Honors Thesis Honors Program

4-29-2019

Production Design in the Film and Television Space: An Analysis Production Design in the Film and Television Space: An Analysis

Kaitlyn N. Ryan Loyola Marymount University, kryan28@lion.lmu.edu

Charles Howard Loyola Marymount University

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Ryan, Kaitlyn N. and Howard, Charles, "Production Design in the Film and Television Space: An Analysis" (2019). Honors Thesis. 197. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/honors-thesis/197

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Production Design in the Film and Television

Space: An Analysis

A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction

of the requirements of the University Honors Program

of Loyola Marymount University

by

Kaitlyn Ryan

29 April 2019

KaitlynRyan

PRODA460–Prof.CharlesHoward

FinalResearchPaper

29April2019

ProductionDesignintheFilmandTelevisionSpace:AnAnalysis

Oftentimes,whenwethinkofourfavoritenarrativefilmortelevisionseries,thefirst

thingsthatcometomindarethegrippingstory,thewittydialogue,andtheimpeccable

performances.However,justasimportant,thoughoftenseamlessenoughtoflyunderthe

radar,istheproductiondesignandartdirectionofthefilm.Productiondesignhelpslaythe

atmosphericfoundation,transformingaplainstageintoaneighteenthcenturycastleora1970s

discoandcreatingaworldfortheaudiencetobringthemselvesinto.However,notall

productiondesigninnecessarilycreatedequal—norisitmeanttobe.AsIhavelearnedmore

abouttheartdepartment,Ihavenoticedthattheproductiondesignintheaveragefilmseems

tobemoreelaborateandextensivethanthatoftelevision,especiallytraditionalnetworkor

cabletelevisionshows.WhilemorerecentshowssuchasGameofThronesmayhavesomeof

thesprawlingsettingstypicaltofilm,thatisfarfromthecaseinmostotherbelovedshowslike

FriendsorTheBigBangTheory,whichappeartohavesmallersetsandfewerlargedesign

elements.WhileIhadaninitialideaastothereasonsforthisdisparityaswellasthe

consequencesofthoseelements,Iwantedtodoadeeperinvestigationintothedifferences

betweenproductiondesignforfilmandtelevision.Afterconcludingmyresearch,Ihavefound

that,indeed,duetothedifferencesinthemediums,themethodologiesfordoingproduction

designinfilmandtelevisionarenecessarilydifferent,asbothcanfallvictimtoanumberof

disparateconstraintsandlimitationsthataffecttheartdepartment.However,alargepartof

thedifferencealsocomesdowntotheindividualdesigner,aswellastheintentionsofthefilm

orTVshow.Tofurtherexplainthisconclusion,Iwillgiveabriefoverviewofthehistoryand

generalmethodologyofproductiondesignasawhole.Iwillthendiveintomyresearchonthe

subject,whichincludesscholarlyarticlesandfirst-andsecond-handinterviews.Iwillthen

concludewithacasestudyofnotableproductiondesignersJudyBeckerandIanPhillips.

Filmasamediumhasbeenaroundforoveracentury,andthroughoutthattime,theart

ofproductiondesignhasevolvedaconsiderableamount.Originally,setswerefairlyflatand

simple;asfilmbecamemoreprominentandsetsbecomemoreelaborateandartistic,however,

theideaoftheartdepartmentcametobe.In1924,sixty-threeartprofessionalsinthefilm

worldcametogetherCinemagundiClub,whichwasa“socialandnetworking”organizationof

artdirectors(Stephens).Later,in1929—twoyearsafterthefirstAcademyAwardforArt

Directionwasawarded—theArtDirectorsLeaguewasformedasatrueunionforart

professionalsonfilmsets,althoughtheDepressionlargelyundercuttheirefforts(Baugh),

althoughartdirectorswereeventuallyabletoformthemoresuccessfulSocietyofMotion

PictureArtDirectorsin1937(Stephens).Theterminologyevolvedatthispointaswell,with

CedricGibbonsandHansDerier,atMGMandParamountrespectively,beingthefirsttohave

thetitleof“supervisingartdirector”(Stephens).Intermsoftitlesandjobdescriptions,notably

absentatthistimewastheterm“productiondesigner.”Upuntiltheendofthe1930s,mostof

theartworksimplyfelltotheartdirectors.However,in1939,anartdirectornamedWilliam

CameronMenzies,whohadpreviouslywonthefirstAcademyAwardforArtDirection,began

workonGonewiththeWind.Trainedasastudioartistandillustrator,“histechniquewasto

sketchouteveryshotinthemoviebeforefilming,whichallowedhimtocreateadistinctoverall

toneandmoodtothefilm,whilealsogivinghimmorecontrolovertheentireproductionthana

typicalsetdesigner”(Curtis/Miller).Heprioritizedcohesionandputanunprecedentedamount

ofworkintoGonewiththeWind,whichshowsinitselaboratesetsandwell-puttogetherlook.

Additionally,hewasoneofthefirsttotrytoworkexclusivelytoscale,ratherthanusing

miniatures,aswaspopularatthetime(Miller).Forthisworkandeffort,Menzieswasthefirst

tobeawardedthetitleof“productiondesigner,”puttinghimatarankabovealloftheart

directorsthatwereformerlyhispeers.Despitethis,thetermproductiondesignerdidnot

becomepopularuntiltheendofthestudioera(Stephens).

Thepositionhascontinuedtoevolveandtheproductiondesignerhasbecomethe

departmentheadwethinkoftoday.Productiondesignersaretypicallyinchargeof“setdesign,

painting,decoration,construction,andbudgeting”aswellas“theincorporationoflocations

intotheoverall‘look’ofafilm;decisionsaboutthetoneandcolorofawork’scinematograph;

andspecialeffects”(Stephens).However,evenasthejobdescriptionhassettledintowhatwe

knowtoday,changesarestillbeingmadethataffecttheproductiondesigner’sroleinthe

contextofthefilmprofessionallandscape.Forexample,itwasnotuntil2000thattelevision

productiondesignerswereaddedtotheSocietyofMotionPictureArtDirectors,withthe

organizationbeingrenamedtheArtDirectorsGuild,despitethefactthatdesignershadbeen

workinghardinthetelevisionspacelongbeforethattime.Additionally,productiondesigners

haveincreasinglyhadaroleinpost-production,duetotheincreasingpresenceofCGIandSFX

inbothfilmandsometelevision(thoughtoalesserextent).MinorityReport’sproduction

designerAlexMcDowellwasinvolvedintheplanningandexecutionofthefilmsCGIinboththe

pre-andpost-productionas“thestagesofconceptionandexecutionarebecomingevermore

blurred”(RedvallandWille).Additionally,newtechnologiesareallowingforamoreseamless,

lessspecializedpre-productionprocess,assoftwareisbeingdevelopedfordraftingandmodel

makingandsomepositionsintheartdepartment,suchassketchartists,arebecomingmore

accessibleandlessskill-based(Rohrer).Whilethismaynotdirectlyaffecttheproduction

designersthemselves,itdoesaffecttheworkflowandmakeupoftheartdepartment,aswellas

thedepartment’sbudgetsanditscapabilities.

Currently,theproductiondesigner’sjobbeginsinpre-production,thephaseinwhich

“thedesignerreceivesascreenplayanddevelopsavisualconceptbasedontheagreedupon

cinematicstyle”(RedvallandWille).theaveragetelevisionshow,thisisfivetoeightdays

beforeshootingandforfilm,itcanbemonthsoryearsbeforeprinciplephotographyissetto

begin(Shepard).Thefirstthingtodoistoestablishthebasicrulesofthefilm—tone,mood,

colorpalette,genre,andmore.Additionally,itisthetimewhenthe“designintensity”is

established;thatis,itisdecidedwhethertheproductiondesignwillbeinvisibleandevery-day,

meanttoblendinorifit’smeanttoattractattentionalaGrandBudapestHotel(Redvalland

Wille).Thesediscussions,occurringbetweenallofthedepartmentheads,aremeanttocreatea

cohesive,professionallookthatwilllastforthedurationofthefilmaswellasoutlining

departmentexpectationsofeachother.Forfilm,thesemeetingsmayoccurmanytimesover

thecourseofpre-productionasscriptsarechangedandnotesaregiven.However,forweekly

cableshows,thediscussionbetweendepartmentheadsmustoccurinonemeeting,generally

atthebeginningoftheweekimmediatelyafterthescriptisreceived(Shepard).Afterthis,

“visualresearchisgatheredthatdepictsthemoodoratmospherethatbestsupportsthestory.

Assembled,theseimagesbecomemoodboards”whicharethen“usedtoreachanagreement

withthedirectorsonthedirectionthatthedesignconceptwilltake”(Salom).The

conversationsaboutthemoodboard,aswellastheestimatedbudgetandlocationlist,will

informtheitemsandmaterialsthatareusedforthefinaldesign.

Budgetandlocationarethetwootherelementsmostimportanttotheproduction

designer’spreproductionprocess.Whileitmaynotbeasexcitingastheresearchelementsof

pre-production,itisanecessarystepthatmustbecompletedbeforetheartdepartmentcan

actuallybegindressingandbuildingplans.Theproducerwillasktheproductiondesignerfora

budgetestimateand,usingtheirbreakdownofthescriptaswellastheirpastknowledgeof

howmuchmoneycertaintypesofsetswillcost.Theyalsomustassesswhichsetsmustbebuilt

versuswhichcanbeshotonlocation.Usingtheseestimates,thedesignerandproducerwill

thencomeupwithafinalbudgetandlocationplan(Shepard).Oncethesethingsareapproved,

theartdepartmentcanbeginexecutingtheirvision.Thisincludesbuyingandrentingset

dressing,choosingconstructionmaterialsandfabrics,designinganddraftingconstruction

plans,andrunningthespecificsbythedirectorand/orproducertomakesuretheexecutionis

inlinewiththeoriginalintention.

Duringproduction,oneofthekeydifferencesbetweentheartdepartmentandtherest

ofthecrewisthattheartdepartmentisalwaysaheadoftheshoot.Thatmeansthat,whilethe

restofthecrewisshootingthatday’ssceneorepisode,theartdepartmentisworkingonthe

nextsetinlinetobeshotthefollowingdayorweek.Thatallowsforlesswaittime,asthesets

arepreparedbythetimethedirectorisreadytoshoot(Rohrer).However,theartdepartment

andproductiondesigneralsoneedstobeawareofwhatisgoingonattheactualshootaswell

andbepreparedtotackleanyproblemsduringshooting,suchasalast-minuteproporset

change.Inpost-production,aspreviouslymentioned,theproductiondesignermaybeinvolved

intheSFXorCGIasitintegrateswiththeirpracticalon-setdesigns.Forexample,inAnna

Karenina,manyofthesetswereprimarilybuiltonastagewithelementsaddedinpost-

production,suchashorsesonastage-builtracetrack(Dawes).Theseadditionsrequirethe

inputoftheproductiondesignerinordertokeepwiththeoriginalintentionssetinplaceatthe

initialdesignmeetings.

Whilethejobanddutiesofaproductiondesignerhaveremainedrelativelythesamein

ourcurrenteraofmediaproduction,somedifferencesarisewhentakingintoconsiderationthe

mediumsoffilmandtelevision.Thereareseveralfundamentaldisparitiesthatarisefromthe

natureofeachmediumthataffecttheproductiondesignandcaneitherlimitorexpandthe

finalproduct.Beforelookingattherelationshipbetweentheproductiondesignerandmediums

filmandtelevision,weshouldfirstlookatwhatthedifferencesinproductionsmethodsand

allowancesare.Oneofthebiggestdistinctionsisthetimetable.Infilm,pre-productioncantake

anywherefrommonthstoyears,withthebulkoftheworkoccurringinfourtofivemonths

(Ambekar).Similarly,productioniscompletedinaroundfourtosixmonths,andpost-

productionaboutthesameamountoftime.Conversely,forahalf-hourepisodeoftelevision,

thereisgenerallyafive-dayturnaroundbetweenthecrewgettingthescripttoshootingthe

episode,orasevenoreight-dayturnaroundforanhour-longepisode(Shepard).Becauseof

theseconstraints,newtelevisionsetshavelesspreparationtimethansetsbeingbuiltor

designedforfilm.Thismeansthatnewsetsmustbescaleddownandlesspermanentthanan

equivalentfilmset.Thatbeingsaid,manytelevisionshowshavecentrallocationsthatareused

atleastonce,oftenmultipletimes,ineveryepisode.ExamplesofthiswouldincludeMonica’s

apartmentinFriends,theforensicsofficeinBones,orthehospitalinGrey’sAnatomy.These

setscanhavealittlebitmorepermanenceanddetailadded,butarestillconsideredtobe

smallerandlesselaborateinscale.Thiscouldbeduetoanothergeneraldifferencebetween

filmandtelevision,whichisbudget.Episode-to-episode,televisiongenerallyhasasmaller

budgetthanthoseofthetypicalfilm,oratleastthefilmswithgrand,sweepingsettingsand

multiplelocations.Simplyput,anepisodeoftelevisionhasarelativelysmallbudget,which

doesnotallowformanyoftheelaboratepropsandcustomitemsthatcanbeusedinthe

typicalfilm(Rohrer).Becausenewsetsandlocationsareusedineachnewepisode,themore

permanentlocationshavelessmoneyallocatedandlessroomforelaboratesetpieces.

Anotherfactoristhedifferingaudienceexpectationsoftelevisionversusfilmthatgoes

hand-in-handwithdifferencesinnarrativeandvisualstructure.Whilefilmhasbecomean

“auteur”drivenmediumwherethedirector(andproducers)ruletheroost,“inTV,thewriteris

king”and“dialogueisthemostimportantmeanstocommunicateplot,themeandcharacter”

(Ryan).Thisopposesthefilmproductionmantraof‘show,don’ttell’because,infeaturefilm,

“imagesareexpectedtocarryasmuchas,ifnotmore,significancethandialogue”(Ryan).In

short,traditionaltelevisionviewersareconditionedtoexpectsharp,wittydialoguethatisthe

focusofthenarrativewhilefilmviewerswillexpectgrandvisualmomentsthattellthestory.

Theseconventionspointtheattentionsoftheaudience.And,whiletelevisionisbecomingmore

cinematicwithshowslikeGameofThrones,thisisstillthegeneraltrend.Thedifferencein

emphasisallowsformorevariationofshotsizeinfilm.Televisiontendstousemediumtowide

shots,whilefilm“allowsforagreatervariationinshotsizeanddepthstaging,”withextreme

wideshotstoextremecloseupsandeverythinginbetween(Ryan).Thisaffectstheart

departmentinthatthereislessattentiondirectedtowardthesetsintelevision,becausethe

focusisonthedialogue,notthevisuallandscape.Conversely,thesetsandlocationsinafilm

areondisplaybecauseofthevisualemphasis.Insertsfocusonpiecesofsetdressingand

extremewideshotsshowtheentiretyofaspace.Theviewer’seye,whethertheyareawareof

itornot,isreadingthescreen,whichincludesthesetdressing.Conversely,atelevision

productiondesignerdoesnotneedtoworryaboutthehyper-awarenessonvisualelements,as

televisionencouragesviewerstohoneinonthedialogueandstoryelements.Assuch,theyare

notasattunedtothecontentsoftheframe,includingtheproductiondesign,unlessthewriters

usedialoguetospecificallypointadesignelementout.

Thesedisparitiesmayseemdrastic,but,infact,thepracticalapplicationsasseenonthe

screencanbesubtlerthanexpectedandcanonlybetrulyseenthroughcarefulexaminationas

wellasbackgroundresearch.Inordertoevaluatethesedifferences,then,wemust

independentlylookatanexampleofeachandexamineitwithregardfortheconstraintsof

specifictothemediums.Inthetelevisionspace,IwillbedoingacasestudyofdesignerIan

PhillipsandhisworkonthehitshowParksandRecreation.Forfilm,Iwillbelookingatdesigner

JudyBeckerandherworkinAmericanHustle.Theseworksareamongthemostprominentfor

eachrespectivedesignerandareappropriatelyindicativeofeachdesigner’soverallstyleand

methodology.Assuch,doingthesecasestudieswillprovidealittlemoreinsightintothe

specificnecessitiesandlimitationsofeachmedium.

InadditiontoParksandRecreation,IanPhillipshasdoneproductiondesignandart

departmentworkforSplittingUpTogether,TheGoodPlace,andafewepisodesofBrooklyn

Nine-Nine(IMDb).Hestartedoutworkingsmallerjobsintheartdepartment,startingoutdoing

graphicsonafilmcalledMaterialGirl(whichgothimintotheunion),duringwhichhewas

askedwhathewantedtodowithhiscareer.Whenherealizedhewantedtoworkintheart

departmentandbecomeaproductiondesigner,thoseonthesetwhotookaninterestinhim

bumpedhimuptobeanassistantartdirector(Wannop).Fromthereheprogressed,workingas

anartdirectoronafewepisodesBonesandLincolnHeightsaswellasonthefirstTwilightfilm

beforebecomingafull-fledgedproductiondesignerinaround2011(IMDb).Hehasalsobeen

nominatedforanArtDirectorsGuildawardforhisworkonTheGoodPlace(2019)andwona

SatelliteAwardforASingleMan.

Inlookingathisprojectsandworkasaproductiondesigner,itisclearthatPhillips

generallyleanstowardthehalf-hourcomedictelevisionspace—fiveoutofPhillips’sixtelevision

productiondesigncreditsareforhalf-hourshows,withonefifty-minuteruntimeshow,andall

arecomedies(IMDb).Intermsofhisoverallstyle,heworkstoweavethecomedyintothe

visualdesign,inthehopesthatitwilladdanotherlayertothewrittenjokes.Hestates:

withcomedy,thedrivingforceistogetpeopletoreallyseehowfunnythejokecanbe,

becauseit’sonlyonscreenforashortperiodoftime…incomedy,that’sreallywhatyou

want—tobeabletotellasmanyjokesaspossibleinaslittletimeandhavepeople

respondtothosejokes(Berkowitz).

IntermsofParksandRecreation,oneofthesignaturewaysPhillipsfoundtoconveyvisual

comedieswasthroughtheuseofpaintingsandmurals.Thesemurals,whichPhillipsdesigns

andcreateswiththehelpofhisteam,displaytheoddandoftenviolenthistoryofthefictional

townofPawnee,Indiana.Forexample,intheepisode“94Meetings,”thecharacterLeslie

Knopetalksaboutabeautiful,historicweddingceremonydocumentingaNativeAmerican

marryingawhitewoman.Indeed,themuralinitiallyseemstoshowcaseacouplestanding

underagazebo,inapeacefulceremony.However,thecamerathenzoomsouttorevealthat

themuralalsoshowsthewarringfactionsofthewhitemenandtheNativeAmericans,shooting

ateachotherinaviolentspectacle(Berkowitz).Itisthroughstructuralanddesignelements

suchasthisthatPhillipsisabletousethesemuralstorevealthejokes.

Thesenow-famousmuralshavebecomemoreandmoreprominentastheseasonshave

progressed,and“theincreasedattentionthepaintingshavegeneratedhasspurredPhillipsand

hiscrewtocreatemoreofthem”(Berkowitz).Thisisanelementoftelevision;production

designplanscanchangebasedonevolvingfandemandsandexpectationsoftheseries,whichis

anelementthatfilmsrarelyhavetocontendwith.Inordertokeepupwiththisdemandinthe

condensedtimelineofepisodictelevision,somecompromiseshavetobemade.Forinstance,

thepaintingsaredesignedtolookliketheyweredoneinthe1930s.However,thepaintingsare

donewithacrylicpaintratherthanthehistorically-accurateoilpaintsbecause“oilsjusttaketoo

longtodry”and“ifyoulookreallyclosely,youcanseethecanvasweave”(Berkowitz).

However,aspreviouslystated,televisionisnotprimarilyfocusedonthevisuals.So,whileina

filmthebarelyvisiblecanvasweavemightbeincrediblydistractinginclose-upsandothershots

ofthepainting,inParksandRecreation,theviewerisnotmadetonoticeit,becausetheyare

focusedonthejoke—thescriptisbroughttotheforefrontoftheviewer’sattentionratherthan

apotentiallydistractingvisualinconsistency.

ThesemuralsarenottheonlyuniqueproductiondesignelementinParksand

Recreation.Manyofthejokescomethroughintheformofpropsaswell.Beingtemporary,

thesepropsareeasiertomanageintheshorttimespan,costlessthanabigsetpiece,andget

thejokeacrossquicklyandefficiently.Someofthemorememorablepropsincludecharacter

RonSwanson’sbarbequetoolpouch(atoolbeltthatheldhisprizedbarbequegrillingtools),a

512-ouncesodacup,andachildren’sbookcalled“GroffletheAwfulWaffle”(Perello).While

manyofthepropsweresmallandeasytofabricate,sometookmuchmoreingenuityand

resourcefulness.PropertymasterGayPerellohasrecountedthetimeshewasaskedtobuild

the512-ouncesodacupandwasrunningoutoftimeandmoneytocallacustommoldmaker.

However,eventuallyPhillipscameupwiththeideatostackandpainttwolargebucketsontop

ofeachothertomakewhatlookedlikeagiantcup(Perello).Inshort,becausetheylackedthe

timeandbudgettosculptabrand-newcup,Phillipswasforcedtothinkonhisfeetanduseless

thanglamorousmaterialstofabricatethisprop.InexaminingPhillips’workonParksand

Recreation,thatisbasicallywhatitboilsdownto—heworkshardtocommunicatethejoketo

thebestofhisabilitywhilealsoadheringtotheproductionconventionsandlimitationsof

television.Ifhehadunlimitedtimeandbudget,Phillipsmightbeabletoputforthelaborate

andimpeccableprops,butheisawarethattheaudienceistunedintothecomedicwritingand

timing,sothatiswhathefocusesonaswell,makinghimanawareandatalentedtelevision

productiondesigner.

Now,wewillbelookingattheworkofJudyBecker,focusingonthefilmAmerican

Hustle.JudyBeckerprimarilyworksonfeaturefilmsandhasdesignerfilmssuchasTheFighter,

WeNeedtoTalkAboutKevin,Joy,andCarol.Beckerhasbeenworkingasaproductiondesigner

since1998andhasartdepartmentcreditsdatingbackto1990(IMDb).Herfilmstendtobe

historical,rangingfromthe1950stothe1990s—shesaidinaninterviewthatshehadworked

inbasicallyeverytimeperiodafterWorldWarII(NathanielR.).Sheisalsoafrequent

collaboratorofDavidO.Russell’s,havingworkedwithhimonfiveseparateoccasions(IMDb).

Becker’sforayintotheartdepartmentcamefromherloveofdrawingasachild,whenshe

woulddraw“pagesandpagesofimaginaryinteriors,collectionsofobjectsandfashion

wardrobes”(Becker).Sincethen,shehasbecomeoneofthemostprominentworking

productiondesigners,havingbeennominatedforanAcademyAwardforherworkinAmerican

Hustle,aswellassixnominationsandonewinfromtheArtDirectorsGuild.

JudyBecker’sstyle,whilegenerallybeinginspiredbywhateverhistoricalperiodsheis

workingin,alsocomesfromJudy’spersonaltastesintheworldoffineartsandtheworld

aroundher.Shedetailsatimeshespoketoaproductiondesignclassofgraduatestudents.She

beganthesessionbyaskingeachstudent“tonameafavoriteartist,photographerorarchitect”

and“wassurprised…whenalmosteverybodywasunabletoanswerthequestionwithouta

greatdealofhesitationandthinkingandthatwhentheydidanswer,thefavoriteswereso

genericastobealitanyofdormroomposters”(Becker).Shehasoftenclaimedherloveforart

andsaidthatthisloveofarthasstronglycontributedtoherdesignsensibilitiesandaesthetic.

ThispassionforartanddesignisevidentinthedesignofAmericanHustle.Thesubject

matterisalreadypredisposedtoanartisticinterpretation;“becausethecharactersarerunning

acon,butalsowhotheyarepretendingandaspiringtobe”(Hornik).Additionally,shehasthe

opulentandoftenover-the-topsettingofthe1970stoworkwith,addinganewlevelof

inspirationtoherdesigns.However,shealsoexpressesherdesireto“givethemaworldthat

wastruetotheircharactersandtoNewYorkinthatperiod,butstillbelievable,”notextending

beyondtherealmofreality(Blum).Infact,inmanyofherinterviews,Beckertalksaboutthe

extensiveresearchanddifferentinspirationsshetookintoaccountwhendesigningthefilm.For

example,inoneinterviewshedetailssomeofthemoviesthatinspiredher,includingAtlantic

City,TheKingofComedy,andTaxiDriver(Blum).Thelevelofinspirationandcaretakeninto

accountbyBeckerisquitecommoninfilm;aspreviouslystated,researchboardstakeupa

largeportionofthepreproductionprocess.Eventhecolorpalettewaschoseswithregardto

theera.She“wantedtoworkwithacolorpalettethatwastruetotheerabutnotclichéd”like

thetypical“rust,mustard,andavocado,”insteadgoing“withgold,blue,metallicandbrown”

(Blum).Thishighattentiontoresearchnodoubtleadtotheimmersiveworldthefilmpresents

ofaglamourous1978NewYork,andismadepossiblebythehighbudgetandextended

scheduleofthefilm.

OnespecificelementthatalsoshowsthecareandconsiderationthatBeckerputinto

thevisualelementsofthefilmisthe“contrastbetweenSydney’s(playedbyAmyAdams)

sophisticatedNewYorkapartmentandRosalyn’s(JenniferLawrence)overthetopLongIsland

home”(Hornik).Sydney,aformerstripper-turned-successfulconwoman,Isminimal,fullofgold

andwhitedetailing.Itfeelslikeanexpensiveapartment,yetistasteful.Conversely,Rosalyn’s

homeisover-the-top,withpatternedwallpaperandtacky,‘70sdécor,because“thecharacteris

astay-at-homemomandahousewife,awomanwhoclearlyenjoysdecoratingandmaybe

enjoysdecoratingtoomuch)(Hornik).Asidefromjustdifferentaesthetics,Beckerpaid

attentiontocreatinganoddcohesionofsortsbetweenthetwospaces—“whereRosalynhad

gold,Sydneyhasasunnyyellow;whereRosalynhaswallpaperSydneyhasaneutralgrasscloth”

(Hornik).By“usingsimilarpalettes,texturesandmaterials,butcompletelydifferenttaste

levels,”Beckerwasabletocreateadeliberatecontrastbetweenthesetwocharacters(Hornik).

Infact,itisacontrastthatisdesignedtobeinterpretedbytheaudiencethroughthevisuals

alone,themostimportantconventionoffilm.Aviewercan,withinseconds,seewhothesetwo

womenarewithoutevenlisteningtothedialogorfollowingthestory.Similarly,Irving(played

byChristianBale),whoisanotherconman,hasanofficebefittingofhischaracterandhis

profession.The“designerpieces[offurniture]werereallybeatupandthedeskwasalittletoo

bigfortheoffice,”whichshows“howIrvwantstobesomeoneelse,butthisiswhoheis,inthis

seedyofficewiththisbatteredfurniture”(Blum).Beckerhasherselfprofessedthatsheis“very

characterdrivenasaproductiondesigner,”andherattentiontocharacterdetailshows.The

factthatsheisworkingwiththefreedomofbig-budgetcinemaallowshertofullyexplore

charactersandcommunicatethemtotheaudiencevisually,essentiallycreatingasecond,visual

storyonthescreenthatvitallysupplementsandsupportsthescript.

Inlookingatthesetwoexamplesofproductiondesignintelevisionandfilm,

respectively,itisevidentthatthedifferingconstraintsandallowancesIhavementioned

previouslyfactorintothefinaloutcomeofthedesign.Certainelementsarehighlightedwhile

othersmaybemoreeasilyhiddenorignored.Iwasabletoexploresomeoftheseconstraintsin

myownproductiondesign,workingonstudentfilmsets.Bothhadbudgetconstraints,which

endedupunfoldinginvastlydifferentways.Thefirstproject,agraduatethesis,wasashort

televisionproof-of-concept,withascriptthatwasaboutfivepageslong.Bythetimethescript

waslocked,Ihadfourlocationstodesign;anexteriorandinteriorofanabandonedbuilding,an

abandonedwarehouseusedfordrugtrafficking,andamilitaryofficer’soffice.Additionally,the

filmwasaperiodpiece,setin1950sSaigon.IhadalargerbudgetthanIwastypicallyusedto

workingwith,butbecauseIwasbuildingtheofficeonthestage,Iknewrightawaythatmostof

thebudgetwasgoingtohavetogothere.Additionally,thedirectorbeganaskingformoreand

moredetailing,suchascrownmolding,togivetheofficearealisticfeeling,anditveryquickly

seemedlikethebuildingmaterialswouldcauseustogooverbudget.However,thinkingbackto

thefactthatitwastobeonlyfourtofiveminuteslong,andonlyashortportionofitwastobe

intheoffice,Ibeganpickingelementstocutandprioritizingwhichdesignitemswereofthe

greatestimportanceandwhichwereexpendable.Ilearnedthebudgetlimitationsthatcan

comefromacustom-builtsetandcanseehowtelevisionshowsmustcarefullyaccountforthe

mostvitalelements,sometimeslettingotherelementsgo.

Iusedthisknowledgeformysecondproductiondesignproject,whenthedirectorasked

ifIcouldbuildanightclubonthefilmstageforhisfilm,a1980’speriodpiecesetinSan

Francisco.Idraftedabasicestimatecostofbuildingandhequicklydeterminedthatitwasfar

outofhisbudget.Lookingforanotheron-campuslocationwasalsounsuccessful,asmanyof

themhadbeenusedinotherstudentfilmsandwouldalsobeexpensivetoturnintoconvincing-

lookingnightclubs.Eventually,wefoundanactualnightclubthatwouldletusshootthere—for

$500perhalfhour.However,itperfectlyfitthelookweweregoingfor,andwouldrequirevery

littleadditionalsetdressing.Afterexploringotherleads,wedeterminedthistobethebest

optionforboththebudgetandthelookofthefilmandthedirectorspendthevastmajorityof

hisbudgetonthelocation,leavingverylittlefortheadditionalapartmentlocation.Iconvinced

thedirectortheremovetheperiodpieceelement,andsettingitinthemoderndayallowedus

tousetheexistingfurnitureintheapartmentweshotin.Intheend,thenightclubendedup

lookinggreatand,whiletheapartmentwasfairlysimple,itservedthepurposeitneededto.I

wishwewouldhavehadalittlemoremoneyleftfromthenightclub,butIknewthattheclub

wasthefirstlocationofthefilmandwouldneedtoleaveagoodimpression.Thiswasanother

experienceinwhichIlearnedavastamountaboutbudgetingandprioritizinginthecontextof

productiondesignandwillkeeptheselessonsinmindasIcontinuemycareer.

Whilefilmwasoncedeemedirrevocablysuperiortotelevision,therecentboomof

television,largelyduetoHBOandstreaming,hasrenderedthisnolongerthecase.Infact,

critics,filmmakers,andscholarsgobackandforthonwhethertelevisionorfilmisthebetter

medium.However,perhapsprofessorShanieLathamputitbest,sayingthat“comparing

televisiontofilmisalittlelikecomparingashortstorytoanovel;theymayseemlikesimilarart

forms,buttherealityoftheconstraintsplacedoneachmeansthatthemeasureforqualityin

onemaynotbethesamefortheother”(Symposium).Thissamesentimentcanbescaleddown

andappliedtotheproductiondesignoffilmandtelevision.Thedifferencescanbecompared,

butperhapsthebetterwaytolookatitisthateachmethodologyofproductiondesignisbest

constructedtobestservetheneedsofthemedium.Televisioncanbequickerandfocus

intimatelyonafewelements,suchaspropsorsetpieces,thatarevitaltothescript,asthatis

thefocusoftelevision.Film,however,isdesignedtolookatthescriptasabigpicture,andthe

productiondesignermustfigureouthowtotelltheirownstorythatiseffectivelyindependent

ofthespokendialogue.Additionally,alargepartofboththemethodologyandthefinalresult

restsontheindividualproductiondesigner.Aspreviouslyexplored,IanPhillipsisfocusedon

comedyandjoke-buildingand,asaresult,thatishisfocusinhiswork.Similarly,JudyBecker

findsthatherloveofartandtravelinspiresherwork,asdoesherloveofcharacter.Inshort,

whilethemediumdictatestheendresult,sodoestheparticularitiesoftheproduction

designer.Assuch,theworkofanexpertproductiondesignercanbeseenasbothtranscending

themediumandworkingwithit.

Appendix1:AnInterviewwithRichRohrer

Rich: 00:00 I'mdoingprettywell,youknow,keepbusy.

Kaitlyn: 00:04 Yeah,yeah,Iunderstandthat.Yeah.Thankyou.Yeah,Iwasjustgoingtosaythankyouagainsomuchforagreeingtointerviewwithmeformythesis.WehavetodotoinformationalinterviewswithprofessionalsinthefieldofourchoosingandI'mchoosingtostudyproductiondesignandthewholeartdepartment.So,uh,thankyouagain.

Rich: 00:27 Fantastic.Loveit.

Kaitlyn: 00:29 SoI'lljuststartfiringsomequestionsatyouifthat'sokay.

Rich: 00:34 Yeah,please.Perfect.

Kaitlyn: 00:36 Um,somyfirstquestionisjusthowdidyougetintothewholeartdirection,ArtDepartmentfield?

Rich: 00:46 Uh,let'ssee.Well,uh,firstyouhaveto,uh,studythefilmbusinessandTVbusinessanddecidewhereyouwanttogo.Right?Sothatwas,uh,incollegeforme,IwasdoingallofthedifferentfilmrelatedcrewpositionsandthenIwasaskedtodoafilmonthe,uh,thefilmstaysandbuildasetandit,that'swhereIwasthehappiest,right?Whichisthebestexperience.And,youknow,I'vebeencreativeallmylifeanddid,uh,artandpaintingandsketchingandeverything,soitkindoffellrightin.So,soIsaid,well,I,Iwouldliketodothisasacareer.SowhenIwasasenior,Iinternedata,onafilmatSonyandCulverCity,uh,intheirartsdepartment,orImet,uh,threeorfourdifferent,uh,otherartdirectorsandotherfolks,othercrewmembersintheartdepartmentoverthere.

Rich: 01:48 AndsoI,attheendofmy,uh,college,whenIgraduated,IhandedmyresumeouttojustabouteverybodyIcould,yeah.Lookingtobeaproductionassistant,youknow,andtheartdepartment.So,andthenIwasfortunateenough,uh,toget,um,toa,aTVshowforFoxasanartdepartmentProductionAssistant.AndIjumpedinthereandIworkedthereforthreeyears,Ithinkonthatshow.Itwasaprettysuccessfulshow.AndI,Ireallylearnedsomuchon,onthat,thatprojectbecause,uh,Ihadtodosomuchforthatshowandtheartdepartment.Yeah.Sodesigninggraphics,designing,allthatstuff.So,uh,that'skindofwhereIstarted.Andyouknow,IwasfortunatethatitwasatSonyinCulverCityforthosethreeyears.SoIwas

abletostartittostayonthesortofwestsidearea.Yeah.Andasyouwork,doyoumeetotherpeople?Right.Youmeetothercrewmembers,theymeetotherproducersand,andyoujustkindofstartbuildingaknowledgebaseofpeople,youknow?AndIworkedhardandIwasalwaysthereontimeandIalwayshadagreatattitudeandIwasnicetoeverybody.Andyouknow,beingnicetoeverybodyislike60%ofbeingsosuccessfulinthebusiness,youknow,justweren'tworkingwellwithothers.So,andthat'skindofwhereitstarted.Right.Doesthatansweryourquestion?

Kaitlyn: 03:27 No,thatwasperfect.No,thatwasgreat.

Rich: 03:31 Um,um,one,onelikefinishedsnowonthat,uh,theproductionthatIwasonasSony,afterthosethreeyears,they,theykindof,uh,rewardedmeforworkingsomuchandsohard.Andthey,theygot,theywrotetheletterstotheartdirector'sGuildUniontogetmetobeintheunion.Sothatwaskindoftheanswertothat,whichwasgreat.Causethenifyoucangetaintotheartdirector'sguildandtheirunion,thatopensupalotmorepossibilitiesforworkforpositionandtheartdepartmentforsortofacareerbuildingexperience.So,yeah.Okay.That'sthatlittlecaptothatquestion.

Kaitlyn: 04:17 Yeah,no,that'sawesome.Um,Iguessmyfollowuptothatwouldsay,Iwouldask,um,howhaveyouseenkindofthe,

Rich: 04:26 okay,

Kaitlyn: 04:26 thewholeartdepartmentandjust,um,everythinghavingtodowithproductiondesigningeneral.Howhaveyouseenthatchangefromwhenyoustartedinthebusinessupuntilnowinyourlastcoupleofjobsandwhatyou'reteachingnowtoyourstudents?

Rich: 04:45 Howit'schangedanddeveloped?It'sagoodquestion.Uh,wellwhatIstartedandIwasyoungerandIwasworking,uh,therewasalittledigitalintegration,justalittle,Iwassortofattheverybeginning.Um,youknow,someartsdepartmentshaveonepersonwhowasacomputerandtheymightbedesigningsomethingonit.I'mnotsurewithwhatprogram,youknow,earlystagesofthings.Um,Iremember,uh,doingsomegraphicsonthisprogramcalledCork,ifthatevenexistsanymore.IDunno.AndIonlydiditbecausesomebodyintheofficehadacomputerandtheyhavetohavethatprogram.Thiswasin95,96,1995,96.Um,soyoukindofstarteddoingalittledigitalwork,butitwasn'tforanotherthreeorfouryearsbeforeorsort

ofdigitalartworkwere,wasgenerated,wasusedtoaspresentationtools,asetdesigntools.

Rich: 06:05 Allofthosekindsofintegrationsweresortofslowerthen.Yeah.Um,andastimewentby,thatwasintegratedofcourse,moreandmore,uh,intheartdepartmentandhowyoupresentideas,youknow,you,youhireillustratorsto,todoaniceinksketch,renderingcolorrenderingofyourset,uh,backthen,andyourelyontheir,theirartistictalentwithapencilandapen.Yeah.Andthenitkindoftransformedintothesedigitalillustrators,uh,wheretheycanuse,youknow,oneofadozendesignprogramstoexpressthesameideas,sameillustration,andyoupresentedthesameway.Uh,it'sjustlooksmorefancynow.Right?Yeah.Youknow,soI,Ithinkit'sthatpartofit'schangedintermsoftechnology.Um,thebonesofitarestillthere.Youknow,youstillhavetodesignsomething.

Rich: 07:09 Well,youhavetodesignsomethingthat'sbig.Youhaveeducatedyourselfabout,youstillhavetopickcolorsandtexturesthatmakesense,uh,foryourproject.Yeah.Anduh,youknow,whethertheoutcomeiscarpenterswithwoodandpaintandpaintersorit'sdigitalartistssittingatacomputerdesigningorputtingtogetherthe3-Denvironments.Soit'sreally,youknow,it's,inonesenseithasn'tchangedbecauseifyou'readesigner,youstillneedvisionandcreativityandadepthofunderstandingofcharacterandstoryandhowcolorandtextureworks.Butthenyoualsosortofneedthisnewerkindofwaytoexpressallthatwithdigitaltechnologyandcomputerapplicationsthatwillgetyourideaoutofyourheadandinto,youknow,reality.So,youknow,youcandothisthemostamazingsketchupdrawing,butifitcoststoomuch,then,thenthat'sjustapracticesketchupdrawing.Yeah.YouknowwhatImean?Yeah,exactly.Um,andthenthescriptchangesovernightandwestartover.Soit's,there'salwaysthatpossibility.Yeah.Youknow,soI,IguessifI'veansweredyourquestion,I'm,howit'schanged.Ithink,youknow,intermsofthe,thedigitalintegration,Ithink,

Kaitlyn: 08:46 yeah,that,thatmakesalotofsense.Um,soeverything'sjustbecomesoprogrammedandautomatedandthere'salot,alotyoucandoonacomputer.

Rich: 08:57 Yeah.And,youknow,biggerartsdepartmentswithmultiplecrew,youhireonepersonjusttoorganizethedigital,uh,thedigitaluniversearoundtheartdepartmentandthat,andsometimesthat's,that'showtheworkflowis.Ifyouhavealargeartdepartmentof12or15people,youneedsomebodyjusttodigitallyorganizeeverythingandputeverythingontheserver

andtheproperplace.Yeah.Soeverybodycanaccessarealltherightfilesattherighttime.Andsoit'sallofallofthatsortofintegration.Yeah.Know.Butifyouhaveanartdepartmenthavetothenyoujusttalkkindofjustonepersondealswithit.Yeah.Passaroundtheflashdriveintheroom,butyouknow,savefilesandkeepmoving.Soyeah.

Kaitlyn: 09:46 Cool.So,um,mynextquestionthenis,um,typicallywhatisyourroleintheartdepartmentandwhatdoesthatmeanforyourdaytodayjobinpreproductionandproduction?

Rich: 10:00 Well,uh,asanartdirector,uh,atleastwhatI'mdoingnow,wouldthatbebestansweredorIdoitas,yeah.Okay.Mymainfocusinpreproductionistoget

Rich: 10:22 Alltheinformationtogether,uh,sothatwecancomeupwithabudget.That'sourfirstsortofgoal.Uh,andusuallythatmeansconstructiondrawingsofeverything.We'vegottobuilda,thatneedsgettingcostestimatesformaterials,backdrops,greens,anykindofrentalpieces,uh,anythingthathastobemanufactured,anymaterialsasputtingtogetherasolidbudgetsothatweknowwhatwe'regoinginto,uh,thecleanmyselfandtheproductiondesignerifI'mworkingforthem.Whilethat'shappening,thecreativityisalsohappeningwhereyourdesignsfloorplansandyou'repullingresearchmaterialsto,uh,kindofgetagoodunderstandingofwhateachset'sgoingtobe.Agroupingthatalltogethersothatyoucanthenprove,doagoodpresentationofyoursetstoa,he'saproducerordirectororthatwork,whoeverneedstoseeit.

Rich: 11:30 So,soallpreproduction--It'slikeallaboutdoingthosetwothings.You'representingallofyourideassothattheyapprovethemandthenthey'realsogettingupabudgetforthatsothatthelineproducerorUPMcan,canhavethatinformationbecausethatthey'regoingtowantthatreallyquick.Okay.Yeah.Sothat'spreproduction.Andthenif,ifthe,uh,yourpresentationgoeswellandtheylikeeverythingandthenyourbudgetcomesinatacostthat'sapproved,thenyoucanmoveforward.Youcanstartbuilding,youcanstartrenting,youcanstartpurchasing,uh,everything.Andyoucanstartbuildingsetsand,andjustsortofmovingforward.Andthat'sallthatpreproductionwork.Soyoumakesurethepaintersgivepaintsamplesandyouapprovethat

Rich: 12:25 youmakesureconstructionis,hasallofthedocumentstheyneed,butbuildasetandthat,that,doyoudoastageplansoeverybodyknowswherethesetsaregoingtobe?Yeah.Andsothere'sallofthathappening.Andthenasyou're,asyou'regoing

onlocationthatyougoonthelocationscoutsandyou,youbuildadesignandIbudgetforthelocationsandthat'spartofittoo.Anddaily,that'syour,that'syourwork.Youjust,it'ssolvinglittleproblems.It's,it'sdesigninglittleprojectsandoverseeingtheconstructionandit'sdrawingsomesignageandit's

Rich: 13:05 drawingthedetailofmaybeafireplaceoracabinetthatyouhavetodo.AndIwasallofthoselittle,littleprojectsthatsortofhappenedduringtheday.Andthenthere'slogisticallyoforganizingeverything.Socertainthingsgetdoneattherighttimebasedonwhenyoushootandrentingthings,uh,attherighttime.Sothecostisonlyaoneweekrental.Soyourentedattherighttimeandyoucoordinategettingrentalstothestage.Andhowwasthat?Andit'salsodistributinginformation.You're,you'reconstantlymakingplansandfloorplansandemailingthemoutnowandmakingsureeverybody'sonboardaboutexactlywhat'shappening.So,andthenyouhaveaproductionmeetingandthenyou'reintoproduction.So,andwiththeartdepartment,you'realwaysaheadoftheshootingcrew,youknow,atleastbyadayortwodaysorthreedays,right?Yeah.Soyou'repreppingonedayandthey'reshooting,whatdoyoupreppedyesterday?Soit'sthatkindofprocesswhilethey'reshooting.

Rich: 14:11 Cool.Um,there'smore,probablyenough.

Kaitlyn: 14:16 Oh,no,no.Ifthere'smoreplease.

Rich: 14:20 That'sprobablyit.I'mnotsurethatquestion.

Kaitlyn: 14:24 Um,wellIwasgoingtoaskyouto,um,youprimarilydo,um,Iworkintelevision,correct?

Rich: 14:33 Yes.Uh,that'sbeenwhatI'vebeendoingforthepast10yearsorso,uh,whichhasbeengreatbecauseitallowsmeacouplethings.Itallowsmeaprettysecureschedule,uh,andTVshowslastalittlethanteachershe'dgiventime.AndforthemostpartIamhereintown.SoI'mableto,uh,toteachaswell.Yeah.Iwasworkingonfeatures.Imightbeoutoftownformonthsatatime,thenIwouldn'tbeabletodothat.Soyeah.

Kaitlyn: 15:12 Yeah.So,um,becausemy,myprojectis,myresearchyouprojectforthesemesterisprimarilyonlookingatthedifferencesbetween,um,methodologybetweenproduction,designingfortelevisionandforfilms.Iwantedtoaskyou,um,ifyou'vedoneanyfeaturesoranything,whathas,haveyouseenasthebiggestdifferencesinhowyou'vehadtoworkorhow

you'vehadtoseepeopleworkinTVversusfilminproductiondesign,

Rich: 15:44 right.Uh,therearedifferences.Yes.Andtherearesimilaritiesaswell.Oneofthebigdifferencesispace.Uh,withtelevisionyougetascriptandyouhaveacoupleofweekstoprepitbecauseit'sepisodicand,andthetasteisquick.Sowedesignquick,youpresentquickandyoustartbuilding.Soyoucankeepgoingtothenextscript,thenextepisode,andyou'redesigningquickly.Andthere's,andthere's,there'salwayschangesandlastminuteadditionsandallthatwherethefeaturefilm,therearechangestothescriptofcourse,buttimeframeisalittlebitlonger.Um,youhavethescriptearlier,youhavemoretimetoprepsetsthatyouaredesigningforthatfilm.Um,youhavemoretimetodevelopthem,togetcostsforthemtobuildthem.Andthenoncethat's

Kaitlyn: 16:59 okay,

Rich: 17:00 thatprocessisdone,thenyou,youbuildandthenshootit.Andthere's,you'retalkingaboutweeksandmonthsasopposedtodays.Doesthatmakesense?Sothere'salittlemoretimethere.Anddependingonthekindoffeature,there'salittlemoremoneytoso,andwithfeaturefilms,thedesignyoudoareoneofakind.Uh,letmejustelaborateonwhatthatmeans.It'skindof,it'sdesignedforthatspecificfilmforthatspecificmoment.Sotheconstructionmaterialscanbealittlebitmore,um,what'sthewordI'mtryingtosayalittlemore.

Kaitlyn: 17:46 Yeah.

Rich: 17:46 Uh,what'stheword?Iguessalittlemorelesstemporary.Like,likeyoucandosomeworkwithsomeofthematerialsthatcanbealittlemoreexpensiveortakealittlemoretimetoputtogetherortoconstruct.Uh,becauseitbecomesveryspecific.Andtelevision,youusuallydon'thavethatkindoftimetoputsomethingtogetherlikethat.MaybeI'mtryingtosaythatpossibly.Yeah.Ithinkthatpointkindofcomesacross,um,asfarassizeofourdepartmentsthatareaboutthesame.Um,canbethesamedependingonthesizeofthefilm,orsizeofthetelevisionshow.Uh,butitreallyistheamountoftimeyouhavetoprep.Ithinkis,isreallyakey,keypartofit.

Kaitlyn: 18:48 Yeah.That,thatmakesalotofsense.

Rich: 18:50 Youknow,um,on,ontelevision,sometimesyouhave,yougetascriptandyouhavethreedaystodevelopasetandthenone

daythatpresentedandthenyougottobuilditand,andthey'dgoquickly.Youknow,asetforafeaturehasbeeninthescriptforawhileandthereitis.Andsoyoucandevelopitanddevelopitandthenbuilditandoverweeksandyouknowthatthescheduleistheschedulesothatyoucanworkyourselfbackintowhenyou'reshootingit.

Kaitlyn: 19:23 Okay.Thatmakessense.

Rich: 19:25 Yeah.Okay.

Kaitlyn: 19:27 Um,locationswise,istherebetweenfeaturesandtelevision,isonemediummoreconduciveforbuildingwhiletheismoreconduciveforshootingonlocationordoesitjustdependontheproject?

Rich: 19:41 Uh,itreallydependsontheproject,youknow,um,both,bothmediumsgooutonlocationandalsoshootonstage.Um,butIwillsaythis,whatfeaturesthey,theycan,theycan

Kaitlyn: 20:02 okay.

Rich: 20:02 Expandtheirlocationselectionalittlebitmorethantelevision.Okay.Nottosaythere'ssometelevisionshowsthattheygoallovertheworldandshoot,youknow,there'sahandfulthatcandothat.Yeah.Um,wellforthemostpartit'syou'reshootingepisodictelevision.Youkindofhavetostaysortofaround,uh,yourstages.But,uh,sometimesyoucangoonebigtripuptoanothercitytoshootabunchofstuffthatwillappearinmultipleepisodes.I'vedonethatbefore.Okay.Uh,butforthemostpart,they,youknow,you'reonascheduleandyougottoshootthebasicsetsthatareonastageandSony,anybody,you'dhave,youknow,twodaysandlocationworkandyoucan'tsendyourcrewtoDiegoforthosetwodaysbecauseitkillsyourschedule.You'vegottabebacktomorrow.

Rich: 20:58 I'mbackonstagebecausethescheduleissofastpaced.Soyoudogoonlocationquiteabit,butyoudon'tgoveryfar.Okay.Uh,probablyinthat30milezone.Yeah.It'susuallywheretheyliketogobecauseit'scosteffective.Assoonasyoutakeacrewofbeyondthat30milezone,everybodygetsahotelroom,everybodygetstransportationandeverybodygetsimmediate,likethreemealsandthecostjustgoeswayup.Sono,orthescenecheerandyoubuildthatinyousayingwegottogotoItaly,sowe'regoingtogotoVeniceandwegottogothere.Sothenyoubuilditinthebudget,abigtriptoItalytogethigherItaliancrewandyoushootthosetwoweeksthereandthenyou

flytoAustraliaandshootthosetwoweeks,youknow,soit'sdifferentlocationworkthatmakesanactuallygodothat.IfwehadtodothathereandonTVshow,wewouldfindaplacethatlookslikeit'llleaveme,gotoVenicebeachand,andtheVenicecanalsandswitchoutsideandjustdon'tlikeItalyandyeah.Youknow,thatkindofthing.Yes.Wegottoshootinaday.Soyouknow,thatkindofdifference.

Kaitlyn: 22:08 Sowhenyou'relookingfornewprojectsorinthepastwhenyou'vebeenlookingfornewprojects,whatarethethingsthatyoulookfor?Whatare,what'ssomethingthatmakesyouexcitedaboutaprojectorwanttopickupaprojectversussomethingthatwouldmakeyouturnsomethingdown?

Rich: 22:28 Uh,let'ssee.

Rich: 22:33 thepeopleisprobablythemostimportant.Whoeveryou'reworkingwith.Uh,whoaretheothermembersoftheartdepartmentwho,uh,istheproducerwhoisadirectorofphotographyand,uh,thoseconsiderationsare,areveryimportant,likethecontent.Uh,ofcourseit'sbestscenario.We'dalwayswanttochooseamazingcontent,amazingstories,amazingscripts.Andthereareafewouttherethatcandothat.Youknow,youcanchoosetherightprojecttheywanttoworkwith.Well,forthemostpartisIwanttoworkwiththisdirector.Iwanttoworkwiththisdesigner,Iwanttodothisandthis.And,andthenthescriptfollows.Okay.Thenyoumakethesetsinthescriptandthesetsand,and,um,andthedesignofthe,ofthescript.Andthestory,thethenextpoint.Sosometimesyoudon'treallyhaveit,youneverreallyhaveachoice.Uh,it's,I'mgoingtogethiredonthisprojectcauseI,Ireallylikedthepeopleandthen,thenthey'llsendmethescriptandthenjustworkwithit.Youknow,mostpeoplearenotinthepositionandreadingascriptandgoing,ah,it's,Idon'treallylikethescript,soI'mnotgoingtotakethejob.Okay.Somostpeoplecan'tdothatbecausethenthey'llbesittingathomewithoutwork.Yeah.So,

Kaitlyn: 24:02 yeah.Soit'skindofcirclesbacktothat.It'sallaboutwhoyouknow,sortofthing.

Rich: 24:07 Yeah.It'sallaboutwhoyouknowandwhoyouliketoworkwith,youknow.Um,that's,that'salotofalot.Um,partofittoo,youknow.

Kaitlyn: 24:17 Um,what'swhat,um,Iwould,Ihavetwomorequestions.Um,okay.Thenextoneis,um,whatisyourfavoritepartaboutworkingintheartdepartment?Likewhatisyourfavoritepart?

Justlikeeithermoregeneralorlikeyoureallylikedbuildingorwhat,what'syourfavoritepartoftheprocess?

Rich: 24:43 Uh,let'ssee.Ireallylike,

Rich: 24:53 Whenyou'reinthemiddleofthebuildandyouareonstageorinthemiddlewherethey'rebuildingitandyou'rediscussingitand,andthere'splasterbeingputonandthere'ssomewallsthathavebeenpainted,butit'snotyetinsome,there'ssomecarpenters,they'rebuildingsomethingandallofthatiswhatyoudreworyoudesignedandthey'restartingto,they'regettinga,I'llsay50,60%ofitdoneandit'sbeingbuilt.It'slikethemostexcitingparttomebecauseIseen,youknow,ourvisionsortofbecomingreality.Yeah.Anduh,that,that'sveryexcitingtome.Thatpartofit.Um,Idolikegraphicsanddesignandgraphics.That'salwayssomethingIenjoyaswell.Um,andthenIjoinedthepeopletoo.Soitwaskindofthosethree,thosethreethings,youknow,tokindofcometogether.Yeah.Thatprocessofthebills,whichisveryexciting.Ialwaysliketoseeitcometogether.So

Kaitlyn: 25:59 verycool.Um,andthenmylastquestionis,asyouwatchTVormovies,whatarethingsabouttheproductiondesignandthesetdecorationthat,thatyoutendtonoticeorbecriticaloforkindofjumpforwardinyourmind?BecauseIknownowthatI've,youknow,takenyourclassandlikedoneevenstudentfilms,I'llbewatchingamovieoraTVshowandnoticethingsinthebackgroundthatIdon'tthinkIwouldhavenoticedotherwise.

Rich: 26:29 Yeah,yeah.You,youtendtodothatwhenyoulookat,lookatwhatyousee.Um,ItendtorecognizealotoflocationsandIrecognizealotofthebacklotsonthat.AndthenIseehowtheychangedit,right.Tomakeitfortheirshowortheirfilm.Yeah.Istill,IstillrecognizeitandIseethatacommercialstoo,youknow?Um,butforthemostpart,whenIwatchashoworIgoseeamovie,I,I,Ireallytrytoputallthatinthebackofmyhead.Andjustreallyenjoyit,youknow?Uh,andjusttakeitallinandseeandgetasenseofthedesign.Uh,andas,astheproject,asafilmorTVshowprogresses,Ieithersortofsortofleantowards,oh,thisislookinggreat,thisislookinggreat.OrthenIgotheotherwayandIgo,ohshoot,lookatthat.That'swrong.Youknow?AndthenonceIdo,onceIhitthatkindofareainmymindaboutwhatI'mlookingat,thenit'stakesmeoutoftheshow,unfortunately.Youknow?But,uh,somanytalentedpeopleoutthere,uh,designersthatarereallydoingsomewonderfulthings,mostofthem,mostofthetimeyoujust

getengulfedinthestory.Yeah.Thelookisfantastic,youknow?Yeah.So.

Kaitlyn: 27:59 Awesome.Wellthatwrapsupallofmy,myquestionsthatIhaveforyou.Thankyouagainsomuchfortakingthetimeoutofyourscheduletointerviewwithme.Ireallyappreciateit.

Rich: 28:13 Oh,mypleasure.Anytime.I'mgladyoucalled.Yeah,itwas.Ialwaysenjoydoingthis.It'sreallynice.

Kaitlyn: 28:21 Yeah.Well,it'sdefinitelyhelpfultogettoheardifferentperspectivesanddifferent,um,differentanglesontheindustryingeneral,andespeciallygettingtohearfromsomebodyinwho'sworkedintheartdepartmentandintelevision.Um,it's,it'sreallycooltohearyour,yourperspectiveonit..

Rich: 28:47 Awesome.Great.Yeah,soIansweredeverything.Yes.Okay.Awesome.Andifyouthinkofanythingelseoryouneedtotouchbasewithmeagain,pleasedo.

Kaitlyn: 29:01 Yeah.Perfect.Thankyou.Thankyousomuchforthisandallofyourhelpwitheverythingand,um,I'lldefinitelybeintouchwith,uh,ifIhaveanymorequestionsinthefuture.

Rich: 29:12 Okay.Thanks,Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn: 29:13 Awesome.Haveagoodday.

Rich: 29:15 Allright.Youtoo.Bye.Bye.

Appendix2:AnInterviewwithMaxineShepard

1. Howdidyougetintothefieldofproductiondesign?a. Wenttoschoolforgraphicdesignbutwasbasicallydonewithherstudiesbyher

junioryearb. Triedafewfilmproductionclassesandfellinlovewiththeindustryand

productiondesignc. Aftergraduation,theonlypersonsheknewintheindustrywashermom’s

hairdresser,whohaddonehairforafewHollywoodproductions,whohelpedgetherinthedoor

d. Mainlyjustsentherresumeoutandstartedworkingonlowornobudgetproductionswithlittletonopay

e. Therewasnocourseinproductiondesignatherschool,soshewasforcedtolearnbydoinginthefield

f. Workedalotof“artdirector”jobsonsmallsetswhereshewasdoingeverythingfromconstructiontobuyingtopainting

g. SawChinatownasakidandwasfascinatedbythewayproductiondesigncouldtransformthesettinginto1930sLosAngeles

2. Whatisyourday-to-day/weekintheartdepartment?a. Typicaldayisgettingthescript,breakingitdown,goingovernewsetsand

approach,doingresearchandcomingupwithagameplanb. Pickingoutspecificsinthescriptandusingthosetodesignandsketchthespace

basedonthemovementsinthescenec. Showfinalsketchestotheproducerfirst,thenthedirectoroftheepisodefor

approvald. Atthebeginningoftheweek,thereisaconceptmeetingwithallofthe

departments,whereeveryonegoesoverthescript,talksaboutideas,andgetsfeedback

e. Halfhourshowgenerallyhasfive-dayturnaround(sevenoreight-dayforhourlongshowlikeCSI)

f. Weekflow:locationmeeting->conceptmeeting->artdepartmentmeeting->locationscout->productionmeeting->everythingisfinishedonFriday

3. WhatisthedifferencebetweenworkinginTVversusfilm?a. TVisamuchfasterpace,fivetoeight-dayturnaroundb. It’shardtogetboredinTV,alwayssurprisesandchallengesc. Featuresallowforadeeperdiveandtakemuchlongerd. Featurescanbemorerewardinge. OnceyoustartworkinginTV,youkindofget“stuck”andproducersstartonly

lookingatyouasaTVdesigner,hardertomovebacktofeaturesf. Ultimately,choosingaprojectismoreaboutthepeople/crew,thescript,andthe

subject4. Howhastheindustrychangedsinceyoustartedyourcareer?

a. Startedworkinginthe80s,computerswerenewandnotusedasmuch,nowcomputersareomnipresentinthefilmindustryandthedesignworld

b. CarriesiPadaroundwithherallthetimec. Almosteverything(sketching,measuring,research)isdonedigitallyd. Everythingmovesfasterandthingscanbesavedandduplicatedmoreeasilye. Peopleexpectthingstobedonefasterbecauseoftheuseofdigital,askformore

tobedonemorequicklyf. Forcesyounottosecondguessandrelyonyourinstincts,doquickresearch

beforemakingdecisions5. Whatarethebiggestchallengeswhenstartinganewproject?

a. Producersneedtoknowstaffingstage/setsizes,timelines,initialconceptideasrightoffthebatwithoutknowingexactlywhatyou’redoing

b. Guessingtheimportantdetailsandlogisticsbasedonpastknowledgeandotheropinions

c. Importanttoknowwhotocalltogetopinionsandgatherinformationd. Researchisthemostfunpartofthejobe. Jobisacompromisebetweenartandbusiness–itiscalledshowBUSINESS

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