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12/11/1949 Documentary 0h 7m
66
User score

Overview

A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

  1. Otto Lang

    Director

Top billed cast

  1. Dana Andrews

    Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

  2. Ronald Colman

    Self - from 'Late George Apley' (archive footage) (uncredited)

  3. Joan Fontaine

    Self / Jane Eyre (archive footage) (uncredited)

  4. Ann Harding

    Self - from unidentified film (archive footage) (uncredited)

  5. Rita Johnson

    Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)

  6. Charles Laughton

    Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)

  7. George Macready

    Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)

  8. Dorothy McGuire

    Self / Kathy Lacy (archive footage) (uncredited)

  9. Ray Milland

    Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2025-07-15
This is quite an interesting short feature that spotlights the creative skills of the art director. Often creating the scenario from scratch, and equipped with a considerable knowledge of the styles of halcyon days as well as an imagination for what might be yet to come, this person has to create detailed sketches from which extensive and obviously expensive sets are built. It’s an integrated position that sees those with lighting and photography roles playing a complementary part in delivering the raw structure from which the director and the actors work to create the bright and airy or the...read the rest
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Status
Released

Original Language
English

Budget
$0.00

Revenue
$0.00

Keywords