In Search of Authorship: The Role of the Costume designer in characterisation-three case studies of Australian Screen Costume Design

Costume designers are visual storytellers. They interpret the written word and transform text into three-dimensional, tactile, visually informative costumes that create a character's fundamental expression of self. Costume designers communicate the unwritten components of a script. This research aims to develop a conceptual understanding of the costume designer's role in Australian screen production and, specifically, if they can claim an authorial voice through characterisation. The research forms a theory of costume design that incorporates collaborative authorship, the designer's voice and the notion of embodiment to underpin a much-needed philosophy of costume design practice.