The art department is one of the most important departments on a film. Like the camera crew, their work is seen completely on screen. The art department is the team that creates the total look of all the sets and locations. While the camera department, specifically the DP, is responsible for the photographic look of the show, the art department is responsible for everything the camera photographs. As with other departments, your script and the extent of your budget will determine how involved or big your art department is. If the film is very high budget, you will find all of the positions listed in this chapter. If the film is medium budget, you may have approximately 60 percent of the crew in Figure 8.1. If your film is low to very low budget, you may have only a few people to cover this area. In low budget, this means that the people you have will need to double, sometimes triple, their duties in order to accomplish the production design. Following is a list of the many crew involved in this department, along with their duties and responsibilities.
The production designer (PD) is the head of the art department. She is completely responsible for the look of the film. Let’s say the film is a science fiction piece: the PD creates the look of the futuristic world, from what color may dominate the sets to how clean or gritty this world will look. She is also responsible for the art department budget, which is often a significant part of the overall budget. The PD usually begins working shortly after pre-production has begun.
The art director is responsible for executing the look the PD wants. He also supervises the construction of the sets. The art director comes onto the project shortly after the PD.
The set decorator is responsible for decorating the sets as per direction from the art director and PD. He starts work shortly after the art director is hired.
The lead man is the person who arranges for large items to be transported to and from the set. These items could include furniture, drapes, and fixtures. The lead man also supervises the swing gang, the people who do all the physical labor of transporting items.
The art department coordinator is responsible for maintaining the art department budget for the PD. He works directly with vendors to process any paperwork needed for sets, such as purchase orders and check requests. The coordinator also helps the department coordinate meetings and communication. He is sometimes hired by the PD, or sometimes by the art director, and begins work shortly after the PD comes on the show. At wrap time the coordinator works one or two days of coordination with the lead man to get set dressing items returned.
The set designer works directly under the art director to draw any sets that may need to be constructed from scratch. The set designer’s expertise lies in the ability to construct blueprints for the kind of set that is specifically needed for a production. Most set designers have learned this trade from theater experience. The designer begins work shortly after the art director is hired.
The set dresser is a full-time on-set art department crew member. She is there to make sure that all set dressing is placed correctly and maintains continuity. It is understood on set that no one except the set dresser is to touch any set dressing. This way she can keep continuity as accurate as possible. In order to accomplish this, she generally never leaves camera. The set dresser comes on the show shortly before the start of principal photography.
The props person is responsible for securing and placing all props on set. A prop can be defined as anything an actor touches. However, just because an actor turns on the television does not make it a prop. The television is still set dressing. The props person can start anywhere from one to three months before the beginning of principal photography, depending on how “prop heavy” the show is. Following is a list of duties and responsibilities.
The assistant props person assists the prop master. She could have various duties such as copying prop lists, scouting props, buying props, and retrieving props from the props truck while on set. The assistant props person will start work at the same time as the props person.
The illustrator or graphic artist answers directly to the art director and is the person who draws storyboards of scenes and/or sequences. These are mainly used for particularly complicated scenes or sets. This position would most likely be filled on medium- to high-budget projects. In low-budget production, the art director or PD would complete this task. The illustrator may work run of show if there are many complicated sequences, or may come in only for a small amount of time as needed.
The draftsperson in production is much like the draftsperson for other construction venues. This person is responsible for plan and elevation drawings of sets. Obviously, this person must have the proper training and knowledge of how to deliver these kinds of drawings. The draftsperson will work run of show if there are a lot of sets to draw, or may come in only as needed.
The art department PAs do everything from getting coffee for the set dresser to returning props or set dressing items. They may begin working on the show at any time. Most often how early in pre-production they begin depends on the budget.
The assistants to the PD and art director are usually hired only on big-budget films. This person works much like a PA, but exclusively for the PD or art director. Duties include, but are not limited to, getting coffee, communicating with the art department coordinator, making copies, and answering phones. The assistant will begin work at the same time as the PD or art director.
The construction coordinator is the head of the construction department and responsible for overseeing the construction of all sets. She reports directly to the art director and will start work on a show as soon as the sets are designed and building is ready to begin. Following is a general list of duties:
The construction foreman deals more with the day-to-day operations of the construction team and the building of the sets. He supervises the construction workers to make sure the sets are making good progress and deals with any problems that may occur along the way. The foreman usually begins working at the same time as the construction coordinator.
The construction laborers, or carpenters, do the actual building of the sets and begin work when the sets are ready to go up.
The standby painter is a person who paints sets and stays on through the run of the show to paint anything as needed. He works with the set decorator to determine what will need to be painted on any particular sets. The painter usually begins work when the sets are ready to be painted.
The standby greensperson, who also used to be called the nurseryman, is the person in charge of the maintenance or creation of any foliage on set, including, but not limited to, trees, shrubs, flowers, and bushes. In many cases this person is needed to cover up something with greenery that shouldn’t be in the shot. The greensperson begins work anywhere from one week to three months ahead of time, depending on how much greens work is needed. The greensperson may also have a crew of helpers if the work requires it.
The operation of the art department is constantly changing. In pre-production the emphasis is on preparing locations and/or building sets. During production, except for the set dresser, the entire department is always working one set ahead to make sure it is ready when the crew needs to shoot. Keep in mind that in order to do this you must secure a location at least one day, and possibly many more, before you actually plan to shoot there. The art department may need time only to dress the set. On the other hand, they may need time to completely transform a location. The art department works with the location department and the director’s department to ensure that adequate time is given to prepare a set for shooting. During wrap time the team concentrates on returning locations to their previous state, striking sets, and returning equipment.
Following is what a shooting day might look like for the art department:
While there’s not a whole lot out there for this department, there are a few apps that help organize photographs per project. You can search for photos by scene, story day, or character and create notes for each project. These apps do make finding continuity shots faster on set.
The art department can be one of the largest and most expensive departments on a show, depending on the script. The PD heads up a large team of decorators, artists, painters, dressers, and construction people. The department is large enough on high-budget productions to have its own coordinator to schedule meetings and process funds.
3.142.156.235