Getting hired to the art department- portfolio and website

The portfolio.

A visual representation of your work ready to hand off to a potential employer.

Traditionally speaking a portfolio is a sleek little black binder with an eye catching cover and your resume as the first page. Followed by your strongest examples of how amazing you are at the things you create.

In the past I have gone this route. I pick some amazing stills/pictures from past projects- photoshop them together in a collage form so that each set of facing pages is one project.

But when it comes to filmmakers- we like technology, and if we're looking at your work we don't usually have time to physically look through a binder of work. Your first step to getting an employer's attention need to be online.

Here are some examples of some stunning production design and art department crew websites:

Alan Hook; Production Designer for One tree hill and Artistic director for Iron Man 3 (and tons of other projects)
http://www.alanhook.com

Tom Sanders: Production designer for films such as Saving Private Ryan, and Braveheart
http://www.tomsprojects.net

James Merifield: Production designer for Deep Blue Sea, and Brighton Rock.
His website is super sexy, with an amazing reel on the splash page, and a very sleek example of a resume (CV)
http://www.jamesmerifield.com


My website, compare to those, is a sad little bleating lamb with a stomache upset by gorging on rocks. But at least it exists and it's a quick fix to my website problem for the time being. The nice thing about my website it that it was free to create- which on my budget, is a very important trait. I've been using webs.com I get my work out there. It's no hand crafted website, but again I note the free aspect and it is very user friendly. I have my resume, contact info, photographic portfolio divided by project, and a hand dandy video section that will play youtube videos, which is all I really need to show trailers and clips of past projects. Another fun feature webs.com offers? mobile phone formats. So people can easily view your work on whatever device they're using.

I know it's just a start, and I have been planning out how I want my sexy custom website to look and function. But it's a much slower process, since I'm not ready to hire someone to make it happen for me. Until then, I begin my process of collecting clip to use in my reel.

Google Sketch-up renderings

As promised, here are a few screen shots from a Google sketch-up model I did for a project last year. One of the nice features Sketch-up has is you can position the camera anywhere inside the model and then look around the room to set up the shot easily.

I think I'm going to use this in the future to make storyboards for things. Draft it once and then all you have to do is add figures and crop it down to the right aspect ratio.

office ground plan

view towards the door

Over the shoulder view

seating area

Google sketch-up drafting

As a designer, I do a lot of drafting. AutoCAD and Google sketch up are the ones I use most often. When I draft things to build I prefer to use AutoCAD, but recently I was in between computers and had to do my construction drafting on Google sketch-up. Because Sketch-up happens to be one of my favorite things--- yep you guessed it. Free. 

Sketch-up is challenging to work with when adding dimensions and labeling tends to float around in a weird way if it's in 3D. Google sketch-up is, however, amazing for doing 3D rendering of locations. It helps me wrap my head around where the camera will probably be placed in a room, and figure out what will realistically be needed as far as set dressing is concerned. 

The following plates are from a flat I designed for a nursing home's community enrichment project. It shows how to construct the facing, the stands, and how it should look all together and I added nailing patterns and everything since real-life carpenters were going to be putting it together.

They did a beautiful job, BTW.

Doing the drafting for the carpenters with out being able to use the "offset" function the way I'm used to slowed me down a lot more than I like to admit. On the other hand, here's an example of a 3D location rendering I did of the MAC650 Art gallery for a proposal to renovate the front window:

To make this took hardly any time and in about half an hour I had something to submit.

I'll put up some more examples of google sketch up renderings for you next Thursday. Keep and eye out :)

Top 10 free apps to make life on set easier

I love my iPad. It has made working on set so incredibly stream lined and I use tons of apps to improve my productivity. And because I am forever on a budget, I use tons of free apps to simplify my life.


Rendering on the go:

Paint gallery: so far this is the best fully free painting/sketching app I have found. No layering capability, but it works quite well for quick sketches.









Concepts: another sketching program. In it's free form it is ok to use, the app design is much more professional than paint gallery. And this app can do layers, like importing a picture to trace, and it has a far greater selection of tools and textures to work with, but to you have to purchase the full app to enjoy all the neat features. It does seem like it would be worth it, so the next time I find paint gallery isn't full-filling my needs I will probably purchase it.

Magic Plan: The coolest drafting app ever! Use your device to take pictures of every corner of the room and it will measure and draft out a ground plan. It works best on empty rooms, but it is such a time saver to use during location scouting. I freakin' LOVE this app. It saved me hours of measuring and made it so easy to import into google sketch-up to do my renderings and ground plans. Plus, I must say, it really made me feel like a tech/art wizard.



Note taking:

Evernote: Evernote is a whole slew of digital products that can all be synced up between devices and is a great way to keep track of the never ending torrent of information you get while working. I use it to take notes during meetings, make to-do lists, costume plots and write stories. And, here's my favorite dumb artist reason to love it- I'm very fond of the logo. Elephants are cool.







Audio memos- free: I like to take voice recordings during meetings, interviews, and when I have a sudden idea. My favorite use of this application is while on set. If I suddenly have a list of things to prep I'll record it so I can play it back as I gather things together. Much quicker than jotting it down.









Film document management:

ibooks: Fun little trick I learned from a wise UPM, open the pdfs of your script, schedues, and other paperwork in safari, and then open it in ibooks. Now you have all of the documents at your fingertips without lugging around a ream or three of paper.







Random helpful apps:
WhatKnot: an app that will tell you what Knots to use and when you should use them. I wish I'd had this during tech class is college.









My Script Calculator: hand write in the equation- even complicated ones involving co-sins ect, and it will solve it. I love this app so much :)









File Sharing:

Dropbox: ah, a classic. share all those lovely files and pictures you've been making while on set.

And last but not least,
Pintrest: my love for whom I have spoken about in a previous posting, but I will say it again; all my research right where I need, it all the time. <3







And there you have it, my top 10 favorite free apps that make my job easier to do.

Art Department survival Kit

Being on set is often a whirl wind of activity, and you never really know what kind of challenges are going to await you once you get going. To really succeed in the the art department you should have a well stocked bag of tricks to help you get through the day. Here are the items I want to have with me while working a set.

As you are about to notice I tend to over-pack. Being usually one of perhaps three art department members I feel it is part of my job to come prepared to handle anything that gets thrown my way. so I will divide the list into sections

Essentials:

1. My ipad/iphone and charger which covers the following necessities:
1. A digital camera for continuity pictures
2. A copy of the script
3. A copy of the shot list
4. A copy of the shooting schedule
5. access to email during the day
2. A leatherman or other multitool
3. level
4. metal ruler
5. LED flashlight or key-chain light
6. Head lamp
7. work gloves
8. broom
9. dust pan
10. vacuum or dust buster
11. duster
12. oxi clean
13. bucket
14. sponge
15. windex
16. bleach spray
17. Paper towels
18. cough drops - for those moments during filming when you just can't keep the cough away through will power
19. sharpies, markers, pens, pencils (2B+)
20. power bars - to help get through the 6 hours or more between breaks
21. large umbrella
22. lint roller
23. seam ripper
24. hand sanitizer
25. first-aid kit
1. band-aids
2. gauze rolls
3. gauze pads
4. alcohol pads
5. nitrile gloves
6. medical tape
7. benadryl
8. aspirin
9. neosporin
10. tweezers
11. poison ivy wipes
26. a small sewing kit
1. black safety pins
2. various colored threads
3. scissors
4. needles
5. Velcro - sticky backed
27. Tape
1. black and white gaff
2. masking
3. multiple rolls of different colored electrical tape
4. crystal clear packing tape
5. double stick tape
6. mounting tape
7. black painters tape
8. generic painters tape
9. duct tape
28. Glue
1. super glue
2. Elmer's glue
3. spray 77
4. glue stick

Items for your own comfort:

1. rain coat
2. spare coat
3. extra pair of shoes and socks
4. sunglasses
5. camping sized adjustable folding table
6. folding chair or stool
7. insect repellent
8. sun screen

Items to keep nearby - in the art van etc.

1. A basic paint kit 
1. black spray paint
2. acrylic paints: black, white, red, yellow, blue
3. variously sized paint brushes
4. water bottle just for paint water
5. rubber and dirty down spray
6. dulling spray
2. trash bags
3. command picture hanging hooks and strips
4. extra batteries - for when that darn prop decides it's done
5. small fire extinguisher
6. lighters and box of kitchen matches
7. W-D 40
8. measuring tape
9. laptop and printer
10. paper to print on
11. spare ink
12. extension cords
13. work light - preferably battery powered
14. clamps
15. bungee cords
16. rope
17. cutting mat

Tools you will be grateful to have if you need them:

1. safety glasses
2. particle masks / respirator
3. moving blankets
4. furniture dolly
5. tarps
6. screw drivers - Phillips and flat head
7. hack saw
8. wire cutters
9. allen wrench multitool 
10. container of nails and screws
11. cordless drill and charger
12. drill bits
13. circular saw
14. dremmel with bits
15. hair dryer
16. sandpaper
17. sculpty clay
18. putty knife
19. spackle
20. exat-o blades and handle
21. box cutter
22. scissors
23. fuller's earth
24. steel wool
25. wire
26. tea bags - for aging
27. ziplocks
28. post-it lables

And even with all of this - I still feel like I'm missing things. Any suggestions?

Script breakdown

Pretend you are a production designer; feels good right ;-)

Anyway, you now have a brand-new script in front of you. What do you do now?

Step one, just read it through. no thinking, no note taking, just read it to experience it.

Good job. Now, go back to page one with either a bunch of highlighters or using Adobe reader's highlighter function and get ready to make your breakdown. Now I said production designer, but this a time honored process for any decision-maker on set. (PD, AD, Artistic Director, Props master, Wardrobe Supervisor, you get the picture.)

Breakdowns are the skeleton you will need to get started on the project ahead of you. I like to pick a different color for each of the following categories as I delve into the script.

1. Scene description- where, time of day, general descriptive notes in the script "INT. Grandma's house, Morning"
2. Weather because sometimes, they want it to rain or be foggy, and you get to rig it up- "rain trickles past the window"
3. Set dressing- highlight any specific set dressing notes "the ancient couch groaned beneath his weight as he sat."
4. Props  (including vehicles) - "He sipped shakily from the chipped blue tea cup"
5. Characters- "JAMES walked into the room"
6. Wardrobe (aka costumes) often have distressing (mud, blood, damage) and I always note that in red, because the continuity of these things is always important to keep track of- "his shirt was soaked with rain and covered in blood, mud coated the cuffs of his jeans"
7. SFX (special effects like monster make-up or wounds)- "He winces as he pours rubbing alcohol over the gash on his shoulder."

Once you've made it through the script it's time to open up a spreadsheet. I tend to use Googledocs- because it's free and accessible anywhere (just make sure to make it offline accessible. there's nothing worse than relying on the cloud for your information and then having no signal). Excel or Evernote works also.

Next make a three sheets in your new workbook. They should be "Wardrobe" [which will have all the wardrobe, character, and SFX/make-up notes], "Props", and "Set Dressing" [which will also be home to any weather notes]. 

Each sheet should be set up as follows: the first column should be scene number, followed by location, followed by the category in question.

Check out the example below:

Ta-da! You just made a breakdown. From here you can make up your budgets, checklists, and track your purchases.

The power of Pintrest

Using Pintrest for something other than web surfing? Is this possible?!

Why yes. Now that there is an option to have secret boards I have been using Pintrest to share research, props shopping, pricing comparison, location photos, and renderings with the production and art teams. There's no file limit to things you can upload (unlike drop box) and everyone can have instant access to everything in an easy to digest format.

Here's a few examples from a past project that is not secret anymore:
http://pinterest.com/jeanettedesigns/smell/
http://pinterest.com/jeanettedesigns/feel/

I put together these boards so that the director, DP, and SFX all knew where I was going with the color palette and design. And rather than spending time to put all of the research together into a pdf to email to everyone it was all right there. Another bonus- all the comments stay connected to the pins. No more "I like the second one down from the top of the left column."

The best thing about the boards is that you can collaborate on them. So the DP can post his research on angles and lighting, right next to all of my research on wardrobe and set renderings.

It's also super helpful when I'm trying to track down the best prices for props. You pin the image and then you can link right back to the page you found it on. Tons of time saved! No more copy-pasting the heck out of the internet to find what you need. To keep the shared boards less cluttered, I tend to make a separate board when I am hunting for a specific piece. For sample, my research on perfume bottles:

http://pinterest.com/jeanettedesigns/perfume-bottles/

So there you go, Pintrest- beyond pinning pictures of food and crazy nail polish.