Meet Elaine Montalvo

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elaine Montalvo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elaine, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I look for creative inspiration in everything around me. When I see a captivating painting, I study its color dynamics and imagine how I might replicate a similar relationship with color in my costume designs. I might also wonder how those colors might interact with the set design or lighting design. When I hear an interesting piece of music that ignites the heart, for example, I think about the emotion that it tapped into and how I might possibly re-create a similar emotion about a character through the visual impact of a costume. When I see someone cross the street, I wonder where they’re coming from and where they’re going and how I arrived at my assumptions. Was it through their clothing or their demeanor or something else? Because every project that I costume design is a unique endeavor with fresh characters, I require of myself a fresh perspective each time. I use all my influences to bring something new to the stories I take part in.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I costume design for film and television. I work with directors, producers, actors and other department heads such as production designers and cinematographers. Together we bring a script to life by creating a visual world that is convincing and exciting to the audience. After studying the script, I meet with the filmmakers to understand their encompassing creative goals. I then begin a process of submitting ideas about the look of each character that might help enhance the story. During costume fittings, I always enjoy when an actor begins to transform into a character.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would definitely include perseverance as a quality you can’t do without in the entertainment business. Success is rarely as fast or easy as one would want. So if you can find self-reassurance and self-motivation in the pursuit of your goals, that resilience will help you during moments of doubt. A second skill I suggest honing is reliability. Everyone on a project relies on each other significantly. Each film or series is ambitious in its own way, so during challenging days people need to know that they can count on each other. Lastly, I recommend sharing respect with everyone. Film and television crews attract many different types of people. I grew up in a big family where I learned the value of maneuvering carefully through a variety of personalities. I recommend that the earlier one can practice these qualities even in casual situations, the more likely these skills will become second nature in a professional setting.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, I immediately take a step back and deconstruct the big problem into smaller pieces that can be addressed individually. Sometimes a lot of demands come your way at once, but it doesn’t mean that you have to find a solution to everything instantly. There’s usually a simple way to approach complicated issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elainemontalvo.com
• Instagram: @elainemontalvodesigner

Image Credits

Photo by Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

Anna Kooris/2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc.