Janie Bryant

Costume Designer

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tab

About

About this interview

In her two-hour interview, Janie Bryant talks about her interest in design from a very early age. She discusses her childhood in Ohio and Tennessee, as well as her avid interest in films such as Gone with the Wind, which ignited her interest in design for period pieces. She speaks of her first jobs designing for independent films and for television before landing a job with writer David Milch on his television series Big Apple. She describes getting hired by Milch for his HBO series Deadwood, for which she won an Emmy for costume design. She explains her inspiration for the Western series and how films influenced her costumes, and then details her work on the AMC series Mad Men. Bryant talks of working with series creator Matthew Weiner and concludes the interview with an extensive tour of the Mad Men costume department, outlining the thought processes and organization behind each of the principal character's costumes. Bonnie Datt conducted the interview on August 9, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"It's about understanding the themes of the script. It's about working with the production designer and the set decorator, knowing what colors and pieces they are going to be using within that set. It's about being true to their character through the costume design and telling that story. But it's also about having all of those costumes being able to work together within that scene, within that set."

People Talking About ...

Janie Bryant

Highlights

Janie Bryant on her role as the costume designer for Mad Men and the attention to detail on the show "it's about being true to that character"

02:10

Janie Bryant on being a costume designer: "fashion design is not always about fashion, it's about creating character"

01:29

Janie Bryant on how the film "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" was an inspiration for Deadwood's costume design

Janie Bryant on her collaborative process with Matthew Weiner on Mad Men and how much she knows about the arc of the series in preparing her work

02:05

Janie Bryant on her advice to aspiring costume designers

00:36

Full Interview

Play Full Interview

Chapter 1

On her early years and family; on her interest in designing clothes from an early age

On the early influences on her fashion sense from movies and television shows; on her education and early fashion style

On working for John Scher as an assistant designer; on learning about the costume design profession

On her first job designing for a nostalgia ad for "Nick at Nite" and what that entailed; On working on indie films such as "Palookaville," "Mr. Jealousy," "Highball," and "Blessing"; on moving to Los Angeles and waiting two whole years before getting a job

On moving to New York City and working on Big Apple with David Milch as the costume designer; on the responsibilities of that job; on the difference between designing for television and for film

On why she was interested in designing for a period piece, and how she came to become the costume designer on Deadwood: a Western TV series based in the 1890s

On working on the pilot of John from Cincinnati with David Milch and what she had to offer as a costume designer

Chapter 2

On how she was hired as the costume designer on Mad Men and on working with the show's creator, Matthew Weiner

On her preparation, research, and how the story informs her creative decisions about costume design on Mad Men; on the production schedule of the show

On the details about dealing with color and fabric on television; on her philosophy about costume design and being "true to character"

On the specific characters on Mad Men and how she makes decisions about costume design for each one including "Don Draper," 'Peggy Olson," "Betty Draper," and "Joan Harris"

On the most challenging costumes she's designed for Mad Men and some of her favorites; on how the show has influenced fashion; on her advice to aspiring costume designers

Janie Bryant takes us on a tour of the Mad Men costume shop; she shows us each character's "closet" and specific costumes from episodes of the show, how the closets are organized, and her process for selecting vintage pieces or designing costumes

Shows

Big Apple

View Show Page

Janie Bryant on working with writer David Milch on his series Big Apple

Deadwood

View Show Page

Janie Bryant on how she came work on Deadwood as the costume designer; on her inspiration for the costumes from the film "McCabe and Mrs. Miller"

Janie Bryant on achieving the "dirty" look for the costumes on Deadwood; on the inspiration for the costumes

07:55

Janie Bryant on how many of the costumes were made rather than rented for Deadwood; on the costume budget for the show

Janie Bryant on winning an Emmy for her costume design on Deadwood and what made the costumes stand out

John from Cincinnati

View Show Page

Janie Bryant on designing the pilot for John from Cincinnati, again working with David Milch

Mad Men

View Show Page

Janie Bryant on how she was hired as the costume designer on Mad Men and on working with the show's creator, Matthew Weiner

04:09

Janie Bryant on her inspiration for the costumes on Mad Men and how she researched the period; on her collaboration with series creator Matthew Weiner

Janie Bryant on working with series creator Matthew Weiner on Mad Men and his passion for the show and their collaborative process; on the production schedule

09:49

Janie Bryant on the secrecy of Mad Men's story lines and plot points

Janie Bryant on the production schedule on Mad Men for costumes

Janie Bryant on her role as the costume designer for Mad Men and the attention to detail on the show