Book Review: Createascene: Everything You Need to Know About The Art Department

The author Bruce Hill sent me this book for a review. It's about production and scene designs for films, something that I like reading about. I've collected many making-of film books and Createascene is one that really goes into the detail of how scenes, props and effects are made for film, right down to the type of wood or plastic to consider.

Bruce Hill has been in the film industry since 1980s. This book represents 30 years of experience. It's filled with practical knowledge that you can get only by working long enough in the industry.

The topics covered are on how and who to hire, budgeting the set, getting props. It also includes details like how transport is going to be provided to crew to get to the set.

You'll learn how to do budgeting, how to count the man days, materials and other things that may drive up cost, such as waste disposal, etc. There are many considerations to take note of for each area of production.

In the event that you cannot shoot on location, there are also tips on how to create your own studio, the equipment you need, studio etiquette, etc. These are all from the real life experience of working on a studio — "Glamorous it most certainly is not!" says Bruce Hill. He also goes into detail the different types of flooring required for different purposes and people, whether it's for moving the camera around, or for dancers so that they don't injure themselves. You can sense just how thorough this guy is.

There's also a chapter on what type of materials you can use to construct the sets. And what type of paint to use to paint on the materials.

One chapter is on working landscapes, small ones, not those LOTR or green screen types, and working with small models and getting the perspective right. photo-backings, special effects like rain, fog, steam, smoke, etc.

For anyone who wants to get into the film industry to create scenes and props, this is an invaluable resource. It's quite enlightening to find out all the tricks and tips that are used to create believable sets.

Createascene: Everything You Need to Know About the Art Department is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CN)

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