Pretty Pictures

Pretty Pictures

Author: C. S. Tashiro

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2010-07-05

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0292786921

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Theories of film have traditionally dealt with either narrative or industrial issues, with the consequence that the physical content of the graphic frame has often been ignored or relegated to the sidelines. By contrast, C. S. Tashiro foregrounds the visual aspect of cinema in this book, drawing on his experiences as a designer and filmmaker, as well as on contemporary theory, to show how production design can support or contradict narrative structure, or exist in an entirely parallel realm of meaning. Tashiro looks at cinematic production design from a broadly interdisciplinary perspective, encompassing art and architecture theory, audience reception, narrative theory, and phenomenology, to arrive at a more encompassing definition of the process. He builds his argument around studies of several prominent history films, since design is central to historical representation, and explores the most pertinent issues raised by the topic, particularly commodity consumption. In his conclusion, he also offers possible solutions to some of the social problems raised by design.


Production Design & the Cinematic Home

Production Design & the Cinematic Home

Author: Jane Barnwell

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-05-10

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 3030904490

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This book uses in-depth case studies to explore the significance of the design of the home on screen. The chapters draw widely upon the production designer’s professional perspective and particular creative point of view. The case studies employ a methodology Barnwell has pioneered for the analysis of production design called Visual Concept Analysis, which can be used as a key to decode the design of any given film. Through the nurturing warmth of the Browns’ home in Paddington, the ambiguous boundaries of secret service agent homes in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the ‘singleton’ space occupied by Bridget Jones, Barnwell demonstrates that the domestic interior consistently plays a key role. Whether used as a transition space, an ideal, a catalyst for change or a place to return to, these case studies examine the pivotal nature of the home in storytelling and the production designers’ significance in its creation. The book benefits from interviews with production designers and artwork that provides insight on the creative process.


Production Design

Production Design

Author: Jane Barnwell

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-07-25

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0231850131

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Production Design: Architects of the Screen explores the role of the production designer through a historical overview that maps out landmark film and television designs. From the familiar environs of television soap operas to the elaborate and disorientating Velvet Goldmine. Jane Barnwell considers how themes. motifs and colours offer clues to unravel plot. character and underlying concepts. In addressing the importance of physical space in film and TV, the book investigates questions of authenticity in detail. props. colours and materials. The design codes of period drama. more playful representations of the past and distinctive contemporary looks are discussed through the use of key examples ranging from musicals of the 1930s to cult films of the 1990s. The book also includes interviews with leading production designers and studies of Trainspotting, The English Patient and Caravaggio.


The Art of Film

The Art of Film

Author: Ian Christie

Publisher: Wallflower Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13:

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John Box had one of the most continuously productive design careers in British cinema, winning a record for Academy Awards and four BAFTAs. After learning his craft in the 1950s, he shot to fame with Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Directors from David Lean and Carol Reed to Norman Jewison and Michael Mann have valued his experience, as he brought `a vocabulary of life' to bear on the new challenges posed by each film. Whether creating Chaina in Wales for The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), revolutionary Russia in Spain for Dr. Zhivago (1965), or Dickensian London for Oliver! (1968), imagining the mythic past in First Knight (1995) or the future in Rollerball (1975). Box shaped screen worlds across five decades, helping to establish the traditions of British production design which continue today. His greatest wish was that his career should encourage others by example. Based on interviews with John Box and the co-operation of some of his key collaborators, this lavishly colour-illustrated book focuses on solutions to design problems and provides a unique insight into the production designer's role in the collaborative business of filmmaking. --Book Jacket.


Das Szenenbild Im Film

Das Szenenbild Im Film

Author: Heidi Lüdi

Publisher: Edition Axel Menges

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 3932565134

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"This book uses familiar films and television series to portray the complex process leading to the design of film sets. It goes into detail over the pros and cons of filming "on location" or in the studio, takes a look at the problems of historical and contemporary settings and clears up the linguistic muddle of names for particular jobs that has grown up as a result of different film production developments in Europe and America. This illustrated volume is a must for everyone involved in film and also for everyone interested in the art film." "Swiss designers Heidi and Toni Ludi have designed countless film sets since studying art in London and Munich, including such famous examples as The Magic Mountain, Edith's Diary, Wings of Desire, The Bear, Lindenstrasse and Die zweite Heimat. Both are actively committed to their profession; they pass their experience on to the younger generation in frequent lectures and seminars, in Toni Ludi's case since 1989 as professor at the Fachhochschule Rosenheim."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved


The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design

The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design

Author: Vincent LoBrutto

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2002-05-01

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1621535878

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Learn to turn a simple screenplay into a visual masterpiece! Top production designers share their real-life experiences to explain the aesthetic, narrative, and technical aspects of the craft. Step by step, aspiring filmmakers will discover sound instruction on the tools of the trade, and established filmmakers will enjoy a new outlook on production design. They will learn, for example, the craft behind movie magic–such as how to create a design metaphor, choose a color scheme, use space, and work within all genres of film, from well-funded studio projects to "guerilla filmmaking." This indispensable resource also contains a history of movie making and guidelines for digital production design. For the experienced filmmaker seeking new design ideas to the struggling newcomer stretching low-budget dollars, this book makes the processes and concepts of production design accessible. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.


Designs on Film

Designs on Film

Author: Cathy Whitlock

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2013-02-05

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 0062241605

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Who can forget the over-the-top, white-on-white, high-gloss interiors through which Fred Astaire danced in Top Hat? The modernist high-rise architecture, inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, in the adaptation of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead? The lavish, opulent drawing rooms of Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence? Through the use of film design—called both art direction and production design in the film industry—movies can transport us to new worlds of luxury, highlight the ornament of the everyday, offer a vision of the future, or evoke the realities of a distant era. In Designs on Film, journalist and interior designer Cathy Whitlock illuminates the often undercelebrated role of the production designer in the creation of the most memorable moments in film history. Through a lush collection of rare archival photographs, Whitlock narrates the evolving story of art direction over the course of a century—from the massive Roman architecture of Ben-Hur to the infamous Dakota apartment in Rosemary's Baby to the digital CGI wonders of Avatar's Pandora. Drawing on insights from the most prominent Hollywood production designers and the historical knowledge of the venerable Art Directors Guild, Whitlock delves into the detailed process of how sets are imagined, drawn, built, and decorated. Designs on Film is the must-have look book for film lovers, movie buffs, and anyone looking to draw interior design inspiration from the constructions and confections of Hollywood. Whitlock lifts the curtain on movie magic and celebrates the many ways in which art direction and set design allow us to lose ourselves in the diverse worlds showcased on the big screen.


Film Architecture and the Transnational Imagination

Film Architecture and the Transnational Imagination

Author: Tim Bergfelder

Publisher: Amsterdam University Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9053569804

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Summary: "Film Architecture and the Transnational Imagination presents for the first time a comparative study of European film set design in the late 1920s and 1930s; based on a wealth of designers ʼ drawings, film stills and archival documents, the book offers a new insight into the development and significance of trans-national artistic collaboration during this period. European cinema from the late 1920s to the late 1930s is famous for its attention to detail in terms of set design and visual effect. Focusing on developments in Britain, France, and Germany, Film Architecture and the Transnational Imagination: Set Design in 1930s European Cinema provides a comprehensive analysis of the practices, styles, and function of cinematic production design during this period, and its influence on subsequent filmmaking patterns."--Publisher description.


Art Direction and Production Design

Art Direction and Production Design

Author: Lucy Fischer

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2015-03-06

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 0813572800

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How is the look of a film achieved? In Art Direction and Production Design, six outstanding scholars survey the careers of notable art directors, the influence of specific design styles, the key roles played by particular studios and films in shaping the field, the effect of technological changes on production design, and the shifts in industrial modes of organization. The craft’s purpose is to produce an overall pictorial “vision” for films, and in 1924 a group of designers formed the Cinemagundi Club—their skills encompassed set design, painting, decoration, construction, and budgeting. A few years later, in recognition of their contributions to filmmaking, the first Academy Awards for art direction were given, a clear indication of just how essential the oversight of production design had become to the so-called majors. The original essays presented in Art Direction and Production Design trace the trajectory from Thomas Edison’s primitive studio, the Black Maria, to the growth of the Hollywood “studio system,” to the influence of sound, to a discussion of the “auteur theory,” and to contemporary Hollywood in which computer-generated imagery has become common. By 2000, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors became the Art Directors Guild, emphasizing the significance of the contributions of art direction and production design to filmmaking. Art Direction and Production Design is a volume in the Behind the Silver Screen series—other titles in the series include Acting, Animation, Cinematography, Directing, Editing and Special/Visual Effects, Producers, Screenwriting, and Sound.


Designing for Screen

Designing for Screen

Author: Georgina Shorter

Publisher: Crowood

Published: 2012-08-01

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1847974465

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Design is at the essence of storytelling, but how does a production find its style and identity? This book explains how to approach design, whether for film, television, video promo or commercial making, and introduces the techniques needed to make ideas happen. Through theory and practical exercises, it looks at design in a different way and shows how the simplest decisions can become powerful ideas on screen. Explains the roles of the design team, including the production designer and art director; Explains how to extract design information from a script and how to identify key themes that can be used to support the telling of the story; Looks at how and where to research ideas, and suggests ways to illustrate them; Explores the importance of images, colour, texture and space to captivate an audience; Shows how to prepare drawings and models using various media; Refers to film and television productions, and shows how design decisions contribute to the story.