ART DEPARTMENT

Job Overview

“I facilitate the designer's vision,” says art director David Lazan. “I'm in charge of managing the art department, [including] budgets and crew—when it comes to set designers, graphic designers, illustrators; communicating with the construction coordinator; going over budgets, schedules, what we need to do both in sets and location; and meet with the different departments: effects, props, and onward … to talk about logistics. It's both a design and management position.”

Special Skills

Art directors must possess strong managerial skills, be organized, communicate well, and have the ability to administer a budget. A background in design, architecture, art, drafting, and illustration is also an asset.

Advice for Someone Seeking This Job

If you want to be an art director, Lazan suggests studying theatrical design, architecture or industrial design, as well as lighting and filmmaking. Once you have some basic skills, volunteer to work on student, music video, commercial, or nonunion productions. Contact set designers, art directors, or production designers, and offer to apprentice or serve as a production assistant for the art department. Get into a position to observe and make contacts for future work.

Professional Profile: David Lazan, Art Director

The son of a director of photography, David Lazan grew up around the film business. Instead of following in his father's footsteps, his goal was to become a doctor. For two years he studied psychobiology at UCLA before realizing he was on the wrong career path. He decided to instead pursue his artistic inclinations and transferred to Arizona State, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture and industrial design.

Lazan returned to Los Angeles in 1989 with the intention of earning money to finish his design portfolio. At the time, his father was working on a Spanish children's television series. Lazan interviewed for an assistant art director position with the show and was hired on.

His early exposure to the film industry had come through cameramen, grips, and gaffers. The design aspect of filmmaking that he discovered in the art department had never occurred to him. Lazan realized he enjoyed the work and that he was good at it, and went on to assistant art director for the movie The Linguini Incident. During filming, he connected with production designer Marcia Hinds, who hired him to work with her on Paradise.

After gaining some experience art directing commercials, Lazan landed his first feature as an art director on the film Candy man. The production designer, Jane Ann Stewart, later hired him to art direct the series Love, Cheat & Steal. His association with production designer Howard Cumming yielded work on the television movie Indictment: The McMartin Trial and on features The Usual Suspects, The Next Best Thing, and What's the Worst Thing That Can Happen.

An association with another production designer begun on The Replacement Killers, directed by Antoine Fuqua, continued on to Teaching Mrs. Tingle, American Beauty, and Training Day, which was also directed by Fuqua. Lazan is currently in Hawaii at work on another Fuqua-directed film, Hostile Rescue (working title).