Synopses & Reviews
How is the look of a film achieved? Inand#160;
Art Direction and Production Design, six outstanding scholars survey the careers of notable art directors, the influence of specific design styles, the key roles played by particular studios and films in shaping the field, the effect of technological changes on production design, and the shifts in industrial modes of organization.and#160;
The craftandrsquo;s purpose is to produce an overall pictorial andldquo;visionandrdquo; for films, and in 1924 a group of designers formed the Cinemagundi Clubandmdash;their skills encompassed set design, painting, decoration, construction, and budgeting. A few years later, in recognition of their contributions to filmmaking, the first Academy Awards for art direction were given, a clear indication of just how essential the oversight of production design had become to the so-called majors. The original essays presented inand#160;Art Direction and Production Designand#160;trace the trajectory from Thomas Edisonandrsquo;s primitive studio, the Black Maria, to the growth of the Hollywood andldquo;studio system,andrdquo; to the influence of sound, to a discussion of the andldquo;auteur theory,andrdquo; and to contemporary Hollywood in which computer-generated imagery has become common. By 2000, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors became the Art Directors Guild, emphasizing the significance of the contributions of art direction and production design to filmmaking.and#160;
Art Direction and Production Designand#160;is a volume in the Behind the Silver Screen seriesandmdash;other titles in the series includeand#160;Acting, Animation, Cinematography, Directing, Editing and Special/Visual Effects, Producers, Screenwriting, andand#160;Sound.and#160;
Review
andquot;This most recent volume in the Screen Decades series, which looks at American culture and American cinema decade by decade, offers ten essays on the cinema of what F. Scott Fitzgerald termed 'the jazz age.' These fresh, insightful essays spark attention on the era of emancipation, Prohibition, materialism, the arrival of radio and sound films, and, of course, bobbed hair. Recommended.andquot;
Review
andquot;This terrific book depicts the production design of movies so that it is actually 'seeable.' Always reflecting the enormous changes in technology, the audience and the industry, the continuity of the art form comes to the foreground.andrdquo;
Review
andquot;This illuminating study of design in film examines the evolution of an often-overlooked role and the chemistry of knowledge, skill, and collaboration required to create visually compelling cinema.andquot;
Synopsis
In ten original essays, American Cinema of the 1920s examines the film industry's continued growth and prosperity while focusing on important themes of the era that witnessed the birth of the star system that supported the meteoric rise and celebrity status of actors, including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and Rudolph Valentino, while black performers (relegated to andquot;race filmsandquot;) appeared infrequently in mainstream movies.
Synopsis
During the 1920s, sound revolutionized the motion picture industry and cinema continued as one of the most significant and popular forms of mass entertainment in the world. Film studios were transformed into major corporations, hiring a host of craftsmen and technicians including cinematographers, editors, screenwriters, and set designers. The birth of the star system supported the meteoric rise and celebrity status of actors including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and Rudolph Valentino while black performers (relegated to andquot;race filmsandquot;) appeared infrequently in mainstream movies. The classic Hollywood film style was perfected and significant film genres were established: the melodrama, western, historical epic, and romantic comedy, along with slapstick, science fiction, and fantasy.
In ten original essays, American Cinema of the 1920s examines the film industry's continued growth and prosperity while focusing on important themes of the era.
Synopsis
It is impossible to imagine filmmaking without an understanding of the contributions of art direction and production design. In Art Direction and Production Design, six outstanding scholars survey the careers of notable art directors, the influence of specific design styles, the key roles played by particular studios and films in shaping the field, the effect of technological changes on production design, and the shifts in industrial modes of organization.and#160;
About the Author
LUCY FISCHER is a Distinguished Professor of Film Studies and English at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the author of Designing Women: Art Deco, Cinema, and the Female Form, among many other publications.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Timeline: The 1920s
Introduction The Twenties and Cinema Lucy Fischer
1920 Movies, Margarine and Main Street Michael Aronson
1921 Movies and Personality Mark Lynn Anderson
1922 Movies and the Perilous Future Sara Ross
1923 Movies and the Changing Body Of Cinema Marcia Landy
1924 Movies and Play Jennifer M. Bean
1925 Movies and a Year of Change Gwenda Young
1926 Movies and Divine Stars, Defining Gender Maureen Turim
1927 Movies and the New Woman as Consumer Sumiko Higashi
1928 Movies, Social Conformity, and Imminent Traumas Angela Dalle Vacche
1929 Crashes and Finales Lucy Fischer
Select Academy Awards, 1927-1929
Works Cited and Consulted
Contributors
Index