ProductionDesign

- Moulin Rouge

To Kill a Mockingbird

Titanic

Citizen Kane

Star Wars

Academy Award Winnersfor Art Direction

Academy Award Winners

for Art Direction

Production Design

The visual elements of film production

set design and construction

locations

decor

props and costumes

History

1899

first sets

two-dimensional

immovable

resembled theater backdrops

History (Cont.)

1916 - “Intolerance”

first full-scale sets

three-dimensional

History (cont.)

1939 - “Gone With the Wind”

sweeping cinematic vision

costly

expansive

Set Design

like costumes must “fit” the film

what kind of space should be used - open and airly or closed-in and dark

Set Design“Gone with the Wind”

architectural features on set or on location

sets must accomodate the camera and its limitations.

cameras can move three-dimensionally

lighting will also change from one place to another

1. Examine this painting for the architecture. Notice how the room is shaped, where the windows are placed and where the light is coming from.

2. Now, do the same for significant scenes in your film. Discuss how the set plays a role in setting the mood of the film.

Once the room is created...

props, furnishings, plants, food

reveal character traits

can advance the story as in the hourglass in the Wizard of Oz

set decorations must match the time period

consult with scientists and engineers for futuristic scenes

1. Examine your film’s set decorations. 2. Are they appropriate to the time period of your film? 3. Would your character own these things?

Color

work with costume/makeup

historically accurate

symbolic meaning

indicate state of mind of character

is the film black and white

Texture

soft velvets v. rough burlap v. smooth leather

1. Think about your own home or room. 2. What “set decorations” and color do you surround yourself with? 3. Now, look at your film. What “set decorations” and colors do your characters surround themselves with? 4. What color palettes did the art director choose?

Art Direction

two divisions - designs and clueprints and furnishings, costumes, props

storyboards, sketches and models