TIPS and what you should bring in your COSTUME STANDBY KIT for your FIRST DAY ONSET
YOUR FIRST DAYS ONSET
So you’ve managed to wrangle yourself your first day on a film or tv production. You’re fresh out of fashion, costume or film studies, and let’s be honest… you’re nervous as hell about what you can do to prepare yourself to be thrown into this mad world. Perhaps you’ve answered a costume group advert looking for someone to help out on a busy extras day etc. So today I’m going to explain a little of what you can prep and bring with you so you don’t appear ill prepared.
I remember a supervisor once telling me that they had a colleague of mine on their first onset day. I loved this girl, and by the time I had met her she was very professional. However my supervisor always had a memory that stuck of her coming in as an additional costumer with no kit… not even the basic on body stuff to get you through the first day before you know what to expect.
So, to prevent this… here would be my general go to.
To BELT, BUM BAG or to SHOULDER BAG??
Every standby is different in their preference between a bag or shoulder bag for their final checks standby kit. we will have our on body kit, and usually another larger kit that travels to set with enough to cover and solve any and every problem we foresee. For my small final checks kit, I started out with a small shoulder bag and I loved it, however I have since found I actually prefer the belt.
With a belt…
PROS - It leaves me hands free, I don’t get a sore shoulder, and the real reason, when I bend over to do something around the leg area it doesn’t slip from my shoulder. How often, you ask, would you be doing such a thing? Say you’re working on a period film and are doing breakdown, or your cast or background are laying in the mud for scenes and days on a war film. It happens and it became an annoyance to me.
CONS - sometimes I forget how much wider I am… I try to squeeze though a gap on a sound stage and realise that with pockets all around me I’m and extra 10” wide (dammit crafties). This isn’t a lot unless you’re in limited space. If I were filming on a boat or somewhere limited in space for more than a day or two, I would perhaps consider swapping things over to a shoulder bag. Going 10.1 can be a minor pain with a belt. You can’t just drop your shoulder and dash off the moment they call a set up change, you normally get to the porta-loo and spend 5minutes untangling your radio (depending on if your production have them) or iPad (notes) to then drop the belt.
I’ve mentioned my preference for linear standby belts before (I’m not paid to endorse them, just love their product), but any belt with one or two pockets on it or a bumbag will work in a pinch until you know what you like. Now what to put in it. This is a basic setup - I definitely have more things on my person that I’ve decided I need over the years, but try to source most on the list and you will be covered for your first days.
PUT IT IN THE BAG - BASIC ONSET KIT ITEMS
Sewing essentials -
needles, (a curved needle and a leather needle are always handy here too)
thread - A colour thread braid, and both a regular and thicker topstitch thread in black and white.
scissors - embroidery small sharp ones, or clippers
Quick unpick
Topstick or double sided tape
Safety Pins in multiple sizes
Elastic - usually just a range of black and white or flesh in a thin and thick for emergencies.
Lint roller
Clothes brush
a permanent black marker and a white paint marker
leukosilk or white medical fabric tape - for labelling
Tag Gun and Micro tag guns (these are only if you’re investing in staying in costume. I would be lost without them)
A pen - and one of those 4way colour ones- always for your call-sheet
tape measure
Multitool - Such as a leather-man. This is another investment piece, maybe you look into investing in it after you’ve done a full job, find one with a set of pliers and wire clippers, screwdrivers and some even have the eyeglass screwdriver with it.
This is enough to keep you going for most things on set and to make you look prepared. Each job will require different things and you will be able to build up in accordance. You might find you need to add a small pounce bag of dirt for breakdown or certain thread colour for military uniforms, but if they are specific to a job, you will be able to get them on the job if you are there for a duration of time.
There are of course options for costume specific bags such as those from The Costumier or you can look into makeup kit bags like the clear plastic ones, and even hardware stores may have something up your alley. But find something that works for you. After all you will be the one wearing it for 12-17hrs a day.
Got a question about your first day or a question about what else you can add to your kit, feel free to comment or for quicker responses email me, or on my instagram DM.
Happy Onset Days
EM