Guest Post: Amy Finnegan from Not in the Script + a Giveaway {CLOSED}

My debut novel, NOT IN THE SCRIPT, includes many technical details about acting and filmmaking that I wanted to be as accurate as possible. To make that happen, I not only took acting lessons from someone who starred in a major TV production for over a decade, but also enlisted the help of my brother who works on the Fox studio lot. Tyler answered countless production questions throughout my writing process and took me on several on-set tours. He also introduced me to a Parks and Recreation crew member, Rachel Parkin. At first, Rachel was only brought into the loop to be a second set of fact-checking eyes for my manuscript; but she and I became fast friends, and I soon found myself not only sitting in on the production of Parks and Recreation, where Rachel currently works as a set costumer, but also on the sets of Parenthood and Melissa and Joey.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I loved every second of it.

During my two days on the set of P&R, I followed Rachel everywhere she went: in and out of the costumes trailer, in and out of the actors’ trailers, on and off set. We must’ve walked at least four miles every single hour. Rachel had to be here, there, and everywhere all at once. I wondered how she stayed so calm and cheery, but she said it was just a regular day on set! She clearly enjoys her job.

Rachel’s contribution to NOT IN THE SCRIPT was critical to its success, so during my launch week, I asked a fellow author (and big time fan of P&R!), Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, to interview Rachel about being a set costumer. I’m sharing this interview with you today, because I think readers of Andi’s ABCs in particular will appreciate a behind-the-scenes peek into the Parks and Recreation costumes department. Enjoy!

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman: OMG! Parks and Rec–I love that show!!! Could you first explain for us what you do as a set costumer and what a typical day of work at Parks and Rec is like for you?
Rachel Parkin:  Hi Jennifer!  Thanks for inviting me to talk a little about my job.  First of all I have to say Kirston Mann, the Costume Designer for

Parks and Rec, does an amazing job of putting together the looks you see the characters wear each week on the show.

As a set costumer, my job begins after the clothes have been shopped, chosen, fit, and altered (yes, pretty much everything you see on camera has been altered to fit each actor perfectly, even when it’s purchased at a regular store that the general public shops at).

Set costumers work directly with the actors. We are one of the first crew members to arrive at set early in the morning, and one of the last to leave. All of the costumes worn on film for the day have to be prepped and set in the actor’s trailers.  We provide everything for the actors, from undergarments and socks to jewelry and purses.  TV shows aren’t filmed in order so it’s important to keep things organized and know what an actor wears for what scene.

Besides making sure the actors are wearing the correct costume for each scene, it’s important to make sure the continuity matches while we’re filming.  What I mean by that is: If Ron Swanson has his polo shirt tucked in and sleeves down for a particular scene, I make sure he keeps it that way each time we film that particular script day!

JCB: Where do costume departments get all of the costumes?
RP:  Depending on the needs of the Film or TV project, costumes are purchased, rented, or custom made.  Besides just showing up at the mall and shopping our hearts out, a lot of the clothing stores

in Los Angeles offer what’s called “studio service”.  They allow productions to borrow clothing from the stores for a few days in order to do fittings with the actors and get approval from directors and producers.  We’ll then return anything that didn’t make the cut and won’t be used on the show.

There are also huge warehouses full of costumes called costume rental houses.  You can find anything from contemporary clothing to medieval costumes to futuristic attire.  Some rental houses specialize in certain things such as period military uniforms or highly styled runway attire to be used when styling print work for magazines, etc…

There are also some amazingly skilled patternmakers and cutter/fitters that make any costume sketch on paper into a real working garment. Film productions have more time to build entire wardrobes for characters, so most costumes in film are sourced that way. When I worked on the Disney film “Tron Legacy” all of those suits that lit up had to be constructed.  There’s no ‘Light up futuristic costume’ store around to shop at.

On Parks and Rec we only have 5 days to prep for each episode, so it’s a lot of shopping and renting with a seamstress doing alterations.  But sometimes things have to be custom made. In season 6 we did an episode where Leslie Knope had to do a press conference in a lime green suit.  Because it was such a specific gag, the suit had to be made from scratch.

JCB: Do you have a story about the most unusual place you found/acquired a costume?
RP:   I was working on a film with costume designer Christopher Lawrence where an actress had to go through hours of hair and makeup in order to make her look ugly. One of the things she had to

do was wear a wig that made it look like her hair was thin and falling out. One of the days we were filming we found out last minute that there wasn’t time for her to go through the entire wigging processes. To solve the problem we needed a hat to cover the fact that she wasn’t wigged. Christopher looked at the hat I

was wearing and it was perfect to solve our problem! Talk about giving the coat off your own back!

JCB: Have you worked on other shows, and if so, how do the experiences compare?
RP:  I’ve worked on many different shows.  I categorize them in three different ways: Single Camera Dramas, Single Camera Comedies, and Multi Camera shows.  Despite the term “single camera” there are usually two or three cameras filming at the same time.  Single camera shows are filmed on stage or on location.  Examples of Single Camera shows I’ve worked on would be: “Parks and Rec”, “Heroes”, “Parenthood”, “Switched at Birth”, and “New Girl”.

Multi camera shows are what you think of when someone says the term “Three walled sitcom”.  These are filmed with four cameras at the same time on a set (with three walls) and are filmed like a play, in order, in front of a live studio audience.  Examples of multi camera shows I’ve worked on would be: “Melissa and Joey” and “The Exes”.

All three types of shows have their pros and cons for a set costumer.  Single Camera Drama episodes are generally filmed in 7 days, have longer hours (I averaged 70 hrs a week when I worked on “Heroes”), but a lot of times the shows will have more interesting and involved costumes or stunts that makes it really fun to work on.

Single Camera Comedies are generally filmed in 5 days, have decent hours (decent for the film business that is, I usually average 50 hrs a week on these types of shows), and since it’s a comedy it’s fun to watch the scenes being filmed and laugh.  Honestly, on Parks and Rec we have a great time!

Multi camera shows are fun to work on because of the energy you feed off from the live studio audience. It brings me back to my theatre days!

JCB: I would be hard-pressed to do my job as a writer without my computer, books for reference and inspiration, and a notebook to doodle/brainstorm in. I also need patience, courage, and a sense of humor. What might a set costumer’s toolkit consist of?
RP: Number one tool, Organization! When you see the inside of a costume trailer you’ll understand why organization is key. Other tools would include creativity, innovativeness, basic sewing skills, and being able to go with the flow. You’ve probably heard how filming is a lot of “Hurry up and wait” and plans can change quickly, so it’s good to be able to just go with the flow and problem solve. I was on a TV pilot once where the director requested a 1970’s style bathrobe for one of our main characters to wear. No big deal, except he requested it 30min. before we were to shoot that scene!

JCB: Are there any items you regularly use that might be unexpected to people unfamiliar with your line of work?
RP: We use A LOT of safety pins (not necessarily for pinning clothes, but for pinning the manila change tags to the outfits to keep everything organized). The other item we use a lot of is Top Stick. To the general public it’s called fashion tape. It’s pretty much just double stick toupee tape.

JCB: As writers, it can be hard to turn off our “writer brain” when we’re reading or hearing stories created by others. Do you have this problem when watching other TV shows or movies? What sorts of things do you notice?
RP: I love seeing the nuances in how a character’s personality comes through their clothes. We learn a lot of information very quickly about a character by what they’re wearing. In contemporary film and TV I love noticing how things are styled in order to accomplish that communication.

JCB: Since Parks and Rec is a comedy, do you have any funny anecdotes about working on the show to share?
RP: Parks and Rec is now in it’s 7^th season and most of the cast and crew has been with the show since the beginning. As you can imagine we’ve become a TV family. It’s always fun to laugh and joke together. I don’t want to bore you with all of the fun and pranks that are played, but I’ll just drop two words, Whoopie Cushion.

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Description of NOT IN THE SCRIPT:
The best kinds of love stories don’t follow a script.

Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders if any part of her life is real anymore . . . particularly her relationships.

Jake Elliott’s face is on magazine ads around the world, but his lucrative modeling deals were a poor substitute for what he had to leave behind. Now acting is offering Jake everything he wants: close proximity to home; an opportunity to finally start school; and plenty of time with the smart and irresistible Emma Taylor . . . if she would just give him a chance.

When Jake takes Emma behind the scenes of his real life, she begins to see how genuine he is, but on-set relationships always end badly. Don’t they? Toss in Hollywood’s most notorious heartthrob and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hills heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.

About the author:
Amy Finnegan writes her own stories because she enjoys falling in love over and over again, and thinks everyone deserves a happy ending. She likes to travel the world—usually to locations where her favorite books take place—and owes her unquenchable thirst for reading to Jane Austen and J.K. Rowling. Her debut novel, NOT IN THE SCRIPT, came about after hearing several years of behind-the-scenes stories from her industry veteran brother. She’s also been lucky enough to visit dozens of film sets and sit in on major productions such as Parks and Recreation and Parenthood. You can follow Amy on Twitter: @ajfinnegan, Instagram: StrangerThanFictionWriter, Facebook: Amy Finnegan, Author. Or Visit her at AmyFinnegan.com.

GIVEAWAY:
Amy has made some pretty great swag that she is giving away in addition to a finished copy of her book (which is adorable by the way! Review to come) donated by the awesome people at Bloomsbury. Please click on the photo to enter. US ONLY! Must be 16. Contest goes until 10/22/14.

 

Thanks to Amy Finnegan and Bloomsbury for letting be a part of this tour.

*all personal photos belong to Amy Finnegan

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