On Set With ‘Sparkle’ Costume Supervisor Devon Patterson-Wilson

When asked for any images she could share of her extended time on film sets, including Our Family Wedding, Barbershop and Meet Dave, costume designer Devon Patterson-Wilson remembers squeezing Angelina Jolie into a black corset on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. “It would be the only picture that I can think of that was a part of some kind of portfolio of my work,” she says. “[The studio] usually don’t like us to take pictures unless it’s for production.”

While visual proof may not exist, Patterson-Wilson’s work ethic and ability to continue to work with some of the best talent and accountants in the movie business has only grown. Her latest project is as costume supervisor for the upcoming Sparkle remake, which stars Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in her final on screen performance. BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Patterson-Wilson on the film’s Michigan set, where the bottom floor of Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple was covered with shimmering dresses and sequin bouncing off the walls. Surrounded by period pieces of her choosing as well as pinned up look boards with cut out magazine pages and color print outs, Patterson-Wilson is in her element and shares her vision for putting the visual spark in Sparkle.

How did you get your break in the movie industry?

I came up through the ranks doing non-union work making $50 bucks a day. It didn’t matter how long the hours [I made] $50 bucks a day [starting out] as a set costumer. And that’s how I learned the business, from the bottom up.

How long have you been supervising on feature films?

Off and on since 1998, I go back and forth sometimes as a Set Costumer or as a Key Costumer in addition to supervising. I’ve been supervising steadily for the past seven years.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities as a costume supervisor?

My responsibility is the hire crew and the keep the budget for the films’ wardrobe department. It’s my responsibility to make sure that we’re on track for what our established budget is and I’m responsible for hiring crew and making sure that we have what we need on any given day as it relates to this department.

Why do you feel you’ve been so successful in the film industry?

I’m easy to get along with; I don’t complain and I don’t talk a lot; and I know what I’m doing. People trust me and I haven’t had any issues to date and most accountants love me.

Click here to continue reading and to watch Patterson-Wilson speak on her career path…

What tools do you use on a daily basis to do your job effectively?

There’s a program that we use in our business called CPlot Pro, which is a budgeting and breakdown program [that] is done by a fellow costumer named Betty Besio and she’s made my life so much easier by the invention of this program. Being able to plug things in and get printouts; everything from character changes to tracking our budget in real time. It’s all just a one-step process because of this program.

What are the advantages of having a film like Sparkle being shot and produced in your hometown of Detroit?

The simple fact that I’m from Detroit and able to come back and actually work here is great. The last time I was able to come home and work was on the movie 8 Mile. The advantages are obvious, because the Michigan economy is so bad we are allowing a lot people to work and have income. Not just the people that we hire on the crew, the hotels, the hotel staff, the restaurants, the car rentals and airlines. When a film like Sparkle

comes to Detroit, it brings in revenue that affects a lot of people across the board. When you take that away, you take away a serious amount of income. A film with a budget of $10-80 million to do it in a city like Detroit right now has huge advantages. It’s millions of dollars being pumped into the Michigan economy. It really does affect a lot of people.

Being that the economy is so bad in Detroit, you must get a lot of job applicants. How did you go about selecting who you’d hire on set?

Because we are a union show, we must go through the local union, which is Local 38; Local 38 has a roster of people that’s available. There are times when you are able to work around that, but every position has to be filled in order for you to hire outside of the union and it’s largely the relationships because I’m from here and I know people that already do this business so that makes my life a lot easier.

Can you talk about challenges with the costume department on Sparkle?

It’s a period movie that had a smaller budget with a lot of people. In a contemporary film, the background [actors] can wear their own clothes and fit into a scene, however, in a period film like Sparkle

we have to dress almost everybody in the movie because of the period–it’s 1968. Most people don’t’ have wardrobe in their closets from 1968 and because we want to keep it authentic to the period, we had to do that. I’d say that was the biggest challenge on this movie.

Because you have to work with a myriad of people, personalities, educational and financial levels, what skill set do you tap into most to manage everyone?

It’s sort of personality based; you have to be able to get along with people and get people on your side. It’s sort of like using psychology, which helps you a lot in no matter what job you’re doing but especially in this field, because you can read people to know how to relate to them and figure out how to approach them.

What should fans expect when they finally see Sparkle in the theatres this summer?

That they’re in for a ride; a very beautiful and glamorous one.

Watch below as Patterson-Wilson speak on her career path and working on Sparkle…

Shot and edited by Chapter3.tv