Art Direction for Film and Video Page 7
What Colors?
Have a color plan in mind. Decide what general color impression the set should have. Unless the set walls need to be very colorful to suit the characters and story, use grayed-down tones to keep the set from calling attention to itself and to provide a telling but unobtrusive background. Save bright colors for appropriate accents in the furniture and other set decoration.
Use markers, crayons, or pencils to color your mounted sketch. Liquid mediums can make the print wrinkle. If you need to make color copies of the finished sketch, laser copying machines do an excellent, faithful job.
THE TOUR BUS IS LEAVING
Sketch presentation can cause butterflies in the stomach, but if you have done your homework, carefully analyzed the problems, and accurately estimated costs, relax and see what happens. Give a guided tour around the drawing, fabric swatches, and color samples. Point out camera-angle opportunites. Chances are that your worst fears will not be realized and you will not have to slink out of the room with your sketches under your arm. Be willing to listen to suggestions and profit by them. It’s possible you may have overlooked something.
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When your sketch has impressed one and all, it’s time to convert your design into construction drawings that will tell the carpenters what to build. To make the construction drawings, you will need a few more tools, which are described in the next chapter.
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TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
The producer and director think your sketches are inspired and have told you to go ahead with the pilot project. What now? Do you just take the sketches to the construction shop and tell them to build it? No. Building from sketches is an emergency measure when time is short and experienced set builders can tackle the job.
We are not going to work that way—taking what seems to be the easy way out. We are going to do it the right way by making construction drawings for bids. For this stage, you will need some more aids – more pencils, a T-square, an architect’s scale, and triangles.
YOUR DRAWING BOARD
A drawing board should be flat, have perfectly straight edges, and possess corners that form 90° angles. Get the largest size board you can accommodate. Boards smaller than 24" x 30" are not useful for making construction drawings. Boards 30" x 40" or larger serve most purposes. A table and a couple of blocks to prop up your board work, but if you want to spend more money, get a board with legs or a pedestal. Make sure the board doesn’t shake when leaned on.
Be kind to that piece of wood. Remember that dents or holes will make dents and holes in your drawings when your pencil passes over the tracing paper. Art supply stores sell many types of cover materials to protect the wood’s surface. Once again, don’t use pushpins to fasten your drawings. Later, as projects roll in, you may want to invest in a drafting table with an adjustable, slanted surface.
DRAFTING PAPER
Remember, we said earlier that tracing paper by the roll is the best way to go. Buy good quality paper for finished construction drawings, but you can use less-expensive paper for preliminary drawings unless you expect to do a lot of erasing. Art supply stores sell tracing sheets with printed borders and title blocks. These sheets cost more and look impressive, but force you to work within the border confines, unlike roll tracing paper which lets you draw your own borders and title blocks.
Another type of tracing paper has a ⅛" or ¼" grid printed in light blue that does not reproduce in the blueprint process; the grid is useful as a guide when your T-square, architect scale, and triangles are not available.
PENCILS
If you use ink, fiber-tipped, or ballpoint pens to make construction drawings, erasing is impossible. The following are three common types of pencils and lead holders.
1. Wood-bodied lead pencils are the cheapest, but require constant sharpening and replacement. A pencil extender can squeeze the last bit of use out of a short pencil. Hand-crank and electric sharpeners, knives, and sandpaper blocks work on this pencil.
2. Metal lead-holders use the same lead thicknesses as the wood type, but need only replacement of the lead in the holder. Sharpen these leads with a sandpaper block, knife, or drafting lead pointer.
3. Mechanical pencils commonly use 0.5 or 0.7 millimeter leads which remain the same width and renew themselves by a push on the top of the pencil; no sharpener needed. Each lead thickness requires its own holder.
Choose whichever type of pencil seems right for you. Start with two lead hardnesses: 2H for heavy lines, and 4H for the light lines. Everyone has favorites. Retired art directors rocking on the porch at The Home for Old Art Directors while away many hours arguing the pros and cons of the lead pencil, lead holder, and mechanical pencil. Some like to use only one lead hardness, and, by bearing down with various pressures, make different line weights. Others argue for many pencils holding several lead types.
ERASERS
Erasers such as the Pink Pearl™ work fine for eliminating sketch and construction-drawing pencil lines. If you plan to do a lot of erasing and hate to throw a drawing in the wastebasket, invest in an electric eraser. This device will make everyone think you are an experienced pro or wonder if you make a lot of mistakes.
YOUR T-SQUARE
T-squares are guides for drawing smooth horizontal lines and serve as plastic triangle bases for vertical lines or lines at angles. For construction drawing, a plain wood T-square with transparent plastic edges works well.
Get a square the length of the long edge of your drawing board. Buy the best quality you can afford, but avoid fancy versions. They can look great, but may not perform as well as the standard model with an AM radio and blackwall tires.
People who do a lot of drafting frequently use a drafting machine, which combines the functions of a T-square, triangles, and architect’s scale. This machine does not do the drafting for you, but is an arrangement of counterbalanced metal rods arranged like a human arm. The pivoted top clamps to the drawing board top and the head features a knurled knob, which controls two transparent architect’s scales at right angles to each other. The knob can turn the scales to any angle, which eliminates the need for the T-square and an array of plastic triangles. Spring tension holds the scales at any position on the drawing board, even when the board is in a near vertical position.
T-Square Don’ts
Don’t do any of the following:
• Use it for a hammer
• Cut along its edges
• Allow it to fall on its head
• Let it get wet
• Leave it in the sun
• Let kids play with it
• Loan it to anyone
ARCHITECTS SCALE
If we were to make drawings in a 1’ to 1’ scale, our drawings would be as large as the set itself, so someone invented the architect’s scale. With this scale, you can convert full-size foot-and-inch measurements into smaller units that represent feet and inches. Be sure to get an architect’s scale; not an engineer’s scale which uses a different system. Scales come in different shapes and sizes. The triangular style has two scale systems on each of its three edges. Flat scales have two systems on each of their two edges, and come in short and long sizes. The short model is easy to carry and looks very professional sticking out of your pocket, but the longer sizes are better for drafting board use. Most construction drawings for film and video use ¼" equals 1’ and ½" equals 1’ scale.
The same don’ts apply to architect’s scales as those listed for T-squares, plus don’t draw lines against the edges. This bad practice can spoil the accuracy of the tiny marks. Above all, don’t hurl the scale across the room when things go wrong.
TRIANGLES
These useful pieces of transparent plastic have three perfectly straight edges placed at different angles to each other. When a triangle is placed on your paper with one edge snugged against the T-square, edge, you can draw vertical lines and lines at angles. A 30-60-90-degree triangle has three corners available for drawing those angl
es. The same system applies to a 45-45-90-degree triangle. An adjustable triangle allows you to draw any angle.
YOUR WORK AREA
You need a place to work. This does not mean that you need a big studio with skylights. Dream about that for the future. The corner of a room with a drawing board, stool, lamp, and a small chest of drawers in which to keep the stuff we’ve been talking about works well.
If you have not splurged on a pedestal or legged drawing board, be creative. Support your board at an angle on a table; use stacked boxes for storage; and fasten a piece of soft composition board to the wall for pinning up drawings and ideas. Pushpins work well here, but not on your drawing board.
COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING
A basic computer-aided drafting (CAD) system requires a powerful computer with plenty of memory and hard disk space, CAD software, and a plotter that can make large prints.
Some studios that produce daily shows such as daytime dramas and game shows, have found the CAD system useful, because it allows rapid day-to-day set drawing changes without hand redrafting or using overlays to make prints. However, designers familiar with the CAD system have to make the changes.
If you want to consider buying a system, find someone who uses one on a daily basis, and see what they have to say about its practicality for individual designers.
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With sketches and basic tools at hand, let’s go on to the next chapter and begin the construction drawings.
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THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Now that you have done the research, the producer and director have approved the sketches, and your drawing board and tools are ready, the next step is to translate the sketches into working drawings for the construction shop.
TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Film and video drafting differs from other types. Engineering and architectural drafting require precise detail, because the products made from these types of drawings have to last a long time and are manufactured to close tolerances. Film and video drafting, however, uses many standard units, such as flats, platforms, and backings, and displays mostly surfaces instead of internal structure. Engineers and architects are horrified by what appears to be sloppy work on set construction prints, but such prints are standard to set carpenters who are not concerned with close tolerances.
This is not to say that your drawings can be sloppy, but that they should show as much precision and detail as necessary, based on standard set-construction practice. For example, you need not draw the backs of flats because set carpenters know how they should look.
Shops need specific information to determine material and labor charges. If you work for a producer who does not have studio construction facilities available, print several sets of your construction drawings for shop bids.
If you work at a studio with a construction shop, your drawings will be reviewed by an estimator to determine costs. If you have designed a set that exceeds the cost estimated in the budget, simplify the design by cutting down on the amount of detailing or changing the size of units, unless you can talk the producer into allowing more money.
The Plan View
Begin with temporary drawings, which you will arrange under the full sheet tracing paper in the last step. Draw a temporary plan view of Patty’s living room. The plan view shows the set from the top with no perspective. Look at your sketch and decide how wide the upstage wall should be. Remember that sets usually look larger on camera than they do to the eye. Measure a familiar room for comparison.
Tape a 12" x 14" piece of tracing paper to your drawing board. With your T-square head snugly against the left edge of the drawing board (if you are right-handed), slide the square in place with your left hand and draw a light line across the paper about two inches from the top. With the 1/2" equals 1’side of your architect’s scale on the light line, make a dot at the O-feet mark and another dot at the number you have determined will be the width of the upstage living room wall
Draw the right and left walls by the same method—T-square, light line, architect’s scale, dots, and heavy line – using a vertical triangle edge with the right-angle edge against the T-square.
Furnish the Room
Indicate some major pieces of furniture (as seen from above) if you wish, just to see how these objects fit into the set, but draw them to scale also. Art supply stores stock templates with shapes representing tables, chairs, sofas, and kitchen appliances in various scales.
You have now finished the temporary plan view of Patty’s living room, but without any dimension numbers or lines that you will add on the full sheet drawing. For the present, leave this temporary drawing simple, without adding windows and doors, because those will go on the full sheet.
The Elevation Views
The plan view shows the set from the top with no perspective. Now draw three temporary elevation views – just the outlines that show the walls as though you are standing in front of them. By now you are familiar with your trusty T-square, triangles, and architect’s scale, so make individual (from the front) views of the left wall, back wall, and right wall. Show the walls ten feet high and the same width of the walls shown on the plan view.
THE NEXT STEP
With your T-square as a guide, line up the three elevation drawings in the top third of your drawing board about three inches apart. Place the plan drawing a couple of inches below the left wall elevation drawing, and tape all in place.
Transfer Temporary Drawings
Tear off a piece of tracing paper large enough to cover all the temporary drawings and tape it in place at the corners. Allow room around the edges of the large piece of paper to draw borders and a title block at the bottom right corner. Trace the outlines of the temporary drawings on the large paper.
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Now you have the foundation for the construction drawing. In the next chapter, we will add dimension lines, numbers, and the rest of the building information.
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FINISHING THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
One of the most satisfying aspects of the art director’s job is to see the dressed and lit sets standing on the stage. Before this can happen though, the next step is to finish the drawings.
TRANSFER THE DRAWINGS
What you should have now is a row of three elevation drawings of Patty’s living room at the top of your large sheet of tracing paper, and a plan view of the room at the lower left, with a generous amount of blank space around the edges of the drawing sheet.
Now that you have traced the major outlines, remove the individual temporary drawings from under the large sheet. Save the temporary drawings just in case.
During the tracing process, some of the pencil lines from the surfaces of the individual drawings may have transferred themselves to the back of the large sheet Turn the large sheet over, erase the unwanted lines, and tape the sheet back to your drawing board.
Lettering
Soon you will need to do some lettering. Practice by drawing three light guidelines on a piece of paper, and fill some practice sheets. If you have a lot of difficulty at first, buy a lettering template. As your skill improves, you will develop your own style without the template.
Line Weights
Use three line weights (thicknesses): heavy for the outlines of the flats, medium for the lettering and stagefloor line, and light for the dimension lines. Practice drawing the three types of lines on another sheet of paper until you can produce lines that are clearly different from one another. Remember that very light lines will not reproduce well in the blueprinting process.
Draw a medium-weight, continuous line across the bottom of the three elevation views. Letter “Stage Floor” just below the line to show that the flats will stand on the stage floor and are not suspended above it.
Begin drawing dimension lines with your lightweight line far enough away from the heavy outline to leave room for the height or width numbers. If the flats are all the same height, just draw the dimension line once. Indicate the ends
of dimension lines with a light horizontal or vertical line and a dot or small slash where the lines cross. This little end line should not touch the outline, because carpenters may think it is a line to build.
Letter in the numbers showing the flat heights and widths. Make the numbers clear so that they stand out from the weight of the dimension lines. When you have finished the dimension lines and numbers, stand back from the drawing and see if the flat outlines stand out clearly. If not, make the outlines bolder.
Begin Labeling the Flats
About an inch below the stagefloor line, draw light guidelines below the row of elevation drawings. On this line and centered below each of the three wall flats, draw a 1/2"-diameter circle with a circle template or compass. On the plan drawing, draw the same size circle about a half inch away from the inside of the wall lines and draw an arrow around the circle pointing at the wall line.
Beginning with the left-side flat elevation drawing, put a letter A inside the circle, a B inside the middle flat circle, and a C inside the right flat circle, and the word “Elevation.” Put the corresponding letter inside the circle-arrows on the plan view. Now, no one will have any trouble seeing which flat is which on both views.
LOOK AT THE DETAILS
At this point, the drawing only shows flat surfaces with dimension lines. Begin the fun part by adding elements that will give the drawing interest and life—paneled doors, door frame moldings, wall-surface treatments, windows, baseboards, and light switches. Long unbroken wall surfaces can be uninteresting unless you have a reason to make them so. Break the monotony by adding jogs in the walls. Also, when the wall run is long, it will be constructed of several pieces, which means there will be joints to cover. If the wall has a textured surface, the irregularities won’t show, but try using short flats planted on (covering) over the joints or on long wall runs. Remember that the cameras will see only portions of the set in most shots, so long blank sections may look awkward. Indicate wall-surface treatments on the elevation views. Show wallpaper pattern and paint-chip numbers and relevant information for the scenic artists who will paint the set. Provide paint-chip samples for the painters, and indicate the amount of day-to-day wear the set should reveal by showing the amount of aging: light, medium, or heavy. Detail drawings of complex moldings or other architectural features may be too small to clearly explain on a ½"- or ¼"-scale construction drawing. Indicate these by lettering “Detail A on sheet 2” with an arrow showing where the piece occurs and make a construction drawing in larger scale on another drawing sheet with appropriate labels.