Videos: Costume Drama

A clip from the BBC production of Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit with Keith Allen as Jonas Chuzzlewit and Chris Sullivan as Man Outside Anglo-Bengalee Company. Distributed by Tubemogul.

You've been asking for more behind-the-scenes departments, and we aim to please! This week we bring you Mel & Liz's interview with Robin Lewis-West, who is the costume designer for Chuck. She's got some great stories, going back to her work in features such as the cult classic Re-Animator, and what it was like to make the transition into movies of the week and then TV shows such as Gilmore Girls, The O.C., and Chuck. Don't forget that Monday May 3rd is flash mob & Twitter mob day! Go to ChuckTV.net for all the details. Miss any episodes? You can find them all at chuckpodcast.blip.tv, and every time you watch it helps to support us! Also, if you like the show, please consider supporting us with a monthly vote at Podcast Alley.

Our salute to all small town theater groups. Aloha

JC 201. A well-known horror writer is shot dead on Halloween by a man in a skeleton costume who subsequently takes her unconscious daughter hostage and escapes to the garage. The police surround the garage but when they open the door the killer has vanished, leaving only the daughter who has no memory of the incident. With Jonathan otherwise occupied due to Adam currently being blackmailed by a barmaid he spent the night with, Maddie must tackle the case with only limited access to Jonathan's expertise. OAD: 24 January 1998.

NOTE:"Danse Macabre" is the title of the theme music used throughout the series.

Costume drama

A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era.

There are two types of costume drama. The most common one is the historical costume drama, both on stage and in movies. This category includes Braveheart, Rob Roy, and Robin Hood. Plays that took place in the 1930s and 1940s, such as, Last Man Standing, may also be placed in this category as well. In a futuristic costume drama, especially one that takes place in the distant future, actors often wore strange, unusual, and sometimes hi-tech costumes to predict on what the clothes of the future might be like. This type of costume drama is mostly shown as a movie or a TV series.

The term is usually used in the context of film. It is an informal, cross-over term that can apply to several genres but is most often heard in the context of historical dramas and romances, adventure films and swashbucklers.

Period Drama Showreel, Set Design, Costume & Props

A Diabolical Tale Of Mystery And Murder! The owner of a large mansion in the country throws a costume party for some of his friends. However, the party turns sour when he is found stabbed to death in a closet. The police and a guest try to discover who committed the murder.

The Roman theatre was shaped with a half circle or orchestra space in front of the stage.. The stage was supported in front by open columns. To solve the problem of lighting and sound - the theaters were outdoors.

The huge amount of people present still held problems for the sound as the audience would not always stay quiet. To solve this problem, costumes and mask were worn to show the type of person on stage. Different symbols were worked out. The actors wore masks - brown for men, white for women, smiling or sad depending on the type of play. The costumes showed the audience who the person was - a purple gown for a rich man, a striped toga for a boy, a short cloak for a soldier, a red toga for a poor man, a short tunic for a slave etc. Women were not allowed act, so their parts were normally played by a man or young boys wearing a white mask.

The actors spoke the lines, but a second actor mimed the gestures to fit the lines, along with background music. Some things are represented by a series of gestures, which are recognized by the audience to mean something, such as feeling a pulse to show a sick person, making the shape of a lyre with fingers to show music.

The audience was usually more interested in their favorite actors than the play itself. The actors would try to win over the audience's praise with decorative masks, costumes, dancing and mime. If the play scripted an actor's dying, a condemned man would take the place of the actor at the last moment and actually be killed on stage. The Romans loved the bloodthirsty spectacles.

Rows of seats were added for honored guests. The stage was lowered and 2 short flights of steps leading down to the stairs were added.

The one ancient theatre to survive in Rome, the Theatre of Marcellus, was started by Caesar and completed by Augustus in the year 11 or 13. It stands on level ground and is supported by radiating walls and concrete vaulting. An arcade with attached half-columns runs around the building. The columns are Doric and Ionic.

Recently engaged, Misty and Danny are looking to buy a table or their apartment. Ellen is looking to sell one. What unfolds is a story about relationships and the emotions unleashed when people are forced to let go. Directed by Alicia Arinella and written by Julie Tortorici; “Table or Three” is a short film shot on DV. CREW: Writer: Julie Tortorici Director/Cinematographer/Editor: Alicia Arinella Producers: Alicia Arinella & Tyler Debbs Executive Producer: Catherine Arinella Attornies: Leonard Wagman and Lawrence Kotik Production Designer: Diana Whitten Costume Designer: Jessica Jahn Additional Photography by: Michael Jon Hull Key Grip: Grey Segal Sound Mixer: Peter Michael Garcia Boom Operator: Colleen Slattery Script Supervisor: Reva Goldberg CAST: Misty: Julie Tortorici Danny: Matthew G. Rashid Ellen: Katherine Williams