The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design

by LOBRUTTO,VINCENT

• ISBN13: 9781581152241
• ISBN10: 1581152248
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-05-17
• Publisher: Allworth Pr

Summary

Through firsthand knowledge and interviews with top production designers, the author shares with readers the aesthetic, narrative, and technical aspects of the craft of film production design.

Author Biography

Vincent LoBrutto is an instructor of film editing, film sound, film studies, and production design at the School of the Visual Arts and at Film/Video Arts. He has worked as a film editor for Fox and HBO and as a postproduction coordinator for ABC. He is a contributing writer to Films in Review, Cinemaeditor, American Cinematographer, and Moviemaker and is the author of five other books on film sound, editing, cinematography, and independent filmmaking. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
General Notes	xvii
What is Production Design?	1	(4)
A Brief Historical Perspective on Production Design in Motion Pictures	1	(1)
Production Design Is	2	(3)
Visualization of a Screenplay	5	(20)
The Trinity	6	(1)
Writing for the Screen	7	(1)
Writing the Screenplay with Design in Mind	7	(6)
Production Design as a Narrative Tool	13	(1)
The Vision Thing	14	(1)
A Production Designer's Credo	15	(1)
Communication	16	(1)
Breaking Down the Screenplay	16	(5)
Set Decoration	21	(1)
Props	21	(1)
Special Effects	22	(1)
Finding the Look of a Film	22	(2)
Exercises to Develop Visualization Skills	24	(1)
Design Metaphors	25	(8)
The Psychological Nature of Production Design	27	(1)
Atmospheric Qualities of Production Design	28	(1)
Translating the Narrative into Visual Ideas	29	(1)
Interpreting the Characters Visually	30	(1)
Establishing an Environment for Cinematic Storytelling	30	(1)
Visualization Exercises	31	(2)
Research	33	(10)
Design Files	34	(1)
Paintings	35	(2)
Photographs	37	(1)
Magazines	37	(1)
Literature	38	(1)
Video	39	(1)
Oral History	40	(1)
The Internet	40	(1)
Clearance and Permissions	41	(1)
Product Placement	41	(1)
Guidelines for Conducting Research	41	(2)
The Art Department	43	(14)
The Design Team	43	(1)
Art Director	44	(1)
Set Designer	44	(1)
Set Decorator	45	(1)
Lead Man	45	(1)
Swing Gang	45	(1)
Hair and Makeup	45	(3)
Construction Coordinator	48	(1)
Construction Crew	49	(1)
Property Master	50	(1)
Location Scout	50	(3)
Location Manager	53	(1)
Greensman	53	(1)
Buyer	53	(1)
Scenic Artist	53	(1)
Costume Designer	53	(1)
Production Illustrator	53	(2)
Draftsman	55	(1)
Set Dresser	56	(1)
The Production Designer's Responsibility to the Art Department	56	(1)
Understanding the Role of the Art Department During the Early Stages of Pre-production	56	(1)
Pre-Production	57	(20)
Concept Drawings	57	(1)
Approval	58	(4)
Storyboards	62	(1)
Drafting	63	(1)
Sample Exercises	63	(2)
Drafting Requirements and Standards	65	(1)
Plans	65	(5)
Location Scouting	70	(3)
Organizing the Property Department	73	(1)
Final Steps of Pre-production	73	(2)
Deadlines	75	(1)
Keeping Ahead of the Company	75	(1)
Cover Sets	76	(1)
Pre-production Advice	76	(1)
Color	77	(12)
The Color Palette	78	(4)
A Concise Lesson in the Nature of Color	82	(1)
Color Theory	82	(2)
Black-and-White Filmmaking	84	(1)
Color Correction	85	(1)
Developing a Color Sense	85	(1)
Discovering Color	86	(3)
Texture	89	(4)
Aging Wood	90	(1)
Aging Stone	90	(1)
The Role and Purpose of Aging in Production Design	90	(2)
Learning About Texture	92	(1)
Architecture	93	(10)
The Development of Shot Design and Sequential Storytelling Through Production Design	94	(1)
The Development of Applying Design Aesthetic to Cinematic Storytelling	95	(2)
The Modernist School of Design Makes an Impact on the Look of Films	97	(1)
The Architect as Production Designer	98	(1)
Construction	99	(1)
Use of Space	99	(1)
Post-modern Film Design	100	(2)
Learning More About Architecture	102	(1)
Period Films	103	(8)
Time	105	(1)
Time and Place	105	(6)
Genres	111	(18)
Research	111	(15)
Genre Is Storytelling	126	(1)
Genre Exercises	127	(2)
Budget and Scheduling	129	(6)
Budgeting	129	(1)
Projecting the Production Design Budget	130	(2)
Scheduling	132	(1)
Budgeting Tips	132	(3)
Working in the Studio	135	(16)
Advantages of Shooting in the Studio	136	(1)
Safety Procedures	137	(1)
The Grid	137	(1)
Workshops and Tools of the Art Department	138	(1)
Flats	138	(1)
Materials and Use	139	(1)
Painting	140	(1)
Three-Dimensional Weight-Bearing Construction	141	(1)
Bracing the Set	141	(1)
Methods for Anchoring Objects to Flats	142	(1)
Openings	142	(1)
Cycloramas	143	(2)
Ceilings	145	(1)
Floors and Ground Areas	145	(1)
Procedures for Building and Erecting Sets in a Studio	146	(1)
Camera Blocking in the Studio	147	(1)
Rehearsals	147	(1)
Striking the Set	148	(1)
Storage	148	(1)
Transportation of the Set	149	(1)
Getting Familiar with Working in the Studio	149	(2)
Working on Location	151	(8)
Scouting Locations	151	(1)
Transforming a Location	152	(1)
Shooting at One Location for Another	152	(1)
Matching a Location and Studio Work	153	(1)
Putting It All Together	154	(1)
Tips for Working on Location	154	(5)
Low-Budget Productions	159	(4)
Keeping the Production Design Budget Down	160	(3)
Guerrilla Filmmaking	163	(2)
Digital Production Design	165	(6)
Pre-CAD Effects	165	(2)
CAD Production Design	167	(1)
Virtual Production Design	167	(1)
CGI in Contemporary Film Production	168	(1)
Successfully Merging CGI Technology with Production Design	168	(1)
Computer Animation	168	(1)
The Future of Digital Moviemaking	169	(2)
How to Find a Production Designer	171	(2)
Appendix A / 100 Significant Films for Further Study of Production Design	173	(2)
Appendix B / Glossary	175	(6)
Appendix C / Bibliography	181	(4)
Appendix D / Tools for Further Research	185	(2)
A Final Word	187	(2)
Index	189