THE ART DIRECTOR

[Music] this could be a townhouse in Paris London Boston or San Francisco looks like a dignified and inviting place to live in doesn't it but take my word you wouldn't care to live in it borders neither a house nor a home fit to live in the structure has no roof and only three walls it is a set built on a stage for the filming of a motion picture nevertheless for the portions of the building that you will see in the finished picture it will be complete to the last detail with proper furnishings drapes carpets light fixtures handles and locks and keys for every door the man responsible for creating this perfect illusion is the art director with a few deft strokes of his imaginative mind he can take you from this home to the tenements of New York's East Side or to a fashionable home on Long from a Midwestern farm II transport to the San Francisco's colorful Barbary Coast of years past [Music] when an art director is assigned to a picture his first job is to analyze the script and determine the proper type of background essentially the art director must have creative ingenuity it is his specific job to design each set to conform architectural II and artistically with the requirements of the script bearing in mind the mood and peace of the story if the action takes place around a southern colonial mansion he must decide whether it is necessary to build the entire home or whether showing a section of it would be sufficient if the story unfolds itself in Siam he must be familiar with every detail of its intricate and exotic architecture perhaps the script calls for a New England farmhouse a Midwestern Street for a Mexican village or all three how much of each will have to be constructed to obtain the desired effect this demands extensive research on the part of the art director it also requires studying the life work of famous architects of the past such as Nicholas Hawksmoor the Adams Brothers any good job and Christopher Wren the builder of some Paul's Cathedral months were spent in recreating the splendor of these louis xvi and regions a period [Music] the art director must be familiar with every period of architecture and furnishings the normal Tudor and Jacobean which flourished in England up to the time of the restoration he must know when the Georgian period ended and the Victorian era began incidentally the art directors of Hollywood are credited with exerting a great influence on home design and furnishings for instance when this picture was produced some 15 years ago thousands of letters were written to the studio asking for plans of this authentic early American home many requests were made for the floor plans and details of this home motion picture art directors were among the first to exploit the functional or modern design as early as 1926 they were also among the first to discard its cold angular severity a trace of present-day modern here the art director can give his imagination an even wider plane and portray what he feels the office will look like in years to come after the architectural style has been decided upon the mood of the story is considered did the writer strive for gaiety if so the scenes will be brightly lit [Music] if the writer intended a mood of somber overtones the sex must be photographed in a low-key bearing this in mind the art director chooses fabrics and colors accordingly to blend harmoniously with each other or even in black and white photography color is an important factor sketch artists are then assigned to consolidate and carry out his original designs under his constant supervision from these sketches actual plans are carefully drafted and this looks almost like the finished product but it isn't miniatures like this built to exact scale are often made before the real sets are constructed this is particularly helpful to the director and cameraman for planning action and shooting angles in advance the set decoration such as furniture drapes and hangings must conform to the architecture to the period of the story and to the station and life of the people portrayed when the set is ready for shooting the art director stands by to consult with the director and cameraman to realize the ultimate production value of the settings and to attain the desired moods and effects this is the moment of fulfillment for the coordinated efforts of the many departments concerned with the making of a motion picture this particular job is finished and the art director can relax but not for long or he is given another assignment and who knows what new problems this story will present he may have to improvise a sandstorm in the Sahara Desert a tropical downpour on Guadalcanal a captured Japanese outpost to the South Pacific he may even be asked to recreate the Holocaust of the Great Chicago Fire but the art directors ingenuity will bring them to the strain with such reality making us forget that we are looking at a motion picture screen a truly ultimate achievement and the art of motion picture making [Music]