NYFA Student Mara Knight works as a Costume Designer on the music video for Ed Sheeran's song "That's On Me"

Mara Knight is a current NYFA student in the Associate Filmmaking program in LA, graduating this August. They are a costume designer, filmmaker and an Academy Gold Rising Alum. Recently Mara worked as a costume designer on Ed Sheeran's music video for the song "That's On Me" directed by NYFA Alum Beatriz Santamaria Pinha. Mara shared with us their passion for costume design and their experience working on the video in collaboration with fellow NYFA students and alumni.

NYFA Alumni Network: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from, and what brought you to New York Film Academy?

M.K: My name is Mara Knight. I’m from Manistee, Michigan, a small town built in the Victorian era. Growing up around so many old buildings (and ghost stories) first sparked my interest in historical costuming. By the time I was 11 years old, I would buy old prom dresses from Goodwill and try to turn them into 19th century ball gowns. At that age, they were very simple designs. As I got older, my skills increased. I learned how to use a sewing machine, alter garments, and self draft patterns; then recreate costumes from my favorite films.

While I was deeply passionate about the art of creating clothing, and considered pursuing fashion design as an undergraduate degree, I knew I didn’t want to design apparel for sale. I wanted to tell stories, by creating costumes for characters. 

After receiving a scholarship offer from the New York Film Academy, I moved to Los Angeles to study filmmaking. I wanted to understand the complete process of making a movie, how writers and directors envisioned characters from the inside out, and where I, as a costume designer, fit into that storytelling process.

During my associate’s degree, a career mentor at the New York Film Academy encouraged me to apply to the Academy of Motion Picture Art’s Gold Rising program - specifically, the costume design production track. I was one of 7,749 people applying to the Gold Rising program in 2023. Now, I am both proud and grateful to say that I am one of the 90 applicants who became Gold Alumni that summer.

NYFA Alumni Network: What projects have you worked on? 

M.K: After graduating from Academy Gold Rising, I quickly received offers to work for shorts and music videos being produced in Los Angeles. One of those offers was to be the costume designer for an Ed Sheeran music video: That’s On Me. 

Working on this music video led to many more job opportunities over the past months. Currently, I’ve just completed work as the costume designer for a feature length vertical film. I’ll be posting production stills (when they’re no longer confidential) and more career updates on my Instagram @maraknightproductions .

NYFA Alumni Network: Tell us more about working as a costume designer for an Ed Sheeran music video? How did you get involved in the project?

M.K: I first met the director of the Ed Sheeran music video, Beatriz Santamaria Pinha, at NYFA. She knew I was a Gold Rising alum, and was familiar with my fantasy cosplay work. One day, she called me and told me how she’d been chosen to direct the video. I was so happy for her! She’s a huge Ed Sheeran fan, and I knew how much this meant to her.

And then - she asked me to join the project as the costume designer. Of course I said yes. I was very excited to work with Beatriz, because I knew she would bring so much to the table. As a former Marvel intern, she had a world of professional experience and creativity to apply to her directing.

NYFA Alumni Network: How was the process of designing the costumes? What was the inspiration behind them?

M.K: It became a wonderful collaboration. From the very beginning, Beatriz had a strong vision for the project.  One of the first things we did was study the promotional material Ed Sheeran released for this album, Autumn Variations. It was filmed in an old school, infomercial format. 

The music video would reflect the vintage feel of the infomercials - so I knew the costumes needed to, as well. Most garments were thrifted, giving them that “worn out” look, making it seem like the character had owned them for years. 

The video follows the life of an elderly man, Alger, a retired biker who struggles with anxiety and depression. I knew in the beginning, he should wear very muted colors to reflect his depression. After the location scout, I decided muted blues, browns, and grays would best complement the set.

An important aspect of Alger’s character is that he broke his foot. That meant all the clothing he wore had to be easy to get on and off. He’s relying on crutches to stand, so he wouldn’t want to deal with any complicated buttons, or struggle to get his pants on over his medical boot. 

I also leaned into the comedic elements of Beatriz’s script. For example, when Alger is learning the art of flower arrangements, I put him in his leather motorcycle jacket. I loved playing with the contrast of this “tough guy” who’s actually soft at heart (and sleeps with a teddy bear!).

Because Ed Sheeran’s album is titled Autumn Variations, I was drawn to the cozy feeling of fall. Alger’s often in warm sweaters, but with the sleeves rolled up to showcase his tattoos. When he’s in a sleeveless shirt, it’s paired with long pants to maintain the illusion that it’s a chilly autumn day.

The actor, Skip Howland, was also a source of inspiration. He is a real motorcyclist (and in fact, is featured as a biker in Ed Sheeran’s previous video, Overpass Graffiti). We used some of his real wardrobe items - such as his motorcycle helmet and leather vest - to create authenticity for the character Alger. 

We were always weaving in hints that this character was a biker, wherever we could. For example, at one point I have him in this white tank top that’s covered with old oil stains. It’s what he’d wear when repairing his bike.

Our production designer, NYFA alum Dani Taouil, was another great collaborator on this project. I love looking back on the video, seeing how our designs worked together. My favorite example of this is the final scene, where Alger picks up the book he’s written about his life as a biker. The yellow and red hues on the cover (custom made by Dani) paired perfectly with his costume, an orange plaid shirt with red accents.

Everyone was on their A-game for this video. I’m so glad to have been a part of this project, and certainly look forward to working with them again in the future.

NYFA Alumni Network: What did you learn from NYFA that you applied directly to this project and others?

M.K: Collaborating with different departments at NYFA gave me so many unique  perspectives on how costumes fit into the world of the film. 

A director wants to know how the character’s motivations are expressed by what they choose to wear. A cinematographer thinks about how the camera exposure will be affected by a garment - a white shirt will bounce light everywhere. A production designer considers the color palette of the set and furniture, and we’ll work to harmonize the costumes with their surroundings. 

An assistant director will break down the number of costume changes per day, and make sure we schedule appropriate time for this in between scenes. A producer will ask if we can return the costumes at the end of the show’s run.

I’m very grateful for the directing and production design instructors at NYFA. They sought me out to volunteer as a costume supervisor at their workshops. Working for a DGA director and a professional production designer gave me so much insight into the industry’s standards. Given this experience, I was filled with confidence to progress from working on student sets, to being hired as a department head on independent productions.

NYFA Alumni Network: Where can people see your work and are you working on a new project?

M.K: I always post updates of what I’m working on at my personal account, @maraknightproductions , and would love to connect with people there. 

I’m also excited to share that my short film, Seafoam, is in the final stages of post-production. We’ll soon be submitting for a festival run, after which it will be available online for everyone to view. You can connect with us on the official Instagram account @seafoamshortfilm to follow our journey!

And of course, the music video That’s On Me is available on Ed Sheeran’s YouTube channel. I highly recommend you check it out. :)

NYFA congratulates Mara on all their success!