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Just Shoot It
Scene from Days Of Heaven – directed by Terrence Malick – Production Designer Jack Fisk – cinematography by Nestor Almendros “It’s one of those foolish truisms that a lot of what is perceived as great...
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Mozart Wasn’t A Hummer
Sketch for Rosemary’s Baby by Richard Sylbert “When I began working in the industry, you made all the illustrations, you drew up the plans, you decorated the sets, you picked all the locations. Today...
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Painted Backings – Film’s Best Kept Secret
“In 1903, Pathé (the first Pathé studio in Vincennes) had two cameramen [who were] paid 55 francs a week. The designers/painters, much better paid, began at 90 francs a week. A week then was 60 hours...
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Painted Backings – Part II
A scenic lays out a backing at Ealing Studios in London in 1939 for the film “Young Man’s Fancy”. National Media Museum In my last post on painted backings I mentioned that they had some definite...
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Exhibition Of German Expressionist Film Artwork Now At LACMA
At the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art now until April is a special exhibition of artwork and posters from the German Expressionist period of the silent film era, 1919 to the mid 1930’s. Produced in...
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The Original Pre-Viz Tool – A DIY Lens Angle Calculator
Some of my collection of traditional studio lens angle templates. The ones on the left are for long lenses while the ones on the right are wide-angle lens. The third from the left is a zoom lens...
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If You Like Epic Films, Thank The Italians.
Per E.M.A. Un artista di talento e amica. L’Inferno (1911) Original Poster for the film The American director D.W. Griffith is often credited as being the creator of the feature-length film. It was...
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The VES Handbook of Visual Effects
Visual Effects are such a ubiquitous element of filmmaking that it’s rare to see a commercial or short film that doesn’t use them. With the digital revolution changing the film production landscape on...
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The Winner Is . . .
The winner of the design book giveaway is Hogan Lee. His name was drawn from the correct answers, which is: Der Letzte Mann (The Last Man). Made by UFA Films, it was released here in 1925 as The Last...
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You Know Your Set Is Big . . . When You Can See It From A Satellite
It’s there on Google Earth, at least the footprint of it is. You can make it out from an image at 30,000 feet high, there in the giant parking lot of what was once an amusement park. Set location in...
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COVID-19 And The Art Department
Right now there are empty studio backlots and sound stages all over the world. Most of them are booked, waiting for shooting companies, but entirely unshootable until they are filled with scenery and...
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Beginnings – A Conversation With Production Designer Nigel Phelps
(Ed. note – This is the first in a series of interviews with Production Designers, discussing their first job experiences and earlier films in the entertainment industry.) Nigel Phelp’s career began in...
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The Swedish Art Department
Sometimes we assume that the way we do things in film art departments here in the United States must be completely different than in other countries, but often when we talk with our compatriots in...
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New 10-Week Set Design Fundamentals Course – 50% Off
One-Time Pre-Sale Offer Wrand Productions announces it’s 10-Week Set Design Fundamentals Course at a Pre-Sale price of 50% off the regular price. This is the only time the series will be offered at...
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Ends In 24 Hours – 50% Off
One-Time Pre-Sale Offer + 2 Free Design Books There are 24 Hours left in our 50% Off sale of the 10-Week Set Design Fundamentals Course. In addition to half-price off on the course, if you sign up...
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The $150 Forced Perspective Miniature – Part 1
Forced perspective miniature during filming – Photo: Alan Derringer The Challenge My professor, Carl, looked at the scene list for my senior thesis film and furrowed his eyebrows. When I told him it...
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What Does A Set Designer Do?
Drawing by William Ladd Skinner “So, what is it exactly that you do?” That’s a typical question I get from people when I tell them my job title. People assume many different things, based on what...
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AI: A New Angst For Designers
The Must-Have Desktop Device of The Future? Coming in 2028 – The all-in-one 100 Petabyte AI generator, espresso machine, and desk lamp. The topic of AI-generated content has suddenly dominated the...
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International Production Design Week – October 20 – 29
This is the first day of the International Production Design Week events that have been organized and curated by the Production Designers Collective, an international group of Production Designers...
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New Release – Film Glossary For Film Designers
I wrote about this glossary over a year ago thinking that It was nearly ready for issue. It wasn’t. After struggling with finding a publisher for hard printed copies, I gave up and decided to just...
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