Art Direction

Art Director

• The person who oversees the artists and craftspeople who build the sets.

• Production designers collaborate closely with the director and cinematographer to visualize the screenplay.

• Together they determine how visual components can best be combined to tell the screen story.

Patrizia von Brandenstein

“The most beautiful ballroom on earth means nothing unless it helps the context of the story.”

Things an Art Director must consider

• Space - Large or Small • production designers exploit

perspective and setting to metaphorically add to the story

• One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

• Architectural components (angles and shapes of buildings) - ex. Old Europe

Activity:

• Draw two locations around school and using one describe in a one-page typed synopsis a scene that might be shot. How would the setting help convey emotions and ideas of the characters. You may need to briefly explain your film idea.

Setting the Stage

• Once the architectural elements are decided the set must be created

• we make assumptions about film characters based on their environment

• production designers study the script’s characters

• achieve authenticity

• drama over realism…emotionally truth over accuracy

Colour and symbols

• When you read a book or looking at art you are taught to look for symbols…colours represent things.

Colours

• In Western cultures, for example, red usually denotes danger, passion; white denotes purity.

• In the Chinese culture, white is the color of death, and red signifies happiness and health.

• Colours can hint at the emotions or states of mind of a character.

• Think of Film Noir…dark…colourless…bleak…a metaphor for how some saw the post war years…

• Saturated, deep colors convey a sense of seriousness and intensity

• bright colors suggest lightness and delicacy

QUESTIONS?

• What colour is your room? • Why?• What colour is your favourite

shirt? • Why?

Changes in Modern Art Direction

• Computer imaging– This is making for

animation and computer images that can create strong images, lighten and darken images and even create sets!

East meets West

Zhang Yimou

• Began as a cinematographer in 1983• Directed Codename Cougar 1988• First major North American Release

was Hero (executive producer Quentin Tarentino) and starring Jet Li (Romeo Must Die & Lethal Weapon 4) in 2002

• Follow up: House of Flying Daggers (2004)

• In shadow of...

Ang Lee

• Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

• Sense and Sensibility (1995)

• The Ice Storm (1997)

• but…best known for... Wo hu cang long

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

The Hulk

And…Brokeback Mountain

John Woo

• Hard Target (1993)• Face/Off (1997• Mission Impossible 2 (2000)• Windtalkers (2002)• Paycheck (2003)• currently working on...

• Spyhunter - based on video game

• Metroid - based on video game

and...

He - Man

What is so different about their style?

Dynamic colour

BIG shots

Movement