The SALT FLATS breakdown covers 13 changes across eight speaking characters, plus two groups of background. Most of the work is in three characters: Dell, June, and Hollis, whose clothes get dirtier over the last three story days and who have stunt doubles for the Scene 39 fight.
For the basics of the department and its terms, see wardrobe and the costume designer role page. This page is about building the breakdown document.
Why story days come first
Characters change clothes when the story moves to a new day, so you can't assign changes until every scene has a story day. The header lists them: D1 is Scenes 1 to 3, D2 is 4 to 14, and so on. Get them from the script supervisor's timeline before you start, and question anything that doesn't make sense with the director.
Then the costume designer decides where changes actually happen. Story logic doesn't always force a change. June is arrested on the night of D3 and spends D4 in holding, then walks out to the salt flats. She has no chance to change, so #2 runs from D3 to D6 in three stages of wear. That single decision drives multiples, aging, and the scene chart.
The changes table, column by column
Each row is one change for one character. Change numbers go in story order, so Dell #1 is what he wears first in the story, whatever the shooting order.
Scenes lists every scene that change appears in. Use ranges where you can (4-11), but double-check that the character is actually in every scene in the range. Dell isn't in Scene 12, which is why his #1 row reads "2, 4-11, 13, 14."
Multiples is the count of identical sets. The numbers come from what happens to the costume:
- Dell #1 needs 2, because grease gets onto the cuffs from Scene 9 onward.
- Dell #3 needs 3 for the actor (clean, dusty, fight) and 3 more for the stunt double, who has to match him in the fight shots.
- Hollis #2 needs 3 plus 3 for his double, with one fight set held as a spare in case a seam goes during the stunt.
That makes Dell's total count 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 10 costume sets across three changes, which matters when you're sourcing vintage workwear in matching sizes.
Notes carries anything another department needs to know: grease is shared with makeup, Hollis's cap is on the prop list, and the deputy uniform uses fictional patches.
The scene-by-scene chart
The chart flips the table around. For each scene, it lists who's in it and which change, including the letter for the aging stage (June #2B, Dell #3C). This is what the costumer reads the night before, alongside the call sheet, to pack the right sets for tomorrow.
It also catches mistakes. If a row says "Dell #3A" and the scene is on D5, one of the two is wrong.
Building the breakdown from a script
- Get story days for every scene from the script supervisor, and write them into the header.
- From each script breakdown sheet, list the characters in every scene, and any wardrobe the script mentions.
- For each character, decide where changes happen and number them in story order.
- Fill in the changes table with scenes, description, and notes.
- Read each scene again for what happens to the clothes. Dirt, blood, water, tearing, and stunts all add multiples.
- Ask the stunt coordinator which scenes use doubles and add matching sets.
- Build the scene-by-scene chart from the changes table and check it against the one-line.
- Write background guidance for each group, and send it to extras casting.
- Schedule fittings against each performer's start date from the cast deal memos.
- Update the breakdown with every script revision and note the version.
What goes wrong in the wardrobe trailer
Stages of wear get mixed up. Scene 38 is shot on Day 11 after Scene 43 was shot on Day 10. June #2C is correct for both. A costumer who packs #2B for Scene 38 because it comes earlier in the script sends her out without the salt dust she had in 43.
Doubles show up in the wrong set. A stunt double in Dell #3A for a fight shot between two #3C close-ups doesn't cut.
Background arrive in bright white or logos. Say it on the breakdown, in the extras casting confirmation, and on the call sheet.
A performer's first fitting is on their first shoot day. Curtis Vail's uniform was fitted a week before Day 4 so alterations could be done.
Where the breakdown connects
Continuity photos and notes from set go into the continuity log, which checks the chart against what was actually shot. The border between wardrobe and props (caps, name tags, bags) is spelled out on both lists. Hair and makeup, which shares the dirt progression, is covered under hair and makeup.
Wardrobe in Storiara
When a script is uploaded, Storiara extracts props and wardrobe into its Assets page, where Wardrobe is its own category. Items can hold photos, availability, costs, and comments, and "find in script" shows the scenes they come from. In the script and breakdown view you can highlight a line and add it as a wardrobe item. The props and wardrobe feature page shows it in more detail.