UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television alumna Brianna Quick helps tell stories with her costume designs, creative techniques

After designing everything from superhero getups to Renaissance dresses, Brianna Quick graduates this year as the only costume designer in the film and television program.

Quick, a recently graduated film and television alumna with a concentration in costume design, transferred to UCLA from Northern California and said she realized her passion for costume design while studying fashion in community college.

“Halfway to three-fourths through fashion classes, I realized I like the styling part of it where you sit down with someone and break down their body type and their colors,” she said.

After learning about the development of the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Quick applied to the film and television major, excited about the prospect of learning more about film.

“I feel that in order to do my job, I need to understand as much about the other jobs involved in film as possible, so I know what they’re looking for, so it informs what I’m giving them,” Quick said.

Because the center has not yet opened and the costume design track of the program was just established this year, Quick took several classes in costume design from the theater program but largely learned from working on the projects of her fellow students in the film and television program.

When beginning work on any film, Quick has a process to determine how to costume the characters.

“A lot of the times when I get a script, I’ll break down the character and try to figure out setting, time, season, year,” she said. Then, she finds movies, history books and art which embody the style of that era and creates a color palette which suits the film and the message the director wants to impart.

For the film “Last Wild,” directed by graduate film and production student Nikki Gordon, Quick fit the clothes to the characters by drawing inspiration from thrift shops and the actors’ own wardrobes.

“She pieced costumes together, looked at what the actors already owned, then pulled and purchased pieces needed to complete it,” Gordon said.

According to Gordon, Quick’s ability to reflect the personalities of the characters in their clothing helped best to tell the story.

“Her professionalism as a collaborator and her creativity as a visual artistic storyteller really stood out to me,” Gordon said.

According to Quick, one of her favorite projects so far has been the first large-scale film she worked on ““ an undergraduate feature film called “Nisa,” which was screened at the 2010 Festival of New Creative Work from the School of Theater, Film and Televison.

“I had heard by word of mouth that Brianna had done fashion before and can design clothes and was interested in wardrobe,” said Doug Archibald, the director of “Nisa.” “We had a low budget, so it was great to work with another student who would understand that we can’t spend a lot of money but is talented.”

Quick faced challenges such as dressing a Thai transgender prostitute, tailoring a heavy, sequined dress from a size 12 to a size 6, and making an actress appear pregnant.

“It was nice to have someone who could handle anything I threw at her,” Archibald said.

“Without a doubt, Brianna’s designs brought characters to life,” said William McDonald, the vice chair of undergraduate studies who served as Quick’s academic adviser. “Most people don’t realize how influential a costume designer is on the success of a film. Costume defines character all the time: subtly, quietly, but with impact.”

Quick already has several student film projects lined up for summer. After that, she hopes to land an internship in the film industry.

“I love telling stories and aiding the director in telling the story, and I think that’s where my passion lies,” she said.