With the tenacity of a historian and the heart of a consummate fan, costume designer Marci Rodgers dug deep, amassing 800 pages of research, to embrace the soul of costumes for Michael. “I pride myself in thorough research,” she notes, “and constantly refer back to it as I design.” Undertaking the musical biopic of global icon Michael Jackson, dubbed the King of Pop and regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of all time, was a huge responsibility. Rodgers approached it with profound reverence for his legacy, his family, and his fans.

Producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua were adamant to keep the film, hailed as a celebration of Michael’s musical genius, as authentic as possible to his journey. There were few early photos of the Jackson family before they started performing. Rodgers collected magazines of that era and put the puzzle pieces together, using her understanding of costume history, the Jacksons’ economic status, and their Midwest—Gary, Indiana —background. When there wasn’t an actual public photo, she adhered to a silhouette. She used color to defuse the menacing presence of Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) with more humanity. “I didn’t use his costumes to reveal his harsh persona. I used fabric and even notions and accessories to underscore the performance of the actor.” As the patriarch and stern manager of The Jackson 5, Joseph had a uniform: always well dressed in tailored suits or jogging suits in dark colors. Katherine Jackson (Nia Long) is a quiet force and a safe haven for Michael. There is a gentleness in her costumes; she is dressed mostly in soft colors and small prints. A big exception—when Joseph learned of his dismissal as manager by way of a fax. “That’s actually a very tense scene. After discussing it with Graham and Antoine, I used color theory for this strategic moment.” Her research included Katherine in a white suit. She used this moment in time to assign white to offset Joseph’s dark anger. Rodgers stayed true to the era, and research found in Jet magazine for young Michael (Juliano Valdi) and his older brothers. Patterns for pants were altered with gussets to make sure they were functional for both Michaels to accommodate their dance moves. When needed, she had the exact fabric design manufactured to recreate their performance looks that were made to order down to the smallest nuance. “The devil is in the details!” she quips.

“Shooting in Los Angles felt magical,”elates Rodgers, “almost like the spirit of Michael was there and helped me execute my design.” The recreation of Thriller was filmed on Union Pacific Avenue, as was the original. For two nights, from sunset to sunrise, under a full moon, Jaafar Jackson reprised his uncle’s spine-tingling dance with vitality. In pre-prep, Rodgers took a field trip to the Grammy Museum, where the original costume is on display. “Like a student of my craft, I measured everything from top to bottom: the collar, the width of the cuff, the stitching, all through the glass case. I called Deborah Nadoolman Landis [co-costume designer with Kelly Kimball of the original video] who shared that she dyed white jeans red to match the jacket, so I went through that same process.” The distressing on the jacket was important. Rodgers worked with her ager-dyer to make sure that everything was exact. The zombies also had to pass her laser-eye inspection. “Especially the two women on either side of him, one in pink, the other in blue. There is a last-minute photo of me enlarging a hole in one of them to match perfectly.”

The Billie Jean video from Motown 25 became a phenomenon overnight, owing to Michael’s debut of the moonwalk: “the eight seconds that changed dance history.” The black sequined jacket belonged to Michael’s mother, chosen for its soft drape.

The perfectionist in Rodgers hesitated to construct the jacket until she found sequins in downtown Los Angeles that came close to matching ones made in the ‘80s. Everything was custom-made: the rhinestone bodysuit-shirt, the glove, and socks adorned with a trim introduced during the ‘80s that was a string of rhinestones encased in plastic. “The response from others on set was exhilarating. I asked Motown 25 show producer Suzanne de Passe, who was there for the original filming as well as ours, if she approved, and she said, ‘I feel like I’m reliving this all over again.’ At that moment, I knew that I had made her and the legacy of Michael proud. A quick text from production designer Barbara Lang said, ‘Bravo! The shirt is dancing!’”

A project of this scale required a large costume department. Additional photography added 22 more days to the schedule. Rodgers notes, “I’m very thankful for the help of my team.” Several CDG members worked on the film, including assistant costume designer Sheila Boateng on the principal photography, and costume designer Susan Matheson and assistant costume designer Elaine Perlmann, who contributed to the additional photography. Ingrid Ferrin and Dominie Brazzel served as costumer and background costumer, respectively. Rodgers adds, “It was an enormous project. Our first two days had 1,300 extras. We delivered over 3,000 costumes. Everyone in my department was supportive and stayed true to Michael, his family, and his legacy. I used Michael’s affirmation from the scene where he says, ‘You’re confident, you’re strong, you’re beautiful, you’re the greatest of all time,’ which is something I took away from this project and will carry with me forever.”

View full article in the Costume Designer Magazine