Costume design

on time, directed by xavier burgin

On Time is a short film exploring the trials of the working homeless. Renee Johnson has lost her job and her home, but desperately wants to build a better life for her seven-year-old daughter, Imani. When Renee finally receives a call for a promising position after six months of unemployment, she finds herself unable to reach her babysitter, and in an act of desperation, leaves Imani in the car as she goes in for her interview. Renee lands the job, but walks outside to find her decision has led to a much more terrible situation. 

For the costumes in this piece, I explored what it meant to have gone from being in the middle class to living out of one's car in the early twenty-first century. What essentials does a person hang on to as she tries to pull herself back up economically? How are individuals' financial situations visible through clothing, and how are they hidden?

On Time is a proof-of-concept piece from the larger feature script, Rough Around The Edges, which made it past the 1st round of The Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab. The full script follows Renee Johnson’s larger arc through the loss of her child, juvenile dependency court, and the fight to get back her daughter. It is also an official selection of The American Black Film Festival’s HBO Short Film Competition. 

Starring Inger Tudor, Araija DaCosta, Kevin Craig West, John Marrott, Louis Baker, Wesley Timmons, Kathy Goral, Meredith Riley, and Amani Starnes

Written by Tiara Marshall and Xavier Burgin

Produced by Kendra Cole, Tony Ducret, Tim Astor, and Mario Rodriguez

Cinematography by Mario Rodriguez

Editing by Angelica Lopez

Production Design by Guillermo Ortiz

Hair and Makeup by Yvette Rishton