Career as an Art Director: Design-wise
The Lowdown
An art director researches, plans, constructs and oversees sets used in ad films, TV shows and plays. S/he has to see that the idea of a director is reflected through the set and that the set works when it comes to camera movement, lighting and cost. The responsibilities vary depending on the scale and budget of the production. Generally they are responsible for both the abstract conception and the nuts-and-bolts carpentry of the set
Clockwork
8 am: Get to the set to check if all the workers have arrived
9 am to 12pm: Work on building the set, refining details etc
12 pm: Tea break
12.15 pm: Get back to overseeing construction
1.30 pm: Have a quick, on-site meeting with the director
1.45 pm: Work continues
3 pm: Lunch
7 pm: Start preparing to pack-up after final checks for next day's shoot
The Payoff
An assistant art director who is starting out makes very little money, and has to settle for anything from Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 a month. As one works one's way up, which can take many years, the pay increases. If your networking skills are good you can get projects that can pay you upwards of Rs 50,000 to a couple of lakhs per project. Once you have established yourself in the industry, you can expect to rake in anything from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, depending on the budget of the project. Pay in TV channels varies.
Skills/Traits
- Strong aesthetic sense
- Good research skills
- Patience to work with carpenters, electricians etc
- Ability to cope with the demands of a director, which may change during the course of a shoot
- Good budgeting and planning skills
- Good networking skills
- An interest in software and technology
- An eye for detail
- Strong grounding in design principles
- Ability to innovate and come up with out-of-the box ideas
- Clarity of thought
- Strong convincing ability
- Must be a good team manager
Getting There
After completing Class 12, you can go for a bachelor of fine arts degree. While completing your graduation, you can simultaneously learn software such as VectorWorks, RenderWorks, PhotoShop, Illustrator, Max etc. People with expertise in other areas like interior design and architecture can also opt for this profession
Institutes
- Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
- Asian Academy of Film & TV
- LS Raheja School of Art, Mumbai
- Banaras Hindu University
- The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat
Pros And Cons
- Initially the money is very low, but if you have the talent and the right exposure you can make it really big
- A great platform to showcase your imagination
- Long working hours, can extend even to weekends
- Physical exhaustion is an integral part of the profession
- One needs to multi-task, from planning to execution, you are responsible for everything
Source: HT Horizons
Date: 18th April, 2011
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