THE Filmmaker’s Guide TO Production Design Vincent LoBrutto ©2002 Vincent LoBrutto All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and Pan-American Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. 06 05 04 03 02 5 4 3 2 1 Published by Allworth Press An imprint of Allworth Communications, Inc. 10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010 Cover and interior design by Joan O’Connor, New York, NY Page composition/typography by Sharp Des!gns, Inc., Lansing, MI Cover photograph: Photograph of scale model for the production design of the television adaptation Death of a Salesman (1986), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, production designer, Tony Walton. Courtesy Tony Walton, The American Museum of the Moving Image, and the CBS Television Network. ISBN: 1-58115-224-8 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA LoBrutto, Vincent. The filmmaker’s guide to production design / Vincent LoBrutto. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58115-224-8 1. Motion pictures—Art direction. 2. Motion pictures—Setting and scenery. I. Title. PN1995.9.A74 L63 2002 791.43'025—dc21 2002007998 Printed in Canada For Reeves Lehmann and Salvatore Petrosino This page intentionally left blank 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 V 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 VI 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 . ..