Linda DeScenna

Last updated

Linda DeScenna
Born (1949-11-14) November 14, 1949 (age 74)
Warren, Ohio, United States
Occupation(s) Set decorator and production designer
Years active1979–2008
SpouseJohn Mark Robinson

Linda DeScenna (born November 14, 1949) is an American set decorator and production designer. She has been nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.

Contents

Career

When hired to work on the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture , one of DeScenna's tasks was to redesign the chairs seen on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. [1] She later credited Mike Huntoon with ensuring that her designs for the film were carried out. [2]

During the production of the 1982 film Blade Runner , DeScenna and her team were tasked with the creation of numerous props ranging from magazine covers, to store signs in order to flesh out the vision of director Ridley Scott. [3]

When she was recruited for the Robin Williams film Patch Adams in 1998, DeScenna was required to build one of the three main shooting locations from scratch. She oversaw the construction of a 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) hospital set on Treasure Island near San Francisco. [4] She worked on Galaxy Quest , which was released the following year. [5] For 2007's Evan Almighty , she worked alongside others on the Ark. [6] She built the bottom level of the Ark from steel-reinforced wood, and the bow from styrofoam. [7]

Awards

DeScenna's set decorating work has been nominated for five Academy Awards as part of the Best Art Direction. Her first was for Star Trek: The Motion Picture alongside Harold Michelson, Joe Jennings, Leon Harris and John Vallone. [8] She was nominated alongside Lawrence G. Paull and David Snyder for their work on Blade Runner at the 55th Academy Awards. [9] [10] She was nominated once more at the 58th Academy Awards for set decorating on The Color Purple , [11] and twice more for Rain Man and Toys respectively. [12] [13]

Personal life

Around 1974, DeScenna moved to Los Angeles with her then-boyfriend, John Zabrucky. [14] [15] They ended their relationship after the move, but remained friends. [14] [15]

In 2017, DeScenna was married to John Mark Robinson. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress</span> Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Supporting Actor winner. In lieu of the traditional Oscar statuette, supporting acting recipients were given plaques up until the 16th Academy Awards, when statuettes were awarded to each category instead.

The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Director</span> Category of film award

The Academy Award for Best Director is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Jewison</span> Canadian filmmaker (1926–2024)

Norman Frederick Jewison was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects accessible to mainstream audiences. Among numerous other accolades, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times in three separate decades, for In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Moonstruck (1987). He was nominated for an additional four Oscars, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award, and won a BAFTA Award. He received the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999.

Ngila Beryl Dickson is a New Zealand costume designer. She is perhaps best known for her collaboration with Richard Taylor on creating the costumes for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design three times, winning for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Powell (costume designer)</span> English costume designer

Sandy Powell is an English costume designer. In a career spanning over three decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across independent films and blockbusters. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards. Powell was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Schoonmaker</span> American film editor (born 1940)

Thelma Schoonmaker is an American film editor, best known for her collaboration over five decades with director Martin Scorsese. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and four ACE Eddie Awards. She has been honored with the British Film Institute Fellowship in 1997, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2014, and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2019.

Alexandra Byrne is an English costume designer. Much of her career has focused on creating costumes for period dramas. These films include Persuasion (1995), Hamlet (1996), Elizabeth (1998), Finding Neverland (2004), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), The Aeronauts (2019), and Emma. (2020). She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design six times, winning once for Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Jacqueline Durran is a British costume designer. In a career spanning over two decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across independent films and blockbusters. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and two Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Greg Jein was a Chinese American model designer who created miniatures for use in the special effects portions of many films and television series, beginning in the 1970s. Jein was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on the films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and 1941 (1979), and also nominated for an Outstanding Special Visual Effects Emmy for his work on Angels in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piero Tosi</span> Italian costume designer (1927–2019)

Piero Tosi was an Italian costume designer. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design five times. In 2013, he was the first costume designer to receive an Academy Honorary Award as "a visionary whose incomparable costume designs shaped timeless, living art in motion pictures."

Alison Snowden is an English animator, voice actress, producer, and screenwriter best known for Bob and Margaret alongside her Oscar-winning short Bob's Birthday which was also co-directed by her husband David Fine. Bob's Birthday serves as the pilot for the Alison Snowden and David Fine's animated TV show Bob and Margaret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Actor</span> Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actress winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Actress</span> Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actor winner.

The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film. The performers of a song are not credited with the Academy Award unless they contributed either to music, lyrics, or both in their own right. The songs that are nominated for this award are typically performed during the ceremony and before this award is presented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Beavan</span> English costume designer

Jenny Beavan is an English costume designer. In a career spanning over four decades, she is recognized for her prolific work across stage and screen. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, and an Olivier Award. Beavan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to drama production.

Steve Gawley is a visual effects artist who was nominated at the 62nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Visual effects for his work on the film Back to the Future Part II. His nomination was shared with John Bell, Michael Lantieri and Ken Ralston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay</span> Best screenplay not based upon previously published material

The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the Oscars for 1957, the two categories were combined to honor only the screenplay.

References

  1. Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1995). The Art of Star Trek. New York: Pocket Books. p. 164. ISBN   978-0-671-01776-7.
  2. Roddenberry, Gene; Sackett, Susan (1980). The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . New York: Pocket Books. p.  91. ISBN   978-0-671-25181-9.
  3. Svitil, Torene; Dunkleberger, Amy (2008). So You Want to Work in Set Design, Costuming, Or Make-up?. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers. p. 65. ISBN   978-0-766-02740-4.
  4. Barsotti, Catherine M; Johnston, Robert K (2004). Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-801-06481-4.
  5. "'Galaxy Quest' takes off on Christmas Day". Chicago Defender. December 22, 1999. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  6. "Critters get best laughs". The Independent on Sunday. August 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  7. Oppenheimer, Jean (June 21, 2007). "'Evan Almighty' production designer Linda DeScenna: I built the ark". Jewish Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  8. "The 52nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  9. Duke, Brad (2005). Harrison Ford: The Films. Jefferson, NC: McFarlane. p. 99. ISBN   978-0-786-42016-2.
  10. "The 55th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  11. "The 58th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  12. "The 61st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  13. "The 66th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Perman, Stacy (January 3, 2020). "His props starred in hundreds of Hollywood movies and TV shows. Now he's exiting the stage after 42 years". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Gray, Andy (May 21, 2020). "Warren native imagined the future". Tribune Chronicle . Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. "Linda DeScenna, Mark Robinson". New York Times. June 11, 2017.