Julie Solich

And just as each person's priorities and universe-models are personal, I
guess even Peter Jackson has his own priorities. One of them is visual.

My own direction of Lord of the Rings (in my head) had only the very
vaguest of visual pictures. Very murky, beause the "realness" of the
characters for me had to do with virtues and morals and knowledge and
growth.
Sandra

This gets me to thinking about multiple intelligences. My 'dominant'
intelligence is interpersonal, and I'm thinking yours must be too. Do our
intelligences shape our vision of life around us? If they do, then each
person's 'reality' is going to be different. So, what is real? Okay, I'm
confusing myself now. Where is Morpheus when you need him? <g>

Julie, stopping to think about this a little more.( If you never hear from
me again, you'll know my brain imploded!)


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Robyn Coburn

One thing I was never able to visualize when reading LOTR was Helm's
Deep and that battle. I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of it. If
I were going to design that set it would have required a lot of visual
research into castles, keeps, caves, medieval warfare.

Robyn Coburn



<<My own direction of Lord of the Rings (in my head) had only the very
vaguest of visual pictures. Very murky, beause the "realness" of the
characters for me had to do with virtues and morals and knowledge and
growth.>>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Julie Solich

One thing I was never able to visualize when reading LOTR was Helm's Deep
and that battle. I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of it. If I were
going to design that set it would have required a lot of visual research
into castles, keeps, caves, medieval warfare.

Robyn Coburn


I think it would be an amazing job to have, designing sets, creating
miniworlds.

I really enjoyed watching the special features discs and seeing how much
attention to detail there was. They did a superb job of making Middle-earth
come alive. Finding out they made all the glasses, plates, goblets and so on
so that no-one watching would be able to say "I have a set like that at
home". They built Hobbiton and established gardens a year before filming.

How do you get work designing sets? Not that I need a job but...

Julie


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Fetteroll

on 9/4/03 3:28 AM, Julie Solich at mjsolich@... wrote:

> How do you get work designing sets? Not that I need a job but...

Local theater. I ended up on a mailing list for the little theater troupes
around the state and they're always asking for volunteers for extras and set
builders and costumers. There's probably something like that around you.

Joyce

[email protected]

In a message dated 9/3/03 8:37:44 PM, mjsolich@... writes:

<< My 'dominant'

intelligence is interpersonal, and I'm thinking yours must be too. Do our

intelligences shape our vision of life around us? If they do, then each

person's 'reality' is going to be different. So, what is real? >>

I've usually thought language was my best thing (but I only know one, so it's
not that polyglot linguistic skill), but probably because "interpersonal"
wasn't legit 'til lately. <bwg>

What's real is that different people see the world differently. My dad
always knew where the power source was for a house or machine, and was aware of all
waterlines under the ground. If he didn't know where the lines were he
WANTED to know.

In MY head, under the ground is just dirt, and manhole covers are some kind
of decoration, and I know I'm wrong, but I don't have time or interest to map
the water supply and sewer pipes of my neighborhood in my head, let alone the
whole of the city or the state.

I do tend to remember if people tell me they grew up Catholic and had all
brothers and was an Eagle scout. That maps pretty easily. "Chicago," they
might say. "Polish?" I might ask. I've never even been to Chicago, but I know
two guys my age who were, and both were Polish Catholic. Their answers would
help me with my map of the U.S., which is more social than physical geography.
As to how Chicago is supplied with electricity or drinking water and whether
they use natural gas, it never occurred to me to wonder until just now. And
I'm already through caring. <g>

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 9/4/03 2:03:38 AM, mjsolich@... writes:

<< One thing I was never able to visualize when reading LOTR was Helm's Deep

and that battle. I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of it. >>

I did too. I visualized it this way:

And they fought and fought.
I scanned for significant bits, as who slew significant monsters (coming in
Return of the King, and I won't say it here, and I hope they don't screw it up
<g>, though they might leave it out), but pretty much it sounded like "blah
blah, ching clang" until people started interacting in dialog again.

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 9/4/03 3:52:46 AM, fetteroll@... writes:

<< > How do you get work designing sets? Not that I need a job but...

-=-Local theater. >>

Yes, but it's volunteer work, most likely, and would be assisting the set
people and carrying plywood around and painting cloth and stuff first, for a long
time, before "design" would come about.

Puppet show sets/backgrounds/props would be a start. Designing bedrooms to
look fancy ways would be related.

There are things that lead up and toward without being "a job" and they're
all things I'm not good at, but I do see in my friends who have that skill.
Window dressings in stores sometimes are REALLY creative, and other times just a
few mannequins looking bored.

Sandra

Robyn Coburn

Others have talked about starting by volunteering in community or local
theaters. Indeed I did get my start along those lines. I also studied
Architectural Drafting - something that you could do today using one of
the many computer programs if you didn't care for classes. After a
while, however, I found it was slow going and felt a lack in myself. I
ended up going to college and studying theater design and production,
the best part of which was learning Lighting Design from a marvelous
designer. I have been designing in theater for many years, but came to
Los Angeles to work in film in 1994. To get to work in the Art
Department, most people do start out by volunteering - or as they call
it "interning".

This is the most crucial and important piece of advice I will give to
anyone starting in film. Several young people whom I have mentored have
profited from it in a way I did not, since I didn't know or understand
this idea - having come from a different style of place. Here it is:

Volunteer to work on the biggest, most prestigious, highest
budget picture you can, even if you are doing the most menial and
trivial thing. If you are going to sweep someone's floor for free, you
might as well sweep Steven Spielberg's than Joe Shmo doing his graduate
thesis film at UCLA. You stay in the circles you start in.

When I began I had the incorrect notion, gleaned from some readings in
books about the film industry, that it was more important to be able to
express that you were a [insert head of department title], because you
would be locked into that. I expected that with hard work, an expanding
resume, and an increase in contacts, the pictures would get bigger. I
had the notion that as a big fish in the small pond, the pond would
grow. I found out that is not how it works for most of the time. What
happens, almost always is, that the director or producer who hired you
for their $500K project, talking all the time about the next film down
the line that would be a $4Mil pic, then hires someone who is already
working in the $4Mil milieu. Expect no gratitude. Even working for free
is dangerous, as you will continue to be called for free work by the
same people.

BTW, in film the title Set Designer means the people who actually do the
drafting for the construction, sometimes including working drawings and
color rendering of the concept. A good set designer has a lot of input
in shape and details. For example the Art Director (to whom the Set
Designer reports) may say, "We need a decorative
moulding to fill this wall", and the Set Designer will have the
opportunity to actually design the moulding, fitting in with
architectural style already conceived. However the concept of having
moulding, and choosing the style is done by the Production Designer.

Anyone who is serious about working in the film business and would like
to profit from my mistakes is welcome to email me privately. I swear
that every one of the kids I have taken on have moved on from me very
quickly into real Union jobs, including being on an Emmy nominated team
at CBS.

Robyn Coburn














[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Julie Bogart

Robyn, this is the coolest post I've read in a long time.

Though I stopped pursuing a career in theater during college, I
grew up around that industry and discovered that it really is true
that who you know is more important than what you know.

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you ahve a great career! I
always liked lighting. (Btw, where did you go to college? Did you
major in theater arts, then?)

Julie B

--- In [email protected], "Robyn
Coburn" <dezigna@c...> wrote:
> Others have talked about starting by volunteering in community
or local
> theaters. Indeed I did get my start along those lines. I also
studied
> Architectural Drafting - something that you could do today using
one of
> the many computer programs if you didn't care for classes.
After a
> while, however, I found it was slow going and felt a lack in
myself. I
> ended up going to college and studying theater design and
production,
> the best part of which was learning Lighting Design from a
marvelous
> designer. I have been designing in theater for many years, but
came to
> Los Angeles to work in film in 1994. To get to work in the Art
> Department, most people do start out by volunteering - or as
they call
> it "interning".
>
> This is the most crucial and important piece of advice I will give
to
> anyone starting in film. Several young people whom I have
mentored have
> profited from it in a way I did not, since I didn't know or
understand
> this idea - having come from a different style of place. Here it
is:
>
> Volunteer to work on the biggest, most prestigious,
highest
> budget picture you can, even if you are doing the most menial
and
> trivial thing. If you are going to sweep someone's floor for free,
you
> might as well sweep Steven Spielberg's than Joe Shmo doing
his graduate
> thesis film at UCLA. You stay in the circles you start in.
>
> When I began I had the incorrect notion, gleaned from some
readings in
> books about the film industry, that it was more important to be
able to
> express that you were a [insert head of department title],
because you
> would be locked into that. I expected that with hard work, an
expanding
> resume, and an increase in contacts, the pictures would get
bigger. I
> had the notion that as a big fish in the small pond, the pond
would
> grow. I found out that is not how it works for most of the time.
What
> happens, almost always is, that the director or producer who
hired you
> for their $500K project, talking all the time about the next film
down
> the line that would be a $4Mil pic, then hires someone who is
already
> working in the $4Mil milieu. Expect no gratitude. Even working
for free
> is dangerous, as you will continue to be called for free work by
the
> same people.
>
> BTW, in film the title Set Designer means the people who
actually do the
> drafting for the construction, sometimes including working
drawings and
> color rendering of the concept. A good set designer has a lot of
input
> in shape and details. For example the Art Director (to whom the
Set
> Designer reports) may say, "We need a decorative
> moulding to fill this wall", and the Set Designer will have the
> opportunity to actually design the moulding, fitting in with
> architectural style already conceived. However the concept of
having
> moulding, and choosing the style is done by the Production
Designer.
>
> Anyone who is serious about working in the film business and
would like
> to profit from my mistakes is welcome to email me privately. I
swear
> that every one of the kids I have taken on have moved on from
me very
> quickly into real Union jobs, including being on an Emmy
nominated team
> at CBS.
>
> Robyn Coburn
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Robyn Coburn

<<Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you ahve a great career! I
always liked lighting. (Btw, where did you go to college? Did you
major in theater arts, then?)>>



Interesting and varied more than great - now I am Jayn's mother, which
is also all of the above. :-)

Fashion Illustration - East Sydney Technical College

Architectural Drafting - Sydney Technical College

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours) - University of Wollongong (1990) -
major in Theatre Design and Technical Production, Minor Film Studies
(Faculty of Arts)



Australia is, or was in 1992 when I left, very different from US.

Half way through my college degree fees were reintroduced (after 20
years of free education) for University attendance. When your income
reaches a certain point, you pay an additional 1 or 2 % in income tax to
discharge the debt. Needless to say, working in the arts, my income had
only a meagre chance of reaching the threshold. I still owe the
government about $4000. I remember the fight that was put up against the
idea of fees. I was paid a stipend by the government to study, since I
was low income before enrolling.



Robyn Coburn





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]