Director
Creative or operational relevance to directing
Complete documentation of all costumes: per-character and per-scene photos, pieces, sizes, sources, and continuity notes. The costume department's master reference book.
The Costume Bible is an inventory of the wardrobe: for each character, each scene, and each shooting day, it is recorded what is worn — with photos, a list of items, and notes.
Why this needs its own documentation
Because filming does not happen in narrative order. The scene that follows another in the film might be shot three weeks later at a different location. Without documentation, it is no longer possible to reconstruct how the shirt fit, which button was open, or how the collar lay.
What it contains
- Photo from the front, back, and side, taken on the shooting day, not during the fitting.
- List of items including what is not visible.
- Condition — dirt, damage, wetness, with its state in the scene's progression.
- Duplicates and where they are.
- Origin — purchased, borrowed, made; for returns and accounting.
From the crafts
Perspectives
Producer
Importance in production planning and execution
More in the lexikon
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Test your knowledge
Quiz
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „Kostüm-Bibel"?
2. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?