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How IATSE Art Departments Build 3D Worlds. By Pauline Rogers.<\/strong><\/p>\n How does Local 800 member Michael Corenblith, currently working on the 3D summer release Dolphin Tale, describe the production designer\u2019s craft? \u201cWe depict the visual contours of the screenplay and select or create the environments and decors that best express this to an audience, without their ever being aware of our presence. We create the canvas upon which the director and cinematographer paint their movie,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n In a visual medium like filmmaking, the contributions of the art department \u2013 illustrators, art directors and production designers \u2013 cannot be overstated. Think back to some of the most iconic moments in film history, and it\u2019s likely the art department was intimately involved: the burning of Atlanta in Gone with the Wind, courtesy of William Cameron Menzies (production designer), the transformation of L.A.\u2019s fabled Bradbury Building in Blade Runner \u2013 thank you very much Lawrence G. Paull (production designer) and David Snyder (art director), or Luke and co.\u2019s adventures aboard the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode IV \u2013 A New Hope, carried off brilliantly on an extremely modest budget by production designer John Barry and a team that included art directors Leslie Dilley and Norman Reynolds.<\/p>\n Audiences experienced all of the above, of course, in good, old-fashioned two dimensions on the screen. But this happens to be ICG\u2019s annual 3D issue, a format that requires a different way of designing and even thinking about how viewers will experience sets and environments. And, not unexpectedly, some of IATSE\u2019s best art department members are excited about the new challenge, while others have growled they wished more emphasis was placed by producers on storytelling, and less on a way to bring audiences to the theater at a higher cost per ticket. One thing most agree on is the exciting (aka demanding) learning curve for visualizing a 3D story (whether it is 2D-converted or shot in native 3D). The result, all concur, is an even greater need to work closely with a project\u2019s camera team to get the 3D right.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first week I started on The Smurfs, we were shown several films shot in 3D and others that were converted, which is what we ended up doing for Smurfs,\u201d recalls Local 800 production designer Bill Boes. \u201cBoth techniques presented a new set of rules. For instance, if a film was to be converted to 3D in post it would be someone else making decisions about distance and space relationship,\u201d Boes explains. \u201cPlanes would be determined and tweaked for emotional impact, while a film shot with two cameras in real 3D would have all the information already.\u201d<\/p>\n The long time art department member, whose credits include Sleepy Hollow, Alien: Resurrection and James and the Giant Peach, says 3D cameras are \u201cbig and bulky\u201d and often require an \u201cumbilical hooked up to a van,\u201d which can wreak havoc for creating traveling shots.<\/p>\n \u201cThe converted 3D [for The Smurfs] was shot on regular single cameras and had no umbilical,\u201d Boes adds. \u201cBut we learned that even with 2D conversion, we\u2019d have to shoot a separate pass, as the camera had no way of recording dimensionality in reflective surfaces. Also, in designing the sets with either technique, we could no longer use one of my favorite [design elements] forced perspective. Also no flat backings, either painted or translights, as they would look flat and have no dimension, which is something I learned the hard way!\u201d<\/p>\n Boes says his 3D education on The Smurfs prepared him well for his next project: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Local USA 829 illustrator Gregory Hill found executing Boes\u2019 designs for Journey 2 an interesting challenge. A \u201cgag\u201d that Hill can\u2019t really give away became a bit of a head scratcher when it came to 3D capture.<\/p>\n \u201cBill asked me to tackle a scene storyboarded in two panels, one showing the characters walking along a rocky ridge and the other the scene after the camera pulls way back and we see something the characters can\u2019t possibly see,\u201d Hill recalls. \u201cMy first illustration was a Photoshop\u00ae mock-up that looked real and faithful to the storyboard. But it wasn\u2019t unique to 3D.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I had to find a way to rebuild,\u201d he adds. \u201cI have a great program called Carrara Pro [from Daz 3D], which enabled me to build a six-second camera move to demonstrate what I had in mind, taking advantage of the modeling and texturing that works in 3D. The idea was to create the final look of the scene by combining camera position and several unconnected scenic elements, which create the visual surprise in 3D. And I rendered it as a Quicktime movie.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Boes, Hill really hit the mark.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an interesting way to approach 3D for the gag,\u201d Boes reflects. \u201cAnd our director [Brad Peyton] loved it, so we\u2019ll use Greg\u2019s approach. It\u2019s an exciting time to be in design. We\u2019re looking at things in a different way for 3D and it definitely gets the creative juices flowing!\u201d<\/p>\n When prepping for Drive Angry 3D, Local 800 Production Designer Nathan Amondson learned that many of the shortcuts used in 2D photography don\u2019t work with 3D. He, too, had to approach backdrops and translights, as well as other 2D cheats, in a different way.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stars of Drive Angry were the cars,\u201d Amondson explains. \u201cSo, we gave our vehicles a screen test to see how they would look in the 3D world.\u201d First lesson learned: Many of the hero cars needed to have satin finishes rather than the standard high-gloss auto finish to prevent glitches in the stereography. Amondson also used Google SketchUp, a 3D modeling program, to see how the sets would work in the 3D world before anything was drafted for construction.<\/p>\n \u201cI also learned that digitally placing TV content later doesn\u2019t work well with 3D,\u201d he says. \u201cSo all on-screen media had to be created before it played on the day.\u201d<\/p>\n When prepping for My Bloody Valentine, Local 800 Production Designer Zack Grobler went in believing that design for 2D and 3D was essentially similar.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still endeavor to create detailed and believable sets, just like we do for 2D,\u201d Grobler describes. \u201cBut, what influences my color choices was the things that affect the camera department, kinds of camera systems that are chosen and how much light is used, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n In reflecting on 2009\u2019s Valentine, Grobler noted that the horror genre worked well for 3D. \u201cTunnels and corridors lent a lot of perspective to the shots, and to using a moving camera, he observes. \u201cThe locations and sets needed to be a bit more spacious to allow for the larger system and crew. Medium and wide shots with ample depth of field tend to be favored more than close ups. Because Valentine was the first horror movie using the new 3D technology, we went out of our way to exploit any 3D opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n For the low-budget, New Orleans-shot 3D film, The Mortician, Local USA 829 production designer Russell Barnes knew he would have to be extremely cognizant of foreground, mid-ground and background elements as well as the overall perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned to take advantage of the locations but also had an exterior dressing kit on set that could be layered into exterior shots (fencing, street fixtures and construction materials),\u201d Barnes recalls. \u201cAnd, with 3D technology [the film was shot with the Technica 3D] we always carried more practical lamps and found ourselves adding ceiling fixtures to give [Local 600 cinematographer] Michael McDonough more flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Barnes had a lot of fun coming up with concepts. Sometimes, however, there was the \u201coops\u201d factor. \u201cWe had this great non-operational sausage factory which was our morgue,\u201d he remembers. \u201cWe had a great time building a morgue freezer locker that was recessed into an existing doorway. Unfortunately, the freezer blocked access to the only working bathrooms at the location. Can you say \u2018port-a-potties\u2019 to the set, like now?!<\/p>\n \u201cAdd that to the good Samaritan who decided to paint over the graffiti the night before we were shooting in a grimy underpass, which we then had to recreate on the spot from scratch,\u201d Barnes continues. \u201cAnd the wide range of body fluids, goo and slime we had to experiment with to create \u2018human waste\u2019, making the art department look more like a kitchen laboratory; we had a really interesting time designing the 3D fabric for The Mortician.\u201d<\/p>\n Every production designer we talked to could relate to the \u201coops\u201d factor, Barnes mentions. And each, when taken in perspective (pardon the pun) was a challenge that turned out to be fun. Rusty Smith says designing Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore did not require many drastic changes in his workflow, since it was shot 2D and reformatted for 3D.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019d shot in 3D, we would have had to restructure many of the sets to add foreground and background elements, and break the space,\u201d Smith explains. \u201cAnd we would also have had to consider how we could move the animals and hide their handlers.\u201d<\/p>\n But for Smith\u2019s upcoming A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, shot in native 3D, all bets were off. \u201cComedy is so much about visuals,\u201d he says. \u201cOne of our biggest head scratchers was a joke about Harold\u2019s house exterior set dressing. There was the scripted version of the joke, the design notion of what and who Harold was and the 3D factor. Each item, from large Santa Clauses and reindeer to candy canes and smaller items not only had to take the comedy one step forward, they also had to work for the camera and the foreground, background, etc., of 3D.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we designed the set, we had to congest it with material for the comedy,\u201d he continues. \u201cThen, when we got to the actual location, well, let\u2019s just say a few things weren\u2019t as we needed them to be. So, imagine grown men and women, running around a location, moving objects to fit the comedy \u2013 and the 3D perspective. Then moving them again, to accommodate the Technica 3D rig and pathways for the camera crew!\u00a0 Then a run to look at the monitor to see if it worked and we\u2019d be off again. Marrying 3D and comedy is not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Local USA 829 member, art director Mario Ventenilla (Step Up 3D) has found a middle ground in his approach to 3D. Getting past the \u201cwow\u201d factor, Ventenilla says it\u2019s still about designing a set or location to fit the story, with the physical architecture of a space the key in either 2D or 3D formats. \u201cWe always must keep in mind: Does this building have interesting visual depth of field, wall textures and color?\u201d Ventenilla asks. \u201cWindows also play an important role in achieving depth and atmosphere. No matter what the format of capture.\u201d<\/p>\n But, it\u2019s what goes outside that window that can send a production designer working in 3D back to the drawing board, as Corenblith found on the upcoming Dolphin Tale.<\/p>\n \u201cThe customary use of 2D backings is no longer applicable, for in lacking a Z-axis, they appear flat in a 3D format,\u201d Corenblith explains. \u201cTo give a credible match to what had been established in the world outside of our stage set necessitated taking all of the elements of a traditional backing and deconstructing them into a series of objects and planes that could be separated in space.\u201d<\/p>\n That meant architecture, foliage and sky were considered as \u201cindependent events that were subtly arranged in depth for the shot or lens,\u201d Corenblith continues. \u201cThe houses were individually scaled photographs that were adhered to flats, and cut as profile pieces, so that their eave and ridge lines could be arranged against foliage and sky in depth. We also added small dimensional elements to these 2D profile pieces, giving them a bit of two-and-a-half D.\u201d<\/p>\n The effectiveness of the above approach was demonstrated when a set dresser placed an errant Frisbee\u00ae on one of the roofs, and Corenblith realized that it was a flat, rather than the sloped surface he \u201csaw\u201d outside the window!<\/p>\n Local 800 designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland) finds the world of 3D tremendously exciting. \u201cAt times, we were on the leading edge of technology on Avatar,\u201d the Oscar\u00ae-winner (shared with Rick Carter and Kim Sinclair) recalls. \u201cFor the first time, we were able to create 3D worlds and give [James Cameron] an opportunity to shoot in these worlds as if he were on location. Another great thing about this was that it enabled me to art direct on the fly, with Jim moving elements in these worlds to new camera positions or creating compositions in the moment. In a way, it was more like sculpting the frame.\u201d<\/p>\n For his work on Tim Burton\u2019s Alice in Wonderland, shot by Dariusz Wolski, ASC, in 2D, and converted to 3D in post, Stromberg says he again, \u201ccreated digital environments that we could composite into the day of shooting. However, not being able to see these sets in stereo 3D became a greater challenge in post production.\u201d<\/p>\n Stromberg, a VFX department veteran, says the industry has reached a time where \u201ca production designer must not only have the knowledge of traditional crafts (i.e., set design, materials and construction) but also understand the new technology. What we have now is not only a traditional art department but also a digital art department. And I find that in every project I do, these two separate departments are becoming one. In the past, postproduction always came after principle photography. What I find, now, is that all of these postproduction roles are becoming critical elements of preproduction.\u201d<\/p>\n IATSE crafts across the board are recognizing that they must work together to give their members the tools, technology and time to embrace this new dimension in moviemaking.<\/p>\n \u201cStudios want more, usually faster and for less money, but often don\u2019t understand that the process of creating great art can\u2019t always be fast or cheap,\u201d remarks Local 800 business representative Scott Roth. \u201cAll of our artists need to be given the time and, as equally important, the ability to create in a safe and nurturing environment to support the stories they are given. It is crucial that each category\u2019s union representatives work cooperatively, and smartly, with producers, to construct a landscape where our artists can do what they do best \u2013 create.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that includes education,\u201d adds United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 President Beverly Miller. \u201cMuch like our brother and sister IATSE Locals, [USA 829] has begun an extensive program of training for our members in the new technologies now required in the craft. It is more than the 3D software programs tailored to set design. It is about a commitment to maintaining the high level of skills that makes hiring union people the only way to go in this high-pressure world of moviemaking today.\u201d<\/p>\n Or as Stromberg concludes about the changing nature of a craft that has been around since the dawn of the industry: \u201cWe are still in the infant stages of this new way that we make these films. I can only imagine what we will be creating when we become adults!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How IATSE Art Departments Build 3D Worlds. By Pauline Rogers. How does Local 800 member Michael Corenblith, currently working on the 3D summer release Dolphin Tale, describe the production designer\u2019s craft? \u201cWe depict the visual contours of the screenplay and select or create the environments and decors that best express this to an audience, without their ever being aware of our presence. We create the canvas upon which the director and cinematographer paint their movie,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-specials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/images\/SmurfRock-Bill-Boes.jpg\")
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