What kinds of dishes are in the kitchen? What kinds of toiletries are in the bathroom? Each choice needs to be in line with the production design and the intention to illuminate each character, and the director approves each significant choice. Figure 4-1 shows the set of Café 429 in an episode of Brothers & Sisters. It was designed by Denny Dugally and decorated by Brian Venegas. Note the bar decorations—the scene took place during a harvest-themed charity event.
The set decorator provides the surroundings of the set or location that the production designer has dictated, but the person who provides the things that actors physically touch or use in a scene is the prop master. Again, choosing props provides an opportunity for the director (through the prop master) to be specific about story and character. Even something basic and simple—a dish towel, a screwdriver, a purse, a pair of eyeglasses—can speak volumes about a character.
So in the concept meetings, a director can provide direction to the prop master about what to look for. Then, during the prep period, the prop master brings items to the director for approval. By the time the production moves from prep to shooting, all of those elements have been chosen, and each reflects the period, the story, and the character.
Choosing props provides an opportunity for the director to be specific about story and character. Even something basic and simple—a dish towel, a screwdriver, a purse, a pair of eyeglasses—can speak volumes.
DRESSING THE ACTORS
Another department involved in production design is Costumes, sometimes called Wardrobe. This department head (the costume designer) has autonomy and does not (usually) report to the production designer, but they work together to create a cohesive look. Here again, it is the director’s inspiration that provides the basis for all of the choices. And, once more, it is important for the costume designer’s work to remain consistent with the overall look of the production, respecting its basis in time period and environment. During the concept meetings, visual aids are especially important in this department because a picture is worth a thousand words, and it’s difficult to describe a suit or a dress or a set of chain mail, but when the director and costume designer look at photographs or art work that illustrate the possibilities, they can be sure that they are dealing with the same reference point.
Depending on the budget and the script requirements, the costumes may be bought, rented, or built (made). As with the production designer, the position of the costume designer requires someone who can create from scratch or find the perfect piece at a flea market, depending on budget and time—someone who is both brilliant and flexible.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and it’s difficult to describe a suit or a dress or a set of chain mail, but when the director and costume designer look at photographs or art work that illustrate the possibilities, they can be sure that they are dealing with the same reference point.
OTHER PRODUCTION DESIGN DEPARTMENTS
Other department heads with the same type of capabilities are the makeup and hair designers, who—in addition to making the actors look good—also need to be practical psychologists. These are people who deal with actors who have fragile egos and who see them first every day. A good makeup artist does her best to help the actors face the day with confidence. Doing so is difficult if an actor does not feel positive about his “look.”
An actor’s look is especially important in period pieces, whether it’s the past or the future. The actors’ looks contribute to the overall production design by cementing the characters’ place in time and designated space. Contemporary scripts can lead to less specific styles, unless there is an event in the script (a prom, a banquet, a race, or a competition of some kind) for which the characters would change their everyday look. Referencing pictures or movies helps to make sure that the director and the makeup and hair designers are communicating clearly.
A good makeup artist does her best to help the actors face the day with confidence. Doing so is difficult if an actor does not feel positive about his “look.”
The last general department head with which the director works during prep is the transportation coordinator, who is responsible for “picture cars,” in addition to transporting the company and its equipment during the process of production. Picture cars are those that will appear as part of the production design, whether in the background or for use by principal characters. Just as costumes and hair and makeup illuminate characters, so do the cars they drive. Like everything else, this is a choice the director makes that will help tell the story. Does the character drive a big black Mercedes or a broken-down Ford Fiesta?
Although all department heads contribute their creativity and effort in each specific area, the director is the ultimate arbiter of the choices that are right for the script.
If the script requires it, the director may also work with department heads in special effects, visual effects, stunts, and choreography. That is covered more in Chapter 12, but suffice it to say here that choices will be made that help tell the story and adhere to the overall production design.
This process of creating the production design for a story can exhilarating, frustrating, and exceedingly creative. Choosing the style of each possible choice—whether it’s a set design, a piece of set decoration, a prop, a costume, a car, or an actor’s look—brings the director closer to telling the part of the story that is surrounding the actors. Although all department heads contribute their creativity and effort in each specific area, the director is the ultimate arbiter of the choices that are right for the script.
Creating a Scrapbook
Choose a scene from the appendix. Create a scrapbook from magazines or images from the Internet that illustrate your visual concept of style, color, and impact for the costumes and set dressings.
The process of creating the finished product must be one of collaboration because it takes roughly 200 people to put out one episode of a network television show. But it is the director who is hired to provide the creative vision and the leadership required to get everyone on the same team, telling the same story. And when talking about production design, that means that among other qualities required for this multilevel job, it would behoove the director to have a good education in art history, architecture, popular culture, design, and aesthetics. If you’re lacking any of that, you can make up for it by doing your research; seeing what others have done in art, print and film; and then making choices based on your story and your preferences. Just remember that the first rule is always to tell the story.
Insider Info
How Do You Work with Directors?
Communication and collaboration are the most important tools I use when working with a director. As the production designer for a television series, I am frequently caught in the middle. I must be fiscally responsible to the production and remain true to the established style, all the while trying to make the director’s vision a reality. It can be a slippery slope.
I maintain open communications as much as possible and try to help the director find design solutions that will please them within the parameters of our show. I try to ask thoughtful questions to help us establish a shared vision that I can translate to paper. I share research, ideas, and color theory and try to keep the director dialed in during all of the design process.
What Would You Like Directors to Know About Production Design?
I would like them to know the established look of our show and how we shoot. I especially like it when directors ask questions; it helps me understand where I need to be clearer in my communications with them. Our collaboration seems to work best when a director trusts me and I try very hard to instill that trust. It is always very helpful if they understand a basic floor plan and how color is used on set to create contrast and mood. I can learn so much about a director and her style when we share our personal favorite films and architecture that we find inspires us for the episode at hand.
What is Your Best Advice to Young Directors?
Don’t be afraid to ask
questions. A good production designer should be a confidante to a young director, helping her create a shared vision. Making shot lists will help a young director communicate better with their designer. Also, watch the previous episodes, read the previous scripts, and walk through the standing sets for a show. There is a gold mine of information there just waiting to be tapped.
Denny Dugally
Production Designer
Brothers & Sisters, Without a Trace, Arrested Development (pilot)
Vocabulary
art director
art vs. commerce
concept meeting
costume designer
department heads
director of photography
location
makeup and hair
designers
one-off
production design
production designer
prop master
set decorator
transportation
coordinator
visual aids
1. Hodgson, Nicola, and Neil Lockley (Eds.). (2008). Signs and Symbols. New York: DK Publishing, p. 280–283.
Chapter 5
Organizing the Shoot with the First Assistant Director
In an average one-hour single-camera production, you have about 52 pages of script that must be shot in 7, 8, or 9 days, depending on the budget. With a half-hour single camera show, you have about 38 pages that usually must be shot in 5 days. How do you decide what to shoot on what day? How do you fit it all in?
Those decisions are made during prep. There are many factors to juggle, and you—the director—are mostly focused on the creative aspect of blocking and shot listing, so you need someone to focus instead on the logistics. That person is the first assistant director, or 1st AD. (There is also a 2nd assistant director, and a 2nd 2nd assistant director, and there are production assistants on staff, too. But more on that later.) He is your right hand, the person who has your back, the one to whom you tell every thought and plan you have, the one who disseminates the information and gets everything you need in place so that you can actually do your job. The 1st AD is the conduit between production and you who makes sure that every department head knows what you require ahead of time. You can and will have those kinds of conversations directly with the department heads, but the AD will follow up and make sure that the crane or the car or whatever you need is there for you on the shooting day.
THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS
Your AD will also serve as your sounding board, your sympathetic shoulder (though hopefully you will do no crying on it), and will ideally be your friend—in the sense that he will tell you the truth. Because there are so many personalities at play in the course of prep and production, there is sure to be some interpersonal drama. The AD is usually tuned in to those undercurrents and can help you navigate them. You need someone to be your eyes and ears, someone who tells you what’s really going on because everyone else will defer to your position as director. The AD is the one in the middle, the one who is considered part of the crew, yet is close to you, too.
Everyone knows that the AD is the gateway to accessing the director, so—in addition to logistics—the most important function of the AD is to keep the communication flowing in both directions, that is, to the director and from the director.
The AD also communicates with the producer, basically reporting what is happening with you and your decisions. Be aware that the AD is hired by the producer and therefore is loyal first and foremost to that boss. (Again, the entity with the money is the ultimate boss.) And in episodic television, the AD is hired for the whole season; a director comes in for just one episode at a time. So the AD may find him- or herself between a rock and a hard place: between the needs of production and the needs of the director, if they are not in sync. (In a feature or a long-term one-off, like a TV movie or pilot, the synergy between the director and AD is more pronounced. The AD will truly be the right hand of the director. In episodic television, however, the AD’s loyalties may be more divided.) Basically, the AD is hired to be helpful to you, but he is also hired to keep an eye on you.
Everyone knows that the AD is the gateway to accessing the director, so—in addition to logistics—the most important function of the AD is to keep the communication flowing in both directions, that is, to the director and from the director.
The strength of your relationship with your 1st AD is dependent on your personalities and whether you have a symbiosis of philosophy. Essentially, do you get along? Do you see eye to eye?
If you are hired to be a director on a new project, you will have the final say in hiring the 1st AD. You can then look for an assistant with whom you feel comfortable in representing your interests, as that is essentially what an AD does. If, however, you are one of many directors to work with an AD within the schedule of a season, you will be meeting a stranger and hoping to quickly create a respectful working relationship that functions with clear communication. If you work to make an ally of the AD, you will be glad you did so during production. If, on the other hand, you two are at odds, it will be detrimental to you, because the crew perceives the AD as one of them, and relationships can quickly deteriorate into an “us vs. them” confrontational paradigm. There are many of “them” (the crew) and one of you. So regardless of whether you hired the AD, it is in your best interest to create a good partnership with that person.
Basically, what we’re saying here is that the AD is hired to be helpful to you, but he is also hired to keep an eye on you.
If you are a freelance director, you will be introduced to your AD on the first day of prep. Together, you will proceed to the concept meeting, hopefully having had an opportunity to discuss your thoughts on that script. The 1st AD runs all of the meetings; that is, he is the moderator. The 1st AD will say, “Welcome to the concept meeting for (name of show) episode # _________________, written by ____________________, directed by (you). Let’s begin with scene one.” And you and all the department heads, along with the producer, start at the beginning. You proceed, with the 1st AD leading the meeting, to work your way through the script, discussing potential solutions to the script requirements. You can interject information as the 1st AD leads the meeting if it is needed. The department heads will also have questions that only you can answer. The 1st AD will defer to you when these kinds of inquiries come up.
GENERATING AND JUGGLING THE SHOOTING SCHEDULE
After that first concept meeting, the next job of the 1st AD is to create a shooting schedule, which tells everyone involved in the production what is to be shot each day, and what elements are necessary. Which set will you be on? What props are needed? What actors are working? Of course, the shooting schedule can be created only if the script exists because that is the template from which everyone works. Very often, in episodic TV, the script is not yet written on the first day of prep. Obviously, the more time that everyone has to prepare, the better the shoot will go. If the writers are late in delivering the script, the preparation time will be condensed. Of course this shouldn’t happen, and in fact the DGA has guidelines specifically to avoid this kind of situation in order to protect the director when she works. The reality is that scripts are often delivered late. But once the script is delivered, the first order of business is to determine what will be shot and when.
The 1st AD breaks down each page of the script into eighths, so a scene might be listed as being “one and three-eighths of a page,” or 2 5/8, or whatever it is. He then “names” each scene by number and a one-phrase description (Larry and Jane meet, Larry and Jane kiss, Larry and Jane break up). He chronicles what specifics are called for in sets and locations, props, wardrobe, special effects, stunts, transportation, and so on.
The ideal shooting day would be 12 hours or less (excluding lunch), and everything would be organized to create flow and the least amount of disruption.
The 1st AD then uses a software program such as Movie Magic to create a schedule by putting groups of sc
enes together to shoot over the course of each day, which is called boarding the script (because it used to be done by hand, using cardboard strips mounted on a folding board). Once the 1st AD has a tentative board, he will bring it to you for discussion and approval. There are usually many editions of a board as factors emerge during the prep time, which force a reordering of the shooting days. But by the last day of prep, there will be a board/shooting schedule released to staff, cast, and crew that tells everyone what will be shot and when. You will see an example of one in Chapter 8.
The ideal shooting day would be 12 hours or less (excluding lunch), and everything would be organized to create flow and the least amount of disruption. There are many factors for the 1st AD to take into consideration when putting a board together. They are:
Actor availability
Cast regulars are committed for the duration of the shoot, though they may request time off for personal or publicity reasons. If the producers grant a request, then the actor cannot be scheduled to work during that time. Guest actors are booked according to the shooting schedule, so it is incumbent upon the 1st AD to group a guest actor’s work together so that they are paid for the fewest days.
Set or location availability
If you want to shoot at Staples Center, but in the week that you want to shoot, they already have a Lakers game, a concert, and a Kings game, you’ll have to fit in when they have an open time. Or if you want to shoot in a restaurant that is busier as it gets closer to the weekend, you’ll probably have to shoot there on Mondays when they’re closed. If the production designer is building a set, you can’t shoot in it until it’s constructed and decorated. The more locations and swing sets (sets that are new and specifically for this script), the more complicated this juggling act becomes.
Directors Tell the Story Page 7