Erika Lilienthal- Assistant Costume Designer

I met Erika during winter break of my senior year of college. A friend and former fellow intern from "Rescue Me" had put me in touch with her because Erika was looking for help on a show she was coordinating costumes for. So a few days later I went into Manhattan and met up with Erika and we stepped into a Starbucks to go over the plan for the day. During this conversation is when I learned that this show was taking place at my own school in a space the theater department I was an active part of constantly worked in. Funny, right?

The first half of the day I got to run around to random thrift shops while Erika did some fittings at the rehearsal space in Times Square. By dark, Erika and I were in Brooklyn and she took me to this shop near her apartment that was popular amongst Hasidic Jewish men to purchase those long black coats they wear. It’s not exactly the type of place I’m used to shopping at so it was quite an experience for me. I’m sure the men who work there don’t usually see girls like us walking in all the time either.

At the end of our day, Erika walked with me most of the way back to the subway to make sure I got there ok. Just a few short days later it was time to go back to school and of course I used the comp ticket each student is entitled to (because of the performing arts fee they charge through tuition) to see the show. My friend Ruth was nice enough to go with me. It was an interesting show, especially since it featured a friend of mine in the ensemble sporting fake facial hair pushing people around in wheelchairs.

That following April, Erika asked me to intern for her again on a film she was working on entitled Salvation Boulevard. So off to Brooklyn I went again and spent most of the day walking stuff to FedEx and going into Manhattan on a sunglasses mission and to swatch fabric. Halfway through the day I also ate lunch. (Usually, productions give the crew a $12 or so allowance each to buy lunch.) It was nice out that day so the wardrobe supervisor, PA and I decided to eat outside. One of the other girls got the same sandwich as I did. I don’t remember where it was from or what kind of sandwich it was but I remember sitting there, thinking “Wow! This is a really good sandwich!”

Since then, Erika has also worked on a couple of other films and Salvation Boulevard has been doing the whole Sundance Film Festival thing.

Here is my interview with Erika:

How did you get started in the business?

When I was graduating from High School in New Jersey, I needed a summer job. I knew how to sew. Our local theatre, McCarter Theatre, was producing the Opera Festival of New Jersey at the time and they needed someone to help in fittings and do extra work with the costume department. I loved being with the designers, helping to pull (very occasionally) helping in the fittings (mostly handing off pins and taking notes) and learning from everyone on staff. I also helped on the run crew and made a number of friends. From that job, and I did that most summers of college, I got to help with the touring shows that came through the theatre, and eventually got my job at Williamstown Theatre Festival. A few years after college I worked at McCarter Theatre again in the costume shop as a first hand.I transitioned in to film once I moved to New York in 2006. I started doing alterations for a friend and neighbor, who happened to be designing a small film upstate. I helped her prep for the film and loved it. At the same time I was working weekends backstage on an off Broadway show. The stage manager connected me with another theatre that was looking for an assistant designer for their production of The Spanish Play. I met Donna Zakowska shortly afterwards and was able to assist her on the project. She was designing and prepping the HBO miniseries John Adams and asked me to join her team once The Spanish Play was wrapped.

How did you know that costume design was for you?

I knew costume design was for me when I was 12 years old. I was watching the PBS miniseries Anne of Green Gables. Already in love with what I was watching, I was bored during the fundraising breaks, except when they showed interviews with the cast. I was so excited when I realized that it was the costume that helped tell the story. It turned the actor into the character. I wanted to do that.

What does your job as an assistant costume designer entail?

As an assistant costume designer you rarely have a boring day. To start there is a lot of organizing, planning, budgeting and lengthy discussions with every person in production.

During prep, the few weeks before shooting, you are with the designer a lot. You need to make sure the designer is supported, especially sure they have what they need to artistically work through this project, solve any situations, develop character. Once there is some sort of schedule in place, or you know when and where you have fittings, you start preparing for every look. Sometimes you shop in stores, sometimes online. Frequently you try to contact the clothing, shoe or accessory company and see if they will let you borrow for the duration of production. There is a lot of running around, a lot of phone time. Fittings are exciting. Sometimes it's smooth and everything fits and they, and you, love everything. Usually there is a bit of reworking as you take the actors thoughts, and physicality into active consideration. Then, armed with options, there is a discussion with the director. Sometimes you have multiple fittings.

During filming, you are on set with the designer to establish looks and make sure things are running smoothly. You communicate with your wardrobe team constantly and the AD’s and production team constantly.

In wrap you make sure all the clothes you borrowed are returned, all the contacts you made are happy, and that in the event of reshooting something, everything is documented and easy to access.

In the past year you've worked on three films. How did each film compare with the others?

Each of these films, Salvation Boulevard, Higher Ground, and Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, was an amazing experience.They were all low budget independent films. This determines a lot about how the project works. On one hand you aremuch more intimately involved with every aspect of design and production, but you are also that much more responsible and actively involved with the budget! Two of these films involved being on location, Michigan and then Upstate New York, and the third was shot locally in New York. I was fortunate to be working with designers I am not only inspired by, but am also friends with.Being on location in Michigan was great because it exposed me to new sourcing and shopping. I loved their vintage shops, and the pockets of cool neighborhoods with special stores. The locals were incredibly helpful to us and really welcomed the madness that film production brings.

Higher Ground was special for many reasons. The project was so inspired and beautiful. The production team was made of brilliant artists and it really shows in the final product. The film was set from the 60’s through the 80’s. From rentals, and mad shopping at a mall with little to offer, to pilfering through my mom's collection of clothes from the 70’s and 80’s, and mysterious barns full of bellbottoms, the designer and I had quite the time. We worked hard selecting special pieces that would really reflect the world we were trying to create. It was wonderful.

The New York City film, Someday This Pain, was once again, thrilling. Creating a modern world, a world that we see every day, is sometimes the hardest thing to do as everyone has an opinion, everyone has a reference. It was exciting to find the rare and special to create independent characters. Having NYC as a resource, both visually and with materials, makes a world of difference.

What advice would you give to people trying to break into the industry?

Advice: Be patient. Do any work you can, just to be involved. Watch lots of beautiful films, meet everyone, have favorite designers and tell them, go to as much theatre and performance as you can and go to museums all the time. Travel. Watch people. The more you see, and do, the more you can pull from that experience to help tell the story. Let yourself be inspired by your actors and your director. Make sure you are having fun.

How did your past experience in theater and film prep are you for the three films that you just finished?

I think my past experience played a significant role in preparing me for these three films. There is a great deal of accounting in assisting, so having been responsible for money while coordinating and when designing smaller projects, really helped. Also, with each project you make new contacts. Being able to call a company and get the perfect shoes sent overnight at a discount with their best wishes, that is really great! Knowing how much hard work, passion and love go into creating these special characters, makes the process that much more approachable. I think also, each project gives you the opportunity to appreciate the amazing story telling going on around you. There is nothing like being on set with the actors and all the background and seeing this world that has been believably created. It’s pretty special.

A big thanks to Erika for all of her great answers! Below is a picture of her work on Schlemiel the First.