most series, the larger part of each episode will take place on a few core sets, if a new costume is needed right away, it's a relatively simple matter to shop for whatever contemporary style is needed. But what happens if you work on one of television's more adventurous shows, where the central concept poses complicated design problems? What if your hero is a time traveler, or the action is set in a remote place or time? ... Costume designer Chic Gennarelli, who creates the period clothing for the 1940s-set series "Homefront" with co-designed Lyn Paolo, doesn't have to worry about quantum leaps through the decades, but that doesn't mean he is home free. A week before the start of the seven-day shoot, Gennarelli is given a synopsis of the script. After determining what types of garments will be needed, he and Paolo contact costume resources from all over the country to rent or purchase what they need. "We've gone as far as Florida to find what we've needed for a lead actor", says Gennarelli in a telephone interview. "If we can't find something such as the zoot suit we needed for a recent episode, we make it." However, even when Gennarelli has he garment he needs in hand, that doesn't mean it is ready to wear. He explains, "People are built differently than they were in the 1940s. Back then, zippers were two to three inches longer than today, inseams were shorter, cuts were different." While he makes allowances in sizes, the costumes often have to be altered to fit each performer. Prior to "Homefront", Gennarelli's most recent credit was as costume supervisor on "Hunter". "Even though there were more characters in Hunter than in Homefront, it was easier to do because it was a contemporary piece. Doing a modern-day piece means the costumes are readily available, although there is a modern problem matching the costumes of stunt doubles who might not be the same size as the actors they are doubling for." While it is challenging to design a period piece each week, it is also the "most fun", says Gennarelli, who is responsible for dressing every performer from "the underwear out". Even something as easy as a T-shirt needs to be in period. "In the 1940s," he says, "men's T-shirts had collars that were outside instead of inside, as they are today. And the sleeves were two inches shorter than they are now. The right look is important. It makes the actor feel better. Actors even move differently whn they have the right wardrobe." |
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