The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design

by Vincent LoBrutto

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581152241
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	05/01/2002
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,144,467
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

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

Editorial Reviews

In this outstanding book on production design, LoBrutto, an independent filmmaker and freelance film editor, goes to great lengths to cover the essentials-storyboarding, set decoration, budgeting, architecture, screenwriting, props, and wardrobe. He begins with an explanation of and introduction to design before dedicating a chapter to each particular facet of production, including one on genres with useful research techniques. LoBrutto tells readers step by step what to do and then illustrates his points by discussing scenes from different films that students can watch to understand and appreciate fully the scope of the text. Ending each chapter are practice exercises to reinforce the techniques. LoBrutto includes a list of 100 films to study, a glossary of terms, plus tools for further research. Ward Preston's What an Art Director Does: An Introduction to Motion Picture Production Design covers much of the same material but is more anecdotal; LoBrutto's book is an in-depth manual for serious filmmakers. This guide should be in every academic library where there is a strong film program, and public libraries may want to consider it as well. Highly recommended.-Rosalind Dayen, Broward Cty. South Regional Lib., Pembroke Pines, FL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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