How can I Become an Art Director?

If you have worked in production and have your eyes set on the Art Department, you should talk to as many people as you can who work in the Art Department to find out what it is really like. My view is from outside the department, where I play more of a managerial role, monitoring the relationship between the director and department heads within the Art Department, monitoring the Art Department budget , and monitoring and trying to work out any conflicts within the department.

What people think of as The Art Department is large and actually includes, among several other departments, a department called The Art Department. Most of my comments pertain to independent features, where the Art Department is smaller than on big studio pictures. There is traditionally only one Production Designer on a production, and that person is ultimately in charge of all the Art Departments and all the people who work on whatever else is in front of the camera, besides the costumed actors. A lot of people just getting into films think they want to be an Art Director, but it is really the Production Designer, not the Art Director, who is in control and works directly with the Director, the Director of Photography and the Costume Designer to determine the look of the film.

The departments, which make up what people think of as the Art Department, and that fall under the jurisdiction of the Production Designer, are: Art Department, Set Decoration, Construction, Scenics, and Props. Within the Art Department, you will have the Production Designer, Art Director, Assistant Art Director, Storyboard Artist, Graphic Artist, Art Department Coordinator, Assistant Art Department Coordinator, Art PA and Art Intern. Within the Set Decoration Department you have the Set Decorator, On Set Dresser, Lead Man, and the Swing Gang. Within Construction, you have the Construction Coordinator, Construction Foreman, Key Carpenter and Carpenters. Within the Scenic Department, you have the Charge Scenic Artist, Camera Scenic Artist, Lead Scenic Artist, Journey Scenic Artists, and Scenic Department Shop Person. Within the Property Department, you have the Property Master, and Assistant Property Masters. These are the positions, but on the smaller movies, you might not have someone for all of these positions. Under some contracts with the Union, you will be required to have someone in some of the positions.

The only allowance, on a Union production, for non-union employees within the Art Department, are the Art PA and the Art Intern, but those positions are really only supposed to be filled by people who do not do any work that should be done by a union person. On a really low budget, but still Union, independent, the Teamsters Union, MAY allow a props van or cube truck without a lift gate, to be driven by a PA. And if that PA Driver is driving the Props cube, in the credits a producer might give that person a credit as Props Truck Driver PA. And that PA could gain experience in Props by working closely with the Props Master and the Assistant Props Master. But the Union will not allow that driver to actually work with the props. He is supposed to have the responsibilities of a driver, which include helping unload the truck in the morning, watching the contents of the truck during the day and loading it back up at the end of the day. But be careful, because if that PA starts running props to the set, he/she is taking work away from a union member and the Union Rep from Local 52 (in NY) will come to set and tell the line producer that he has to pay that PA and the Union as an Assistant Property Master for the day, as well as any retro days the PA has been acting as an Assistant Props. Then, if you want to continue having that PA work as a driver only, he must revert to only the duties of a PA Driver or you again will have to pay him as if he was in Local 52.

So if you are non-union and want to work in the Art Department, you have to work as an Art PA or Art Intern. Then on the side, you work in higher positions on non-union productions to gain department-head experience. You will have to check with the Union on what it takes to join in a particular crew position. And although all of the Art Department union positions are within I.A.T.S.E., there are (in NY) two local unions within I.A.T.S.E. that cover Art Department people: Local 52 and Local 829.

IATSE Local 829 includes the Production Designer, Art Director, Assistant Art Director, Storyboard Artist, Graphic Artist, and Scenic Artists. IATSE Local 52 includes Props, Set Decoration, and Construction. And the members of one local are not allowed to cross the line and help a department covered by a different Local, which means, a Props person can help the On Set Dresser move a coffee table, but The Art Director is not allowed to move the coffee table. And even within the same Local (829) the Art Director is not allowed to pick up a paint brush.

As a line producer, I understand why IATSE needs to be broken up into 8 separate Locals, however, it complicates my job of getting the movie made smoothly, more difficult.

This is only a brief and general overview of what constitutes the Art Departments on NY productions, but Production Designers are usually more than willing to advise young people who want to get in. I suggest hunting down the Art Department people, who have been part of the movies in which you admire the production design, and asking them all your questions.