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).
Job Overview
Working under the direction of the production designer or art director,
the set designer creates working drawings of assigned sets or props. "It
may be as simple as measuring an existing location and having it drawn
up, then turned into a model for studying, or sketching sets from scratch
to be constructed on a soundstage," says set designer Todd Chernawsky
Special Skills
Set designers must possess good illustration or drafting skills, be flexi-
ble and creative, and have the ability to communicate well.
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
No matter what industry job you aspire to, Chernawsky suggests
learning all you can about the craft of filmmaking. It is important to have
strong drafting and illustration skills before beginning the job search.
Work on student films, commercials, and music videos to gain experience
and make contacts. Let people know of your desire to work in the art
department for a feature film or television series.
"Many people's first jobs find them," says Chernawsky. "You'll offer to
help someone on a project and they will hire you for their next one, or
you impress someone else who is also helping out and they hire or rec-
ommend you for a job. It's all about networking."
Professional Profile: Todd Chernawsky, Set Designer
Although he had been interested in films from the time he was a
young boy, it was while walking home from the theater after seeing
Raiders of the Lost Ark that Todd Chernawsky first considered making
JOB TITLE: SET DESIGNER
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