‘To’ costume designer Marci Rodgers on her ‘accidental’ journey and using ‘color to tell the story’ – production value

“My journey is very random,” says costume designer Marci Rodgers. “I came out of the dressing room and I thought out loud and said, ‘You know, I’m going to do a film about Emmett Till…’ and six years later Chinonye came to me and asked me to look at the script .”

Chinoye Chukwu brings together the true story of civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley, played by Danielle Deadwyler To. After the brutal lynching of her son Emmett (Jalyn Hall), Till-Mobley begins a relentless search for justice and becomes a key figure in the civil rights movement.

“This project was very spiritual for me,” says Rodgers. “I knew I had to put my emotions and feelings as a black woman on the forefront, and I had to make sure it wasn’t about me. It was first about Mamie and Emmett and the story we wanted to tell.

The most important aspect of design for Rodgers was accuracy. “One of our additional conversations that excited me was this [Chukwu] was determined that the costumes should have their own character and texture,” says Rodgers. This alignment allowed her to connect the design to each character’s personal journey.

Another important thing to remember, Rodgers says, was “just making sure I was sensitive to how Mamie is projected throughout and how we use color to tell the story.” Yellow was one color reserved for scenes with Emmett Till, not only in costume design, but also in production design, lighting and other areas of craftsmanship. “Even at the end of the movie,” she says, “you can see Emmett in his yellow suit, and he’s covered in a yellow light.”

The rationale for Emmett’s use of yellow stems from color theory and the emotions the color evokes. “It radiates happiness, it radiates hope,” says Rodgers, “and I thought it was brilliant because we don’t know much about Emmett outside of what’s been released and the photos, but it was strategic to give him that kind of Allocative color to give. give people hope even after the film.”

Although Rodgers managed to keep her personal feelings out of the work, there was one moment that really touched her. “Recreating the costume for the prosthetic doll that went in the casket … it was difficult because it felt like I was preparing to bury my son,” she says. “I don’t think it hit me until then… [but] When you see it in the box, it becomes more real. It affects you.”

Rodgers says she is especially honored that Chukwu chose her to be the costume designer for the film. “I’m grateful to be the one chosen to actually tell the story on behalf of Mamie, Emmett, Alma and Chicago through costume design.”

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