While computer generated effects seen in the summer blockbusters seem to be taking over Hollywood, hand made costumes are still in demand. Global Effects Inc in California is one of those companies that still makes costumes and props by hand, but it is also embracing more modern techniques.

Chris Gilman

The intricate craft of making a costume by hand is a dying art in Hollywood as computer generated imagery dominates the blockbusters.

But here at Global Effects Inc in North Hollywood, California, workers still handmake costumes and props.

The 11 thousand square foot facility provides everything from body armour to spacesuits for movies, TV, museums and the aerospace industry.

Old world techniques such as metal work, sculpting, welding and sewing are as important here as they ever were.

President Chris Gilman accepts that companies like his are few and far between as demand for their services dwindles in Hollywood. But he says without traditional expertise some modern techniques don't work.

He adds that some film or TV producers still want realistic looking speciality props because computers don't always achieve precision detailing, exact sizing or texture.
That's where his team comes in.

Movie producers now submit a 3D digital model and his craftsmen build it into something real. He says you need craftsmen to get that final cosmetic finish.

While computer generated effects seen in the summer blockbusters seem to be taking over Hollywood, hand made costumes are still in demand.

"Instead of designing something in a computer and giving it to a traditional craftsman to interpret it, you are being able to 3D print it right on set. That is where Hollywood is going. But with a lack of these traditional skills and the speed in which Hollywood works, it sometimes backfires and you end up with things that don't work out the way you thought they would work out," Gilman said.

Global Effects has done work for some of the biggest movies in Hollywood such as The Martian, Bridge of Spies, Argo and The Last Samurai.

One of the projects they're currently working on is a Star Wars Kylo Ren helmet that is being sold by Anovos, a licensed costume company that sells high-end replicas.

Global Effects also provides realistic looking spacesuits and prototypes for the aerospace industry and even NASA. Everything from helmets, suits and space boots.

He says actors playing astronauts need exact sizing but computer generated costumes don't always achieve that.

Similarly when it comes to weapons nothing is better than the real thing to look authentic on screen.
Mike Sulprizio, general manager of Global Effects Inc., says the attention to detail achieved by traditional crafting cannot be matched.

"We actually make our things or design them with certain uses in mind. If someone is going to take a spacesuit and fly it, we'll put little pick points in that suit so that they can fly it. And you don't necessarily know where those are going to be when you're designing it because you're not sure how you're going to utilise that suit until maybe the script comes out later," Gilman said.

Bobi Garland is a costume historian based in Los Angeles. She says demand for tailors may have gone down, but superhero movies are keeping costume makers in business.

"The massive popularity of superhero movies and the intricate costumes that are needed, that means handmade is here to stay," Garland said.

Chris Gilman has such a hard time finding young people with the skills he requires that he is now considering opening a school to teach the craftsmanship.

He hopes that this type of handmade work will not die if it can be passed on from generation to generation.