UK
USA
Tools of the Trade: Skills, Knowledge & Professional Practice
Thursday March 12th at 7:00pm
This workshop explores the lived reality of working in costume for film and television, looking beyond job titles and creativity to examine how the work shapes everyday life both on and off set. It focuses on the emotional, physical, and practical impact of the job, offering an honest picture of what working in the industry actually feels like over time.
This workshop focuses on the practical skills, knowledge, and professional behaviours required to work effectively in a film and television costume department. Rather than concentrating solely on technical ability, it looks at the full range of competencies that support good costume work on set.
The session covers core practical skills such as organisation, garment handling, continuity awareness, and problem-solving, alongside the professional standards that underpin successful costume work. It explores how attention to detail, reliability, and clear communication directly affect how individuals are trusted and relied upon within a department.
The workshop also introduces key industry resources, including hire houses and suppliers, and explains how costumes move through prep, shoot, and wrap. It looks at how skills are developed on the job in film and television, where learning is largely experience-based. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear understanding of what they are personally responsible for bringing to a job, what is provided by a costume department, and how practical competence is built over time.
When: Thursday March 12th at 7:00pm
Where: Online Zoom Video Call
Who: MFJF PRO Members Only
Cost: Free for MFJF PRO Members!
Core practical skills
- The everyday competencies expected in a film and TV costume department.
Personal kit and responsibility
- A practical overview of what you’ll need to bring with you to start work, and what will be provided by a costume department on a film or television production.
On-set etiquette
- Behaviour, awareness, discretion, and professional communication.
Continuity and costume knowledge
- Understanding why detail, consistency, and observation matter on camera.
Hire houses and suppliers
- How sourcing, fittings, and logistics work in practice.
Learning on the job
- How skills and confidence are built through experience and responsibility.
Julia is a Costume Designer working across film, television, commercials, music promos and theatre. She trained at the acclaimed London College of Fashion and began her career in the Royal Shakespeare Company where she developed an in-depth knowledge of period and contemporary costumes. She has worked on such features as Aladdin, Tarzan, Murder on the Orient Express and Kingsmen. TV shows include The Last Kingdom, Bad Education and several ITV series.
Julia designed the award winning Notes on Blindness, the Netflix Original Father Christmas is Back and countless other films. She most recently designed Grace for ITV.
When she’s not on set she is a busy mum of two young children working out of her studio in the Cotswolds.
This workshop is for MFJF Pro Members. To join and participate create your account on MFJF and then upgrade to become a PRO Member.
Any MFJF Pro Member can attend regardless of prior film industry experience or knowledge.
No experience is required, if you are simply curious about a career in film or are a recent film graduate we welcome you to join us.
Please look at our Career Stages Pathways to understand where your experience lies in the grand scheme of things, it will help you navigate and plan your next steps.
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