Art Directors Guild
Encyclopedia
The Art Directors Guild is an American labor union
and branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) representing almost 2,000 motion picture and television professionals.
The ADG's sponsored activities include a film society, the Annual ADG Awards
, an art gallery called Gallery 800, an annual membership directory, technology-training programs and a professional quarterly news magazine called Perspective. They are also founding cosponsors of the 5D Conferences.
In addition, the ADG is seeking to extend membership and subsequent union benefits to previs artists.
Individual crafts represented by the ADG:
making, it was not until 1924 that 63 of the top men and women pursuing that craft formed the Cinemagundi Club (named after New York
’s club for artists, the Salmagundi Club
), a casual organization that met mainly for socializing at a Hollywood restaurant. Through the years, the Cinemagundi Club developed into a forum for Production Designers and Art Directors to exchange views and to discuss problems. In 1937, the Club transformed itself into the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors. Television was added to its name 30 years later.
After World War II
, many “below the line” industry labor organizations, including the Art Directors Guild, signed on with the IATSE for overall union representation. The Guild became more active, grew in membership, and expanded opportunities as television developed.
In January 2000, the organization became known as the Art Directors Guild.
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.
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.
are presented annually by the Art Directors Guild to recognize excellence in production design and art direction in the film and television industries.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) representing almost 2,000 motion picture and television professionals.
The ADG's sponsored activities include a film society, the Annual ADG Awards
ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards
The ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards are an award presented annually by the Art Directors Guild to recognize excellence in production design and art direction in the film and television industries.-Feature Film :...
, an art gallery called Gallery 800, an annual membership directory, technology-training programs and a professional quarterly news magazine called Perspective. They are also founding cosponsors of the 5D Conferences.
Membership
Local 800 has four main craft classifications:- Art DirectorsArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Scenic, Title and Graphic ArtistsGraphic designerA graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
- IllustratorsIllustratorAn Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and Matte ArtistsDigital Matte ArtistA Digital Matte Artist, or Digital Matte Painter , is today's modern form of a traditional Matte Painter in the Entertainment Industry... - Set DesignersScenic designScenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
and Model MakersModel makerA model maker is a professional craftsperson who creates a 3 dimensional representation of a design or concept. Most products in use and in development today first take form as a model. This "model" may be an exacting duplicate of the future design or a simple mock-up of the general shape or concept...
In addition, the ADG is seeking to extend membership and subsequent union benefits to previs artists.
Individual crafts represented by the ADG:
- Production DesignersProduction designerIn film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
- Art Directors
- Assistant Art Directors
- Set Designers
- Graphic Artists
- Illustrators
- Matte Artists
- Model Makers
- Scenic Artists
- Storyboard ArtistsStoryboard artistStoryboard artist is a profession specialized in creating storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment...
- Title Artists
- Previs Artists
Art Directors Guild
While the craft of production design and art direction dates back 100 years to the very beginning of filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
making, it was not until 1924 that 63 of the top men and women pursuing that craft formed the Cinemagundi Club (named after New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
’s club for artists, the Salmagundi Club
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
), a casual organization that met mainly for socializing at a Hollywood restaurant. Through the years, the Cinemagundi Club developed into a forum for Production Designers and Art Directors to exchange views and to discuss problems. In 1937, the Club transformed itself into the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors. Television was added to its name 30 years later.
The 1930s were bleak times, however, for Art Directors and other industry craft artists who were not being given proper credit for the important creative contributions they made to the art of filmmaking. That attitude dramatically changed in 1939 with Gone With the WindGone with the Wind (film)Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, when producer David O. SelznickDavid O. SelznickDavid O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
agreed to give the new credit of “Production Designer” to William Cameron MenziesWilliam Cameron MenziesWilliam Cameron Menzies was an Academy Award-winning American film production designer and art director who also worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter during a career spanning five decades...
for his brilliant work on the classic film. Menzies (the dean of U.S. film art direction at the time) produced scene-by-scene storyboards and illustrations for Gone With the Wind that revolutionized the film industry. They demonstrated the vital role that production design plays in the overall look of a theatrical motion picture, establishing practices still in use today.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many “below the line” industry labor organizations, including the Art Directors Guild, signed on with the IATSE for overall union representation. The Guild became more active, grew in membership, and expanded opportunities as television developed.
In January 2000, the organization became known as the Art Directors Guild.
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 the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which by the 1950s became the dominant labor organization representing the motion picture and television job categories working behind the camera.On July 1, 2008, under the orders of IATSE
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or I.A.T.S.E., is a labor union representing technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, motion...
International President Thomas C. Short, Local 790 Illustrators & Matte Artists and Local 847 Set Designers and Model Makers were merged into Local 800.
ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards
The ADG Excellence in Production Design AwardsADG Excellence in Production Design Awards
The ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards are an award presented annually by the Art Directors Guild to recognize excellence in production design and art direction in the film and television industries.-Feature Film :...
are presented annually by the Art Directors Guild to recognize excellence in production design and art direction in the film and television industries.
External links
- Art Directors Guild official site
- Art Directors Guild page on IMDB
- IATSE official website