Kitty_K
5 Years Experience
Los Angeles, CA
Female, 30
I am a Los Angeles based decorator and have worked on a range of projects from an Academy Award winning feature to commercials for brands like Bank of America and Kay's Jewellers. An average day on the job involves me visiting high-end stores and prop houses in Los Angeles to photograph and price furniture, lighting fixtures, drapery, and art. I am responsible for running a crew and collaborating creatively with the director, production designer and cinematographer. Ask me anything!
The amount of creative control you are given on a project depends on the director. Some directors are extremely particular about what they want and others give you free reign. When a company selling a product is involved, the director/producers are often much more picky about what they want because they want to project a certain image to sell that product.
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There are a few ways that budgets for art department are kept down. One: You borrow from your own "kit". Over time, people who have worked for a while in art department accumulate items - props, art, set dressing - from sets that they've either put their own money into or was acquired by them after wrap. If you borrow from your own kit, it's free. Two: It's not something that we enjoy doing but if an item is needed and we don't have the money for it, it will be bought from a department store and then returned at the end of shoot. Three: Asking for discounts or deals from prop houses or stores. If you're a frequent customer at a particular showroom, they may be willing to cut you a deal depending on your customer status.
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...Me personally? I am a collector of antiques and vintage knick knacks- and if I can, I try to dress one or two items from my collection into the set of each project. For example, a vintage Pac Bell radio got dressed into the set of an Estelle music video I did. Also, my first feature film years ago called for a youthful pop-y look so I brought in a bunch of classic vinyl records I own, my bright yellow 70s rotary phone and some stencil art paintings I hand made. Cleared art is a big dilemma in set decoration - many pieces of art are copyrighted to the artist or company that manufactures copies of the art. You can't buy a piece of wall art from Z Gallerie, hang it up on a set and expect to not get sued. You must go through a legal process to obtain permission from the artist or company beforehand. Renting copyright cleared art can be pricey - a single piece can start at as much as $150 per wk. So for this reason if it's called for- such as on a Special K commercial I did recently- I do bring some of my own black and white 35mm prints to set. It saves money and allows me to incorporate a personal touch to my work.
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During a job, the standard is either 10 or 12 hour days. Depending on the project it can last for a few days or maybe months with some days off in between. The timing is often sporadic, there is no 5 day work week, sometimes work can cross over into the weekend but end on a weekday. Sometimes the work day can be unbearably long - like a 16 hour day or even longer. This is completely unethical and wrong but it happens because productions can be greedy and they want to get the biggest bang for their buck out of the crew. Famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler directed a documentary called "Who Needs Sleep?" about the problem of overworking film crews to the point of harming their health and in extreme cases, ending their lives. It is a serious issue that people working in the film industry still deal with today.
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Bar Mitzvah DJ
What's the craziest thing you've seen at a bar mitzvah?
Antiques Dealer
If you buy an item that turns out to be stolen, do you have to turn it over to the police?
Claims Adjuster
What happens when NEITHER driver is at fault?
Sometimes I wish this field was slightly more stable financially. It's not fun not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from- although I guess that uncertainty and risk is the trade off of having a job where you get to play grown up make believe all day.
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I love the early films of Jean Pierre Jeunet. The art direction in particular with its post-apocalyptic sensibility appealed to me. Initially I thought that as director, Jeunet was wholly responsible for this unique visual style but then later realized that the final product was a collaboration between himself and his frequent art director and creative partner Marc Caro. It was this realization and my two years at UCLA's School of Design Media Arts and two years at UCLA's Film program that led me to be drawn to art department as a career. I like that the art director and art department is responsible for turning ideas from the director's imagination into something tangible and real.
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Having a degree in design is helpful but not neccesary. A library card is a lot less expensive than a degree from FIDM and books about design movements, furniture and art- plus doing the job hands on - is going to provide you with all the knowledge you need. The best advice I can give is to network and put yourself out there. The road towards being a decorator or designer can be a long one so put your best foot forward and do face time with decorators and art directors. Be bold and cold call or email - some will find the time to get back to you or even meet you in person. Work on low budget projects and build a portfolio and experience. Think big even though you may be starting little.
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