Work placements!

i will see if i can find anything in edinburgh! they're really into 'theate-ry' and historical things here so should be tonnes but I'm not sure if i know anyone personally, anyway i will ask around 🙂

Eeep! thank you so much. Google searching comes up with so much rubbish and its so hard to filter out!

Thanks again!

It's in London, but there's Angels. I used to know someone that was a runner on the floor there. http://www.angels.uk.com/careers.html There's a link to workplacements info on the right. They have some super stunning costumes there and have done costumes for tons of films.

Meeshy is probably the person to ask though as I'm fairly certain she did costume design, or something close to that.

Thanks Janine, London terrifies me! I went for one day and got shouted at so many times cos i was in peoples way! Our tutor has also warned us not to go to Angels, simply because all past student have done there is sit and count buttons etc. Not actually have any part in creating a costume! Thanks though!

Heh, that doesn't surprise me about them. Honestly though, most work placements end up like that anyway, though maybe slightly better. I did a work placement for Red or Dead (almost 20 years ago!) and it was all sorting cardboard patterns and going into central London with a £50 note to buy a metre of ric rac. And there was someone else there doing the same thing too.

my nursing placements were the same. you alter between being a receptionist and a slave lol

Yeah, they're never all that good.

I had an intern, I spose you'd call it, last year. She also interned before with Tatty Devine who make laser cut jewellery. She said that there was always a table full of girls wanting to get into jewellery design interning there who were doing nothing more than putting together the laser cut pieces with jump rings and chains. They never learnt anything about laser cutting in anyway, they just worked their socks off day after day for free.

I can't do it, I feel too guilty!

Well I did exactly the same course as you but I was lucky and got chosen to work at the local theatre, very handy! I also ended up working for the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, that was ace but the hardest thing ive ever done. 14 days in row, 10am until 10pm at least every day in room with no windows or ventalation and strip lighting slip stitching...it was tough!! Paid off though as she said I was the best one yet wahooo! You're best off getting a huge list of contacts and sending a bulk email off listing your interests etc. I got to make some basic costumes, but you'll mainly (if you go to a theatre) be adjusting clothes, attending fittings, grouping together character shoes and shouting at actors who are farting about not being in the right place. I really liked attending the run throughs and seeing what needed changing/what didn't work etc.
Well that was a boring recollection of my life for you hahaha but yeah I'd email or call as many theatres etc as you can, don't forget to call museums too if you're interested in restoring or anything like that. Plus if you know what your dissertation is about, try and focus it around that (its rare to be able to, but the place you go might have costumes in storage that you could photograph for case studies. Same applies for if you know what you're doing next year. In fact just take pictures of anything you can haha) 🙂