3D Production Design

Gavin Bocquet works with George Lucas.

Today I learned of a new job type in film, I have known for years about Art Direction but until today, I did not know what a Production Designer did in a film production.  I always assumed that it was the Art Director who had the final say when decisions were made about visual storytelling design that relates to coding characters by color, costumes, props, or locations but it is in fact, the Production Designer that has the final say in these matters.  Yes, all of these visual storytelling elements are part of Art Direction and each is invaluable in conveying and crafting story through visuals.

I sometimes take for granted my art background because using distressing to age props/costumes or color as visual metaphor like greens and yellow usually depict sickness or red rage, etc. are elements of visual storytelling that I have been taught and immersed in since I was three years old.  I absolutely love the use of art as a visual moving storytelling art-form and it was the dramatic arts that finally captured my interest as that art-form is the only art that combines all types of art (music, visual, and performance) in one evocative and collaborative process of storytelling.  I realize that there will always be new things to learn, such as the discovery of the Production Designer job type and I may only hope that I will continue to devour and implement new ideas until the day I die.

I digress but let me tie things back to visual storytelling as that is what this post is really about…we have learned that in 3D, “…warm colors or hues tend [to] appear closer, whereas cool hues tend to recede away from the viewer.”¹ In 3D this is yet another way that color may be used to define character and tell story.  As Production Designer Gavin Bocquet states, “Great Production Design is about helping to tell a story as best you can with the creative tools you have at your disposal…Everything is based on reference…We always strive to give the highest level of detail we can. Maybe the demands of HD and 3D put more pressure on us in those areas, but there is nothing wrong in being pushed!”²

In conclusion, whether like in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” where the Production Designer uses a location such as Berlin to show the character’s internal division or color in the costume design of “Three Women” to show how the characters evolve and take on characteristics of the other characters there are many visual cues to be used to convey story.

Well, those are my thoughts for 3D this week.  I hope you find them useful and as always, I look forward to your reflections.

Cheers-

Russell McGee

¹ T. Bernard, Art Lesson: The Principles of Good Design - Space, WWW Document, http://www.bluemoonwebdesign.com/art-lessons-8.asp

² T. Hogg, Constructive Concepts: A conversation with production designer Gavin Bocquet, WWW Document, http://flickeringmyth.blogspot.com/2012/02/constructive-concepts-conversation-with.html