We are going to work for a producer who is not very affluent and will try to cut corners. The script does not arrive bound in plastic leather with gold-embossed lettering. It has paper covers and is bound with three brass fasteners, the removal of which will allow placement in a loose-leaf binder. The title and author’s name are on the first page, as well as the series title, episode number, the producer’s name, and the copyright notice.
Freely read the script without making notes. Allow your imagination to see pictures of the characters and their environments as well as the story’s general tone. Assuming that you have read the entire first episode script, make notes on the settings.
INTERIOR – Patty’s living room
INTERIOR – Richard’s office
INTERIOR – Mrs. Harrison’s kitchen
EXTERIOR – The town park
INTERIOR – Hotel room in Sweden
Small Towns and Flashbacks
We learn that the story locale is Erling, a small town in central Iowa, population 500. The time is the present, except for the scene in Mrs. Harrison’s kitchen – a flashback to 1938 – and the scene in the Swedish hotel room, which took place five years ago. To begin sorting out the elements relevant to our part of the production, look at the two main characters.
The writer provides a character sketch of Patty:
Patty Johanssen, 26, is the mayor of a small town in Iowa. She is a self-reliant young woman, an orphan since she was 14, when her parents were atomized in a grain elevator explosion. Patty lives in the old family home just off Erling’s main street. She became the mayor three months ago when she decided that her withering hometown needed revitalizing. Patty ran for office and won the election, much to the chagrin of the town elders.
Now that we have some facts about the central character, ask yourself questions about her environment.
1. What does a small town in Iowa look like?
2. What does an old family home in a small town in Iowa look like?
3. What would have happened to that house in its 75-year existence that could give the audience information about its age?
4. What modernization might be visible?
5. What objects would Patty have collected that could tell the show’s audience about her occupation, taste, and general character?
Richard Hansen
The script contains this character sketch of Richard:
Twenty-nine-year old Richard left the big city of Chicago to pursue the good life (he thought) of a small-town newspaper publisher. He is a new guy in town, unrealistic about the prejudices and traditions of the old-timers who are used to having their own way and maintaining the status quo. Richard lives at the back room of the newspaper office—a small building that houses his office, printing equipment, and living quarters.
Again, here are some questions to ask:
1. What does a small-town newspaper office look like?
2. Would Richard’s office be typical, based on what we know about him?
3. What objects would be in his living quarters?
RESEARCH THE CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS
Our producer is not going to give us plane tickets and expense money to spend a week in Iowa, so we have to look elsewhere for visual information. Some art directors keep their own research collections, but have to spend a lot of time and money collecting, maintaining, and housing the material.
It is, however, impossible for most individuals to collect enough material to cover all their needs. Art directors generally have some books and photographs collected from previous projects that may come in handy again. Basic books, such as atlases, architectural standards, lettering, pictorial encyclopedias, and volumes that are of particular interest to the individual, serve the designer well.
Use Your Library Card
Most sizable public libraries maintain reference section picture files that contain photographs and drawings. Remember that an illustrator’s view of small towns in Iowa can be misleading, compared to a documentary photograph. Paintings and drawings can give valuable hints on color and composition, but do not necessarily represent the reality that should be your design’s starting point. Also, the cataloging systems used in libraries may unintentionally hide the pictures you are looking for because they are set up for word rather than picture use.
Specialized Libraries
In the early days of motion picture production this same problem cropped up, so studios assembled their own specialized visual material libraries. These collections contained research material for script writers, but also held picture material for set designers and art directors. A few major studios have retained these libraries, and others have sold their research collections to individuals who continue to provide research services for an hourly fee.
Look Out for the Toaster Experts
When looking for and using research material, be assured that someone in the viewing audience will notice an error in time placement; for sure, someone will notice the 1955 toaster in your 1949 kitchen. Use objects and decorating styles that were present before, or contemporary with the period in which your sets are supposed to exist, but never after the period, because these objects and styles would not have existed then.
Mail Order Catalogs
As indicators of objects and styles in current use during a specific period, popular mail order catalogs are very reliable. They accurately document mass taste and provide guides to common objects such as stoves, furniture, and bric-a-brac. Family photo albums provide exact recordings of everyday life as well.
Don’t Take Anyone’s Word for It
There’s no substitute for original sources, firsthand observation, and the camera. Don’t guess what something looks like. Spend time searching out reality. Then, put your own interpretation on it.
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Now that we have found out how to gather general information for further scrutiny, in the next chapter we will see how to use these materials.