Hunger Games Costume Intern and Cosplayer Michelle D'Antonio Shares What She's Going to Be for Halloween
The last time we spoke with FIDM Fashion Design Alumna Michelle D'Antonio, she was a costume intern on the movie The Hunger Games. Not only is her career sky-rocketing, she's super creative in her personal life—she's really into cosplay AND she makes her own costumes! Since Halloween is next week, we thought—perfect timing. Read on to find out what she's going to be for Halloween. Get inspired by her amazing creativity and talent. Thank you, Michelle! And Happy Halloween, everyone!
How has having been a costume intern on The Hunger Games helped you in your career? Being an intern on The Hunger Games helped me by getting my foot into the industry. I was able to meet amazing people who wanted to help me further my career, and I've worked with a lot of the same people since then. It was also a great experience to learn set manners, and some tricks of the trade!
What have you been up to since The Hunger Games? Right after The Hunger Games, I worked on a TV pilot called Tin Star, but it didn't get picked up, so it never made it to television. Then I worked on a film called Oblivion, with Tom Cruise. After that I worked for a short time on the new TV show Nashville, and I got to work on the LA leg of the second Hunger Games, Catching Fire!
In your own words, what exactly is cosplay? Cosplay is short for "costume play." It's bringing characters to life from comics, anime, video games, and fiction.
Tell us about the costumes you've designed for cosplay: With cosplay, the characters are not my original design; they are based off of established characters. I personally mainly create cosplay characters from my favorite video games—sometimes Disney, or other media. I'd like to make a superhero costume in the future.
What are you going to be for Halloween this year? I am going to be Battle Bunny Riven from the game League of Legends. The trick with Halloween is you want to dress up as a highly recognizable character. It's hard to go in cosplay to normal Halloween parties because most people won't be familiar with those characters. That's why I chose Bunny Riven. If you are a fan of the game, you will understand who I am. If you have no clue, I'll still be an adorable bunny girl!
Any insider tips on how to make your own costume for Halloween on a budget? The best tips to stay in your budget for all different experience levels is to bargain shop. Jo-Ann, for example, has a excellent free app that has even better coupons then the ones they send you in e-mails and online. You can also double up those coupons! A super helpful item when making a costume on a budget is CRAFT FOAM!! I use craft foam in almost all of my cosplays. It's so versatile—and with some heat, you can mold it to whatever shape you'd like. If you do a good paint job no one would EVER guess it's just foam!
What are your career plans for the immediate future? I'd love to work on the new Captain America film, but if that doesn't happen then hopefully I get another cool sci-fi job!
Anything else you'd like to share? I have a cosplay fan page if you'd like to check out a bunch of my costumes: facebook.com/MissyeruCosplay. If you have any questions on what I used or how I made something just send me a message!
All photos are Michelle D'Antonio, courtesy of Michelle D'Antonio.
