The Art Director

Top 10 Billed Cast

Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ronald Colman
Ronald Colman

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

Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine

Self / Jane Eyre (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ann Harding
Ann Harding

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

Rita Johnson
Rita Johnson

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

Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton

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

George Macready
George Macready

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

Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy McGuire

Self / Kathy Lacy (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ray Milland
Ray Milland

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

Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck

Self - Philip Schuyler Green (archive footage) (uncredited)

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

  • 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.

  • Release Date

    1949-11-12

  • Average

    7

  • Rating:

    3.5 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English

Similar Movies

Primary
65%

Primary(en)

1960-11-08

Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.

Hoop Dreams
76%

Hoop Dreams(en)

1994-09-12

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.

Screen Actors
63%

Screen Actors(en)

1950-05-13

This short film takes a look at the off-screen personas of screen actors. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Sikkim
67%

Sikkim(en)

1971-04-01

Satyajit Ray's poetic documentary was commissioned by the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim at a time when he felt the sovereignty of Sikkim was under threat from both China and India. Ray's documentary is about the sovereignty of Sikkim. The film was banned by the government of India when Sikkim merged with India in 1975. The ban was finally lifted by the Ministry of External Affairs in September 2010. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.

The Town
60%

The Town(en)

1944-01-01

The Town was a short propaganda film produced by the Office of War Information in 1945. It presents an idealized vision of American life, shown in microcosm by Madison, Indiana. It was created primarily for exhibition abroad, to provide international audiences a more well-rounded view of America, and was therefore produced in more than 20 translations. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

I Be Done Been Was Is
0%

I Be Done Been Was Is(en)

1983-01-01

A documentary about four African-American comediennes set in 1984. Restored in 2021 by the Academy Film Archive. 

Harlan County U.S.A.
75%

Harlan County U.S.A.(en)

1977-01-23

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastover's refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.

Showman
67%

Showman(en)

1963-01-02

Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter) directed this 53-minute documentary about movie tycoon Joseph E. Levine (1963). Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Appointment in Tokyo
64%

Appointment in Tokyo(en)

1945-12-07

Produced by the Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps, with the cooperation of the Army Air Forces and the United States Navy, and released by Warner Bros. for the War Activities Committee shortly after the surrender of Japan. Follow General Douglas MacArthur and his men from their exile from the Philippines in early 1942, through the signing of the instrument of surrender on the USS Missouri on September 1, 1945. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.

A Crime to Fit the Punishment
80%

A Crime to Fit the Punishment(en)

1982-05-01

This fascinating making-of documentary investigates the controversy and political atmosphere surrounding the production of Salt of the Earth, movingly chronicling the filmmakers' defiance of the blacklist. (BAM) Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2015.

Food and Magic
58%

Food and Magic(en)

1943-11-18

A sideshow barker uses magic and visual aids to alert the public that proper food management is both a resource and a weapon that could be to America's advantage if conserved properly in winning the then current World War. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, Academy War Film Collection, in 2008.

The Chair
75%

The Chair(en)

1963-08-24

Follows a crusading lawyer as he embarks on a campaign to save an African-American man, Paul Crump, from the electric chair. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2007.

I Don't Know
44%

I Don't Know(en)

1971-11-09

A truly major work, I Don’t Know observes the relationship between a lesbian and a transgender person who prefers to be identified somewhere in between male and female, in an expression of personal ambiguity suggested by the film’s title. This nonfiction film – an unusual, partly staged work of semi-verité – is the first of Spheeris’s films to fully embrace what would become her characteristic documentary style: probing, intimate, uncompromising. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2014.

The Battle of Midway
59%

The Battle of Midway(en)

1942-09-14

The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, in 2006.

The Man Who Skied Down Everest
68%

The Man Who Skied Down Everest(en)

1975-09-19

This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.

Marjoe
76%

Marjoe(en)

1972-07-24

Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "church tent" Revivalist circuit, commenting on the showmanship of Evangelism and "the religion business", prior to the start of "televangelism". Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.

Soft Fiction
80%

Soft Fiction(en)

1979-11-16

Chick Strand's SOFT FICTION is a personal documentary that brilliantly portrays the survival power of female sensuality. It combines the documentary approach with a sensuous lyrical expressionism. Strand focuses her camera on people talking about their own experience, capturing subtle nuances in facial expressions and gestures that are rarely seen in cinema. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2015.

The Costume Designer
100%

The Costume Designer(en)

1950-07-13

This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The costume designer must design clothing that is correct for the film historically and geographically, and must be appropriate for the mood of the individual scene. We see famed costume designer Edith Head at work on a production. The Costume Designer was part of The Industry Film Project, a twelve-part series produced by the film studios and the Academy. Each series episode was produced to inform the public on a specific facet of the motion picture industry. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

California's Golden Beginning
90%

California's Golden Beginning(en)

1948-01-01

A description and enactment of the discovery of gold by James Marshall, and the role played by John Sutter. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

The Wormwood Star
64%

The Wormwood Star(en)

1956-01-01

A portrait of artist, actress, poet and occultist Marjorie Cameron, it shows images of her paintings and recitations of her poems. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2006.

Recommendations Movies

Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora
65%

Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora(en)

2010-02-07

The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.

Hitchcock/Truffaut
73%

Hitchcock/Truffaut(en)

2015-09-05

Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.

Seduced and Abandoned
62%

Seduced and Abandoned(en)

2013-05-20

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
70%

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing(en)

2004-10-12

Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.

Naqoyqatsi
61%

Naqoyqatsi(en)

2002-09-02

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
71%

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead(en)

2018-08-31

As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.

In the Realms of the Unreal
72%

In the Realms of the Unreal(en)

2004-01-15

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button
70%

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button(en)

2009-05-05

A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20
72%

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20(en)

2022-12-13

An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.

Directed by John Ford
69%

Directed by John Ford(en)

1971-09-06

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
68%

Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return(en)

2022-09-07

This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.

Don't F*#% With John Wick
77%

Don't F*#% With John Wick(en)

2015-02-03

Behind the scenes look at fight choreography and action training.

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
78%

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner(en)

2007-12-18

The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.

The Class of ‘92
71%

The Class of ‘92(en)

2013-12-01

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

78/52
72%

78/52(en)

2017-10-13

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

In Search of the Last Action Heroes
70%

In Search of the Last Action Heroes(en)

2019-09-01

The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.

The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
78%

The Godfather Family: A Look Inside(en)

1990-07-12

A documentary on the making of the three Godfather films, with interviews and recollections from the film makers and cast. This feature also includes the original screen tests of some of the actors for "The Godfather" film, and some candid moments on the set of "The Godfather: Part III."

The Walking Dead: The Return
73%

The Walking Dead: The Return(en)

2024-02-15

Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
61%

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me(en)

2023-05-16

From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.

Game of Thrones: The Last Watch
71%

Game of Thrones: The Last Watch(en)

2019-05-26

For a year, acclaimed British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay was embedded on the set of the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” chronicling the creation of the show’s most ambitious and complicated season. Debuting one week after the series 8 finale, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH delves deep into the mud and blood to reveal the tears and triumphs involved in the challenge of bringing the fantasy world of Westeros to life in the very real studios, fields and car-parks of Northern Ireland. Made with unprecedented access, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH is an up-close and personal portrait from the trenches of production, following the crew and the cast as they contend with extreme weather, punishing deadlines and an ever-excited fandom hungry for spoilers. Much more than a “making of” documentary, this is a funny, heartbreaking story, told with wit and intimacy, about the bittersweet pleasures of what it means to create a world – and then have to say goodbye to it.