259 | Costume As Character: What (& What Not) To Include in Your Screenplay (ft. Courtney Hoffman)

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join TSL Workshops: https://tslworkshops.circle.so Costume designer turned writer/director Courtney Hoffman has worked on some truly iconic films (THE HATEFUL EIGHT, BABY DRIVER) and beloved indies (CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, THE BOY NEXT DOOR). These experiences have profoundly shaped how she approaches storytelling, especially now that she’s writing and directing projects starring the likes of Laura Dern and Kaitlyn Dever. In this episode, Courtney shares what writers should (and shouldn’t) include in their scripts when it comes to wardrobe, how costume can deepen character, and how different departments will interpret your work if it gets greenlit for production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you haven't tried Abercrombie denim yet, you're missing out.
0:03.8	Denim should fit like this.
0:06.0	It's all about proportions.
0:07.7	Abercrombie has their classic fits and athletic fits for guys who want a little more room in the thigh.
0:13.1	When you find your staple fit, it'll be the pair you reach for day after day for every plan.
0:19.2	Shop Abercrombie denim in, in the app, online, and in store.
0:31.2	Welcome back to the screenwriting life.
0:33.1	I'm Meg Lofove, and today we are joined by talented amazing Courtney Hoffman.
0:38.4	Courtney is a costume designer turned writer and director whose career spans some of the most
0:42.4	iconic films and filmmakers of our time. Courtney built her career in costume design on films
0:47.5	like Baby Driver, The Hateful Eighth and Captain Fantastic, working with O'Tours including
0:52.2	Quentin Tarantinternton, Edgar Wright, Terrence Malick, and Tim Burton.
0:55.8	She made her directorial debut with the Good Time Girls of Western Short starring Laura Dern,
1:00.9	and continued her passion for female-led genre storytelling with the Sisters of Scott County,
1:05.3	a 1970s trucker movie starring Caitlin Dever.
1:08.6	Selected by Netflix out of 1,200 projects for proof-of-concept funding, which is super fun.
1:14.7	Can't wait to talk about that.
1:16.0	She recently directed the season finale of American Horror Stories and has sold original
1:19.9	writing projects to Max, Paramount, Sony, Peacock, FX, and Preform, including Kentucky Blaze,
1:25.7	a mother-daughter, stoner comedy with Tish and Miley Cyrus,
1:29.0	and drama majors and mental health mystery inspired by her NYU-Tish roots.
1:33.5	As one of the rare costume designer, writer-director hybrids, Courtney brings a powerful and
	...

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