As they say, the clothes make the man. Never is that more true than in the realm of film. Pay attention the next time your watching any Hollywood, or even well produced indie movie. They aren’t running around in jeans and a t-shirt. Wardrobe counts for alot…but unfortunately when you are buying clothes for a full cast it gets quite expensive, but not if you know these tips…
In this article, I’ll tell you some great ways to get free clothes for your indie production. However, let me first start by pointing out the type of clothes you can’t get for free…clothing to be used in blood effects scenes. The majority of the ways I’m going to list here are going to open up access for you to get one unique copy of each article of clothing. Unfortunately, when you are doing effects shots that involve your character getting covered in fake blood, you need multiple copies of anything that could get bloody. After all, what if you don’t get it in the first take…are you going to wait for someone to dry clean everything before doing the shot again. Even if you get the shot on the first take, what if the next scene you shoot occurs earlier in the story when the character should still be clean? My only advice here is to buy cheap clothes in bulk, usually in quantities of at least six.
Wardrobe for cheap
But on to the point of this article. How can you get excellent wardrobe on the cheap?
- Goodwill, thrift stores
Stores such as goodwill sell lots of old clothing for extremely cheap. If you are in a city of any decent size, there are probably a ton of these that you can visit. - Garage Sales
Most people have clothing on sale during garage sales. There are basically two approaches to getting what you want: Show up ridiculously early, or ridiculously late. Most people show up very early to garage sales in hopes of being the first to peruse the merchandise and find some hidden treasure. You can join the crowd and fight for the deals. I find though, its far better to show up very late, just before the sale is closing. People putting on garage sales, for the most part, aren’t as concerned with the money as they are getting rid of their crap. If its getting late and there is still stuff, then people putting on the sale aren’t happy. Show up late and offer a big bulk deal, such as $10 for all their remaining clothing. You may also want search around for any random props you may want and get that tossed into the deal. You’d be surprised just how cheap you can get things at garage sales when it looks like no one else wants it.
Clothing for free
If getting a bulk of clothing for $10 is still to pricey, here are some ways you can get wardrobe for free:
- Old People
Grandma and Grandma probably have tons of old crap…excuse me…vintage clothing just lying around. This is especially great for picking up men’s jackets, hats, purses, and jewelery. One warning though…if it doesn’t fit, don’t use it. Nothing looks stupider than a mobster in a suit that’s way too big. - Buy it and return it.
You might have to put a little money up front, but pretty much every clothing store in America will let you return any item so long as its in good condition and still has the tag on it. Make sure to check the refund policy though, before you end up with $600 in store credit to a place you never normally shop.
Shoot your movies in style, but don’t pay the high cost of trendy fashions. Except of course when it comes to sunglasses. Every action hero needs badass sunglasses.