Source: MGM / TILL
Behind every historical drama or series, is not only great acting but a wardrobe that transports the viewer back to that era. Behind the wardrobe, is a team of wizards who help transform thespians into political figures, icons, and history makers. Marci Rodgers is the wizard behind TILL.
Emmett Till’s horrific and gruesome death galvanized the nation and became a monumental moment in the civil rights movement. Award-nominated costume designer is the mastermind behind TILL. Marci has worked on film titles such as Netflix’s PASSING, Steven Soderbergh’s crime drama, No Sudden Move; and most recently season one of Amazon Studios’ new series, PAPER GIRLS, but TILL presented its own challenges.
We caught up with Marci, who dished on working on the painstaking film.
Source: MGM / TILL
HelloBeautiful: You’ve worked on a lot of time period pieces that require extensive knowledge about the times, how do you go about merging your creative design while staying true to the story?
Marci Rodgers: Honestly, period pieces are just that, period. There is a historical accuracy that you can’t neglect, but what is beautiful about designing is I can add my spin to it with texture and color that best represents the story, the director’s vision, and mine all in one.
HB: Did designing the costume for Till take an emotional toll on you?
MR: Yes. I centered my emotions on the costume design of each character and each world Chinoye, Curt and Bobby were creating so the audience could feel the cinematic story visually through costume design.
Source: MGM / TILL
HB: What key elements did you work into the TILL wardrobe that made such a difference in the story the clothing told?
MR: I am a native of Chicago, so it was important to me that the characters reflected one economic status of authentic Chicago in the mid-50s. Juxtaposed that would be what Mississippi looked like in the 1950s and even in the courtroom and how the two worlds merge.
TILL on in theaters and on streaming services now.
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Costume Director Marci Rodgers Breaks Down The Costumes That Make ‘TILL’ was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
