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The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design - Paperback | Diverse Reads

The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design

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Learn to turn a simple screenplay into a visual masterpiece! Top production designers share their real-life experiences to explain the aesthetic, narrative, and technical aspects of the craft. Step by step, aspiring filmmakers will discover sound instruction on the tools of the trade, and established filmmakers will enjoy a new outlook on production design. They will learn, for example, the craft behind movie magic–such as how to create a design metaphor, choose a color scheme, use space, and work within all genres of film, from well-funded studio projects to "guerilla filmmaking." This indispensable resource also contains a history of movie making and guidelines for digital production design. For the experienced filmmaker seeking new design ideas to the struggling newcomer stretching low-budget dollars, this book makes the processes and concepts of production design accessible.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

ISBN-13: 9781581152241

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Allworth

Publication Date: 05-01-2002

Pages: 224

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

Vincent LoBrutto is an instructor of motion picture editing and film studies for the School of Visual Arts Department of Film, Video, and Animation. He has worked as a film editor for Fox and HBO and as a postproduction coordinator for the ABC television network. He is editor of and a contributing writer to CinemaEditor magazine. A special member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE), he also contributes to Cineaste and Film Quarterly. LoBrutto is the author of several books on filmmakers and filmmaking, including The Filmmaker’s Guide to Production Design and The Art of Motion Picture Editing (Allworth Press). He lives in Mount Vernon, New York.

Table of Contents

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