Art direction in video productions
Out of the many moving parts of a production, the Art Director and Art Department are probably the most directly responsible for what we actually see when we watch something. Reason being, they are the crew members actually building the sets and making sure the right stuff gets onto them. The Art Department encompasses the builders, the artists, the craftsmen, the painters and the tailors that take a concept passed to them by the Production Designer and make it a reality.
Art direction vs. production design
In the design world, art direction encompasses all the creative direction in a project. The Art Director establishes the overall concept of the project, the nitty gritty of which is executed by designers. But in the film world, we have the role of the Production Designer. They take lead on the artistic direction of a production by working closely with the Director and the DP. Generally they have the widest understanding of the visual theme on any given project. That includes everything from color palette and set design to consistent visual branding in pieces geared towards marketing.
After a solid visual concept exists, the Art Department and all its moving parts swoop in and create the sets or dress locations. Now, keep in mind, all this is true for the biggest of sets. When productions shrink and streamline, the “Art Department” could be just one brave soul, doing what a Production Designer and many, many hands on a traditional art department crew would be doing single handedly.
Art directing at ECG
So how does the visual creative flow on the videos produced at ECG? Well, that depends on a lot of things. How big is your production? It’s an important question, even if ECG’s response will always be the same: we got it handled. If you’re sure you need an entire Art Department and a Production Designer to top it off, we work with the best in the business. Or maybe your vision is a little unusual. Let our in-house Art Department take the time to pick your brain and create pre-production visuals to ensure we’re all on the same page. Are any specific colors or visuals important to your brand? We’ll make sure they show up on set.
No detail is too small or unimportant — that’s what separates great art direction from the extremely underwhelming. Even if you need a simple, unobtrusive office space, rest assured that we’ve been there and done that. We’ve got simple mastered.
Trust us with your vision. Get in touch today!