ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the collaboration between the head of the art department (called the production designer) and the director. Set dressing and props are thoroughly discussed, in regard to matters of realism and color palette, and examples given from Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. There is a case study of the Canadian director Xavier Dolan included here, about his use of the art department in his debut feature film I Killed My Mother, as well as two of his later films, Laurence Anyways and Mommy. There is also an interview with Margaret Ruder, a New York-based production designer for both film and television. Finally, there is a list of tasks to assist the director’s collaborations with the production designer.
