Art Directors Guild

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Art Directors Guild
The Art Directors Guild
AbbreviationADG
NicknameIATSE Local 800
Merged intoLocal 816 (Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists), Local 847 (Set Designers & Model Makers), and Local 790 (Illustrators & Matte Artists)
Founded1937
Headquarters11969 Ventura Blvd. 2nd Floor
Studio City, California, 91604, United States
Location
  • United States
Members (2023)
3,278
President
Nelson Coates
Executive Director
Chuck Parker
Parent organization
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
Affiliations AFL–CIO, IATSE
Website www.adg.org
[1] [2]

The Art Directors Guild (ADG; IATSE Local 800) is a labor union and local of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) representing 3,278 [3] motion picture and television professionals in the United States and Canada. [4]

Contents

The ADG's sponsored activities include the annual ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards, the professional quarterly news magazine Perspective, an art gallery called Gallery 800, technology training programs, and a film society.

Membership

Local 800 has four main craft classifications:

  1. Art Directors (including Production Designers)
  2. Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists
  3. Illustrators and Matte Artists
  4. Set Designers and Model Makers

In addition, the ADG has recently included previs artists into their membership. [5]

Individual crafts represented by the ADG:

Origins

Art Directors Guild

The Art Directors Guild was originally named the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors (SMPAD), [6] which was founded by 59 Art Directors on May 6, 1937, at a meeting at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

After World War II, many "below the line" industry labor organizations, including SMPAD, signed on with the IATSE for overall union representation. SMPAD became more active, grew in membership, and expanded opportunities as television developed. In 1967 the Society included "television" to their name before settling on its current moniker, the "Art Directors Guild" in 1998. [7]

The Art Directors Guild included only men until 1972. Production designer Polly Platt was the first woman inducted into the Guild, in 1972. [8] Toby Carr Rafelson was the second woman inducted.

Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists

The creation of its own local (formerly known as Local 816) in March 1949 marked the first time the Hollywood Scenic Artists and Title Artists had its own local representing its unique needs. Previously, the members were part of Local 644 of the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU) working in film and theater. The overwhelming majority of Local 644's membership, however, had been made up of set painters and paperhangers and included set designers as well. It was not until the dissolution of the CSU after a long series of bitterly contested strikes that the scenic artists were able to organize exclusively. Those artists had been pioneers in their field, responsible for devising and developing the methods used to create representational scenery unsurpassed anywhere in the world.

The size and strength of the local grew with the inclusion of television contracts in the early 1950s. Television, at that time, was in effect an extension of live theater and required a lot of painted two-dimensional scenery instead of the three-dimensional sets used in film. As the nature of television scenery changed, the responsibilities of the television scenic artist broadened to include those of the set painter. Local 816 was the only local in the entertainment industry that worked in all three major areas of the business: film, television and theater.

In January 2003, the 850 members of ADG merged with the 650 member Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists to form the Art Directors Guild & Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists.

Illustrators, Storyboard Artists and Matte Artists

In the 1930s, the Illustrators and Matte Artists were part of the Federation of Motion Picture Crafts. By 1941 they became a part of the Conference of Studio Unions. In 1945, they received their own chartered local, Local 790 in IATSE, which by the 1950s became the dominant labor organization representing the motion picture and television job categories working behind the camera. [9]

On July 1, 2008, under the orders of IATSE International President Thomas C. Short, Local 790 Illustrators & Matte Artists and Local 847 Set Designers and Model Makers were merged into Local 800. [10]

ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards

The ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards are presented annually by the Art Directors Guild to "recognize excellence in production design and art direction in the film and television industries".

ADG Lifetime Achievement Award

The ADG Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have been outstanding in the four crafts of the Art Directors Guild.

Hall of fame

The Art Directors Guild established its Hall of Fame in 2005 to honour the contributions of significant past production designers and art directors. The Hall of Fame inducts new members annually, with the first group formally inducted at the 9th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards ceremony on February 12, 2005. [11]

Archive

The Academy Film Archive houses the Art Directors Guild Collection, which consists of recordings from events and fifteen interviews conducted in 2012 and 2014 with scenic artists in which they discuss their profession and projects. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film crew</span> Group of people involved in some phase of the making of a film

A film crew is a group of people, hired by a production company, for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. The crew is distinguished from the cast, as the cast are understood to be the actors who appear in front of the camera or provide voices for characters in the film. The crew is also separate from the producers, as the producers are the ones who own a portion of either the film studio or the film's intellectual property rights. A film crew is divided into different departments, each of which specializes in a specific aspect of the production. Film crew positions have evolved over the years, spurred by technological change, but many traditional jobs date from the early 20th century and are common across jurisdictions and filmmaking cultures.

"Below-the-line" is a term derived from the top sheet of a film budget for motion pictures, television programs, industrial films, independent films, student films and documentaries as well as commercials. The "line" in "below-the-line" refers to the separation of production costs between script and story writers, producers, directors, actors, and casting and the rest of the crew, or production team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Set construction</span> Creation of scenery for theater, film, or TV

Set construction is the process undertaken by a construction manager to build full-scale scenery, as specified by a production designer or art director working in collaboration with the director of a production to create a set for a theatrical, film, or television production. The set designer produces a scale model, scale drawings, paint elevations, and research about props, textures, and so on. Scale drawings typically include a groundplan, elevation, and section of the complete set, as well as more detailed drawings of individual scenic elements which, in theatrical productions, may be static, flown, or built onto scenery wagons. Models and paint elevations are frequently hand-produced, though in recent years, many Production Designers and most commercial theatres have begun producing scale drawings with the aid of computer drafting programs such as AutoCAD or Vectorworks.

In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Working directly with the director, cinematographer, and producer, production designers have a key creative role in the creation of motion pictures and television. The term production designer was coined by William Cameron Menzies while he was working on the film Gone with the Wind. Production designers are commonly confused with art directors as the roles have similar responsibilities. Production designers decide the visual concept and deal with the many and varied logistics of filmmaking including, schedules, budgets, and staffing. Art directors manage the process of making the visuals, which is done by concept artists, graphic designers, set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, etc. The production designer and the art director lead a team of individuals to assist with the visual component of the film. Depending on the size of the production the rest of the team can include set decorators, buyers, dressers, runners, graphic designers, drafts people, props makers, and set builders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees</span> North American labor union

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, known as simply the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, is a North American labor union representing over 168,000 technicians, artisans, and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, motion picture and television production, broadcast and trade shows in the United States, its territories, and Canada. It was awarded the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Scenic Artists</span> American entertainment industry labor union (founded 1897)

United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, formerly known as United Scenic Artists of America (USAA), is an American labor union. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It organizes designers, artists, and craftspeople in the entertainment and decorative arts industries. The organization was part of International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, however it reaffiliated with IATSE in 1999. United Scenic Artists was organized to protect craft standards, working conditions and wages for the entertainment and decorative arts industries.

The set decorator is the head of the set decoration department in the film and television industry, responsible for selecting, designing, fabricating, and sourcing the "set dressing" elements of each set in a Feature Film, Television, or New Media episode or commercial, in support of the story and characters of the script. The set decorator is responsible for each décor element inside the sets, from practical lighting, technology, art, furniture, drapery, floor coverings, books, collectables, to exterior furnishings such as satellite dishes, Old West water troughs, streetlamps, traffic lights, garden furniture and sculptures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costume designer</span> Person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show

A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume designer works alongside the director, scenic, lighting designer, sound designer, and other creative personnel. The costume designer may also collaborate with a hair stylist, wig master, or makeup artist. In European theatre, the role is different, as the theatre designer usually designs both costume and scenic elements.

David "Dave" Blass is an American production designer and art director.

(Also known as Designer's Guild or B.F.D.G. and can be seen after a member's name as a professional certification abbreviation)

Harold Michelson was an American production designer and art director. In addition, he worked as an illustrator and/or storyboard artist on numerous films from the 1940s through the 1990s.

William John Creber was an American art director and production designer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. In 2004 he received an Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2020 he was inaugurated into their hall of fame. He is largely responsible for the design of the miniature model Flying Sub in the 1960s television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and the miniature model Gemini 12 spaceship in the later television series Lost in Space. He died of complications of pneumonia on March 7, 2019, in Los Angeles.

John B. Mansbridge was an American art director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. He won the lifetime achievement award at the Art Directors Guild in 2006. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1988 for Outstanding Art Direction for a Series, for the television series Beauty and the Beast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François Audouy</span>

François Audouy is a French-American movie production designer. He is a frequent collaborator with director James Mangold, having designed The Wolverine (2013) its sequel Logan (2016), and Ford v Ferrari (2019) which was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture.

the Cinemagundi Club was formed in 1924 by 63 top Hollywood Art Directors including William Cameron Menzies and Anton Grot. It was named after New York City’s club for artists, the Salmagundi Club.

James Trittipo was an American television art director and stage set designer in New York and Hollywood, known for his designs of television variety shows including The Bing Crosby Show, The Frank Sinatra Show (CBS), The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis, and An Evening with Fred Astaire. Trittipo won Art Direction Emmy Awards for the ABC Television variety series The Hollywood Palace and An Evening with Fred Astaire. He designed a set "evocative of waterfront pilings" for Rod McKuen's May 10, 1969 television special on NBC. He died of a heart attack at age 43.

Alan MacDonald was a British production designer. He was best known for his work on The Queen (2006), which earned him nominations for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film and Best Technical Achievement at the British Independent Film Awards, and for the Rajasthan-set The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) which earned him a nomination for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film.

Camille Abbott is an American illustrator, art director, and designer. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild in 2014.

The ADG Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to individuals who are outstanding in each of the guild's four crafts.

References

  1. "Art Directors Guild Elects New President". Deadline Hollywood. February 6, 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  2. "Art Directors Guild Election: Chuck Parker Upsets 19-year Incumbent Scott Roth". June 29, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. "2023 ADG Awards official press release" (PDF).
  4. incEngine. "ABOUT THE ADG: Local 800 is composed of Art Directors, Graphic Artists, Illustrators, Matte Artists, Model Makers, Production Designers, Scenic Artists, Set Designers and Title Artists". www.adg.org. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  5. "Art Directors Guild makes designs on 'previs' workers". Los Angeles Times. September 28, 2011.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2012-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. https://movies.yahoo.com/news/history-art-directors-guild-awards-20110204-173900-237.html History of the Art Directors Guild Awards
  8. "Remembering Polly Platt". The Hollywood Reporter. 2011-08-02. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  9. "Art Directors Guild official website, ADG.org
  10. "Art Directors Guild absorbs 2 small locals", Los Angeles Times
  11. "About The Hall of Fame", Art Directors Guild. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  12. "Art Directors Guild Collection". Academy Film Archive.