Art Direction for Film and Video Read online

  Remember the Scuff

  Pay close attention to the crucial scuff area. See that the carpenters pay meticulous attention to this area because it will be seen in extreme closeup, which can reveal sloppy corner joints or flaws in the cabinet materials. The agency people will scrutinize the area where their product will work its magic. They will probably hire a kitchen stain and mess expert to create a scuff mark that can be easily removed.

  DESIGNING OTHER ENVIRONMENTS

  In the preceding photograph, you see a commercial set for another cleaning product that gives a different impression than our high-rise example. Notice the lighting. A cheery shaft of sunlight pours through the window and light haze from a haze generator provides atmosphere between the window and the backing. The window design, ceiling beams, and set decoration objects give the sense of a different type of owner than the other example couple. Notice the economical construction, which includes only the elements to be seen on camera, and the production clutter of the lighting instruments and crew.

  On the first shoot day, the art director hears a lot of comments – both positive and negative. Be flexible, willing to listen, and willing to change some things. As we have said before, personal taste enters into projects. If you have done the best job you can, be satisfied with that, and learn from whatever mistakes you may have made.

  •

  In the preceding chapters, we have seen examples of design and production successes as well as problems. The only way to get some real-life experience is to begin working in the art direction profession. Turn to the next chapter for some helpful tips on how to prepare and where to look.

  21

  HOW TO GET STARTED AND WHERE TO LOOK

  Where to begin? Let’s look at some allied fields and areas that may not set you to work designing sets right away, but are on the fringes of show work.

  Set decorator Deborah Lakeman started as a page (messenger) at NBC; she says:

  I studied interior design at the same time. Interior design is different from set decoration because it takes place over a longer period of time. The design part of it is similar, but a set decorator needs to know what the camera sees. Then I got a job as a production assistant and learned from the bottom up. That led to working for art directors as a shopper and then at CBS as an assistant to a set decorator. I got to know the prophouses, which are our main resource.

  Colin Irwin started his career as an actor when he was nine years old:

  When I got into high school, I migrated into set design and lighting. After high school, I went to USC for a while and then started designing for waiver theater (99-seat houses not covered by union rules) where you have no time and no money! I was lucky to get $200 for designing a play with a $300 budget. I did a music video and eventually landed a job with an art director I continued to work for. It’s been a slow progression of meeting people, learning skills, and being there learning.

  GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

  If you attend a college or university with a television and/or film department, present yourself at their doorstep. If you are an art student, see if the film and video department welcomes help with sets, lighting, and other production tasks. Learn as much as you can about the job they ask you to do, as well as lighting, sound, camera, writing, and carpentry. Your skills can complement the areas you want to learn about.

  Windows and Interiors

  Department store display departments are excellent places to use your three-dimensional design ability. The interesting presentation of store merchandise compares to the way sets present actors in a drama.

  Come on Now, Smile!

  Commercial photography offers other opportunities. Many still photographers employ stylists who collect props and arrange settings. In some cases, the stylist scouts locations for the photographer and makes alterations and additions.

  You’re Getting Closer

  Small theater groups welcome talented people to help with scenic work, especially if they show up when it’s time to do the work. Because budgets are small, little theater set design requires much improvisation, a useful skill to develop no matter what the budget size.

  Are You Connected?

  Cable television systems serve most communities and offer the use of their facilities to citizens who wish to put on their own programs. Many cable operators offer free instruction to anyone willing to spend a few class hours learning how to operate the equipment.

  GETTING YOUR ACT TOGETHER

  When you go to the big city to seek your fortune, you will discover many other people who are trying to do the same thing. The better prepared you are, the better your chances. Here are some suggestions.

  Your Portfolio Samples

  Look at your sketches and photos and select the ones that best represent your work. Slides are awkward to present for viewing, so get prints made and mount them, as well as other flat work, on the same size mat boards. The neatness shown by your presentation says a lot about your work habits to a prospective employer. Fold blueprints to manageable size. Rolled prints are troublesome to show, because they curl when unrolled. Carry your samples in a weatherproof, zipper-closed case. To show your model-making skills, use photographs.

  The Résumé

  Prepare a simple one-page résumé listing your education, work history, and other relevant skills. Include your address and phone number, of course. Remember, prospective employers see many résumés, are busy, and don’t have time to work their way through a tricky presentation such as a clever gift box. Have cards printed to accompany your résumé, and you do have an answering machine, don’t you?

  WHERE TO LOOK

  Now that you see how to prepare a portfolio and résumé, let’s look at where you can put all this equipment to use.

  Opportunities in Video Design

  The line between film and video production companies has blurred, because television uses both mediums. First, we will see where to begin looking for jobs in video.

  Local Television

  A small station in a local market is a good place to start. Because an art director in this situation does a little bit of everything, a designer with a modest amount of experience can focus interests and learn what set and graphic design require on a daily basis. Local public broadcasting stations maintain staffs of production people, and welcome volunteer workers as well.

  Most local stations have a network affiliation; that is, they are not owned by a network but agree to run a certain amount of programming produced by a network. Other stations are independent: They also produce some of their own programs, but buy syndicated material from independent producers. Art directors generally have more design freedom at independent or affiliated stations. A network-owned station art director generally has to follow a network-created graphic design program.

  Network Television

  The commercial television networks headquarters are in New York and Los Angeles. They produce programming, as well as buy from independent producers. In the past, when networks produced many of their own programs, they maintained larger staffs of art directors and graphic designers than they do now. Union rules cover jobs at these facilities.

  Independent Producers

  Art directors commonly work on a freelance basis for the companies that sell programming to networks and independent stations. Some of the larger independents employ staff art directors.

  Corporate Video

  Some large corporations maintain film and video production departments that produce information programs for use within the company. These programs present training, technical, corporate news, and employee-relations material.

  Motion Picture Opportunities

  Some designers move from video to motion picture work, where the pay is better and the productions more challenging. Many motion picture studios still employ staffs of art directors who may not work on a permanent basis, but are hired for limited periods. Feature films produced with studio facilities, but not studio productions, hire their own production desi
gners and art directors who work on a contract basis.

  The Union

  As in many other work areas, technicians and artists banded together to form organizations to oversee working conditions and salaries. Producers who sign union contracts are required to hire union members as long as they are available. Some producers work out alternative agreements that allow them to hire outside the union for certain jobs. Inquire locally for information on requirements for union membership.

  Nonunion Productions

  Many production designers and art directors start out working on nonunion productions, and many continue on this path. Without set rules, designers can work out their own agreements with producers. Some agents handle freelance art directors who have proven credits and good future career possibilities.

  Opportunities in Other Areas

  Now that equipment is easily transportable and location filming is popular, most states and cities have film offices that are responsible for attracting and helping film companies. These offices also maintain lists of available personnel and services, including art directors.

  HOW TO LOOK

  Production designer Larry Miller looks for staff members who have certain qualities:

  I like to find people who can get along with each other, and are good at follow up because the work is hard and the hours are disgusting. When I hire art directors, I must have people who are computer savvy, because we use the system to watch the budget.

  Line Up Interviews

  Ask for names of prospective employers and knowledgeable friends from people you already know. Look in phone book yellow pages and use specialized film and video directories. Get names of department heads and call them for appointments. Mass resume mailings sometimes get results, especially if mailed to specific people.

  Research the Company Needs

  A video or film supervising art director does not want to see examples of jewelry design or photographs of sunlight slanting through a picket fence, no matter how versatile you think you are. Find out what the company does and present yourself accordingly. Show examples specific to the prospective employer, a reason for creating a looseleaf portfolio. Edit your samples based on the demands of the interview.

  When the Phone Rings

  Be on time for interviews and better still, a few minutes early! Dress conservatively; you have not met the person you are going to see and don’t know what to expect. Green hair, a tee-shirt, and jeans might not fit the company’s image.

  Because you have done some research, show that you know something about your prospective employer and the company. Present your resume and wait till it’s scanned. Answer questions honestly. Your interviewer might call the references at the bottom of the page.

  Don’t give a guided tour through your samples, but fill in information if asked. Express thanks and leave your card along with your resume; many prospective employers say they will keep it on file, and most of them do. If the response, “Your work is very nice but we haven’t any openings right now” discourages you, don’t let it bother you too much. Just line up another interview when you get home. Your phone may ring tomorrow when a new production comes along.

  •

  Now that your head is reeling with all this advice, turn to the last section for some words of encouragement.

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  I have tried to present a realistic view of the production design and art direction professions by drawing on my own experience and by quoting other designers who have practical experience. This book is not intended to be a detailed textbook about design, but an overview of the work and the opportunities, and how to begin taking advantage of them.

  I have enjoyed and been excited by the magic since I saw my first stage show with a couple of comedians rowing a boat across what appeared to my six-year-old eyes as real water. “How did they do that?” I wondered. I have spent a major part of my life finding out how stage and film works and being a part of creations that enhance our lives and stimulate our imaginations.

  My hope is that you will get whatever you are seeking from this book and that you will find as much enjoyment and satisfaction as I have from working in the film and video world.

  •

  INDEX

  A

  Alien Nation 29

  Architect’s scale 78

  Architects 7

  recruited as set designers 6

  skills applied to movie sets 6

  Art department coordinator 4

  Art Directors

  assist production designer 4

  business sense 15

  deal with politics 13

  helpful personal qualities 14

  in television 8

  knowledge of lighting 14

  need to know materials 14

  range of knowledge 11

  recruited 6

  specialization 9

  what they need to know 11

  Aspect ratio

  film camera 21

  video camera 21

  Available light postproduction 34

  B

  Baby Boom 12

  Backings 26

  day and night 27

  in early movies 28

  photographic film 27

  process projection 28

  rental of 27

  sizes 27

  Backlots 6

  Battens 27

  Block, Bruce 3, 11–12, 29, 32

  Blue and green screen 34

  economics of 34

  Blueprinting 92

  Blues Brothers 2000 34

  Buckland, Wilfred 7

  Budget 4

  C

  Camera, pocket 12

  Camera, video 21

  Cecchi, Robert 11, 110

  Chairs 112

  Chromakey process 121

  Color 4

  additive mixing 13

  chips and sketches 13

  choosing paint tones 18

  choosing wallpaper 18

  demands on art directors 9

  exaggerated 17

  individual taste 17

  keyed to actors 12

  plan for sketches 73

  psychological effect 13

  subtractive mixing 13

  theory 13

  Commercials 125

  food stylist 127

  labeling products 127

  lighting 132

  production personnel 126

  sample script 128

  sketches and plans 127

  storyboards 126

  Construction 99

  getting bids 99

  supervision of 99

  detailing 89

  Construction drawings

  dimension lines 88

  elevation views 83

  indicating aging 90–91

  labeling 89

  numbering 89

  plan view 82

  title block 92

  Construction shop estimates 72

  Costs 72

  preliminary estimates 72

  Counterweights system 20

  Craftsmanship 17

  Cyclorama 21

  D

  DeMille, Cecil B 7

  Digital editing 8

  Directors

  film methods 53

  questions to ask 54

  video methods 54

  Disappearing Woman, The 30

  Drafting 13

  architecture and engineering 14

  computer-aided (CAD) 80

  done by set designers 13

  Drafting machine 77

  Drawing, as useful skill 12

  Drawing, temporary 85

  Drawing board 75

  Dump tanks 6

  E

  Edison, Thomas 4

  Erasers for drafting 77

  F

  Father of the Bride 3, 12

  Flamingo Kid 67

  Flats 23

  hardwall 23, 25

  plant-on 90

  softwall 23

  softwall description 23

/>   use of stock 92

  G

  Gibbons, Cedric 7

  Gone with the Wind 3–4, 7

  Ground surface treatment 65

  H

  Hansard Enterprises 32

  Hansard, Bill 32

  Home receiver adjustment 17

  I

  Illustrator 4

  Irwin, Colin 13, 29, 133

  J

  JFK 103

  K

  Keaton, Diane 12

  King Kong 30

  Kubrick, Stanley 34

  L

  L.A. Story 102

  Lakeman, Deborah 108, 133

  Lettering 88, 89

  Lighting 14

  backlight 44

  bad method 45

  fill light 44

  for actors 43

  for film 43

  for video 43

  good method 45

  grid 20

  instruments 44

  key light 44

  location 46

  methods of hanging stage lights 20

  Pipes 20

  platforms 20

  Lighting instrument controls 40

  barndoors 40

  color 41

  flags 41

  pattern 41

  reflectors 41

  silks 42

  Lighting instruments 37

  diffuse 37

  directional 37

  Lighting qualities

  diffuse 37

  directional 37

  Line weights 88–89

  Location 103

  alterations 108

  crew 108

  critique 110

  distance factor 103

  documenting 106–107

  personal equipment 107

  scouting 106

  union rules 107

  Lot system 6

  convenience of 6

  standing sets 6

  M

  Martin, Steve 3, 102

  Materials 14, 26

  for sketching 67

  Matte painting 31–32

  Méliés, George 29

  Menzies, William Cameron 3–4, 7

  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) as film factory 6

  Meyers/Shyer Company 3

  Miller, Larry 11, 67, 136