FROM SCRIPT TO STITCH: CRAFTING CHARACTER THROUGH COSTUME DESIGN
Adults

From Script to Stitch: Crafting Character Through Costume Design

Workshop

14 - 18 January 2026 | 2 - 5pm

14, 15, 17, 18 January 2026 | 2-5 PM

Workshop Fee: 300 QAR

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This workshop emphasizes the importance of multiple script readings: first to understand the overall story, tone, and setting, and then to analyze character arcs, motivations, and given circumstances such as period, social status, and mood. Through discussion and collaborative exercises, attendees will explore how costume design supports storytelling by visually expressing themes, symbolism, and character development.

With Mohammed “Simba” Elmur, a costume designer whose work has contributed to the Sudanese fashion movement with a number of avant-garde costume lines.

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Building on this foundation, the workshop takes participants through each stage of the design process, from research and concept development to practical execution. They will practice sketching and rendering designs, selecting fabrics and accessories, and consider practical aspects such as fittings and movement. By the end of the program, attendees will understand how costume designers collaborate with directors and other departments to achieve visual harmony, and how thoughtful design choices transform text into wearable art that enhances character and story.

Costume design is more than clothing—it’s visual storytelling. This workshop introduces participants to the professional methodology used by designers to interpret scripts and create costumes that reflect character, mood, and narrative themes. Through guided script readings, character analysis, and collaborative discussions, participants will learn how to identify key details such as period, social status, and emotional arcs. The program then moves into research, mood board creation, and design development, culminating in sketches , conceptual presentations and costume samples. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clear understanding of the designer’s role in shaping a story’s visual language.

Day 1: Reading the Script & Understanding the Story

Objective: Build a foundation for costume design by analyzing the script.

Activities:

  • Introduction to the role of costume design in storytelling.
  • First read-through: Identify genre, tone, setting, and major narrative shifts.
  • Group discussion: How costume supports character and plot.
  • Exercise: Annotate script pages for key visual cues (period, social status, mood).
  • Outcome: Participants understand how to extract essential information from the text.

Day 2: Character Analysis & Concept Development

Objective: Translate character arcs and themes into design concepts.

Activities:

  • Deep dive into character breakdown: personality, motivations, emotional journey.
  • Explore symbolism: colors, textures, and motifs linked to narrative themes.
  • Create mood boards and keyword associations for selected characters.
  • Introduction to research methods: historical, cultural, and visual references.
  • Outcome: Participants develop conceptual frameworks for costume design.

Day 3: Costume Plot & Sketching

Objective: Move from concept to structured design planning.

Activities:

  • Learn how to create a costume plot mapping changes across the story.
  • Demonstration: Sketching and rendering techniques for costume design.
  • Hands-on practice: Draft initial sketches for one or two characters.
  • Discussion on fabric selection, color palettes, and accessories.
  • Outcome: Participants produce preliminary designs and a costume plot.

Day 4: Collaboration & Practical Execution

Objective: Understand the production realities and finalize designs.

Activities:

  • Collaboration strategies: Working with directors and other departments.
  • Practical considerations: Fittings, movement, quick changes, and problem-solving.
  • Finalize sketches and present design concepts to the group.
  • Feedback session and Q&A with Mohamed Simba Elmur.
  • Outcome: Participants leave with a complete design concept and practical knowledge of execution.

The final outcomes of this workshop will be exhibited alongside the outcomes of the prop design workshop held in December 2025, as the participants of both workshops will have worked on the same script pages.

Mohammed “Simba” Elmur is a costume designer whose work has contributed to the Sudanese fashion movement with a number of avant-garde costume lines. He is also deeply involved in Sudan’s growing film industry by designing for several Sudanese productions, including You Will Die at Twenty (2019); Al-Sit (2020); Goodbye Julia (2023); and Cotton Queen (2025). He is also a filmmaker, with works that include the experimental fashion film Alfundug (2021). Through his practice, he explores how fabric, memory, and identity intersect within visual storytelling, using costume as a language to honour and reinterpret Sudanese narratives on screen. His work bridges tradition and contemporary expression, capturing the spirit of Sudan with a distinctive artistic eye. He continues to advocate for authentic storytelling within Sudanese cinema, while expanding his exploration of costume design within African and Arab film landscapes.

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