Filmmaking has a lot of individuals and departments involved. Directors, sound engineers, producers, actors, etc. Two of the most important individuals involved are the production designer and the art director.
Though they are very important in filmmaking, people often confuse the two to be the same. It is actually difficult to define a fine line between the two, although there is one predetermined line.
The reason why this confusion occurs is that most studios involved in filmmaking do not have the two at the same time. They will either have an art director, or just a production designer for their film.
So let us clarify this confusion and talk about the difference between these two different individual roles.
Who is a Production Designer?
Let us start by defining who a production designer is. The production designer, in our opinion, is an integrated part of filmmaking. The production designer, the director, and the director of photography are like a trio that provides a uniform look to a film.
The production designer will brainstorm ideas with the director before production. Then he/she will decide the budget with the film producer and line producer about the director’s vision of the film. After fixing all the budget and necessary agreements, the production designer will work on researching to accurately design sets and props based on the director’s vision.
The production designer will make basic sketches of the set and prop design to keep everyone in the art department on the same page.
The production designer is also responsible for hiring and managing the art department in filmmaking. He/ she will manage the budget of this department and prepare their work schedule.
One important relation between the production designer and the art director is that the production designer will hand over the set and prop design to him/her. The production designer creates a vision of the pieces in a sketch and the art director will work with that to come up with a finished product.
So if we summarize the whole production designer’s work, his/ her work is to direct and supervise all the production and art department. His/ her duty is more centralized. The goal is to match the director’s vision and expectations with the product made by the art department.
Now let’s have a look at who an art director is.
Who is an Art Director?
Now, who is an art director? From the previous section, you may have guessed that the art director works under the instruction of a production designer. Correct.
Although the art director works under the production designer, his/ her work is more tactical. The art director takes the basic scratching from the production designer and uses his/her instruction to give it a viable shape.
So basically the art director brings the vision of the production designer into life. That is basically it. But we can go deeper into the work of an art director.
The art director will also have to match the aesthetics of the set design and props with the expectation of the production designer. He/ she also has to go through the script to double-check if everything matches up.
Does this sound easy? The work may sound simple, but it is far from it. You will need to have a good eye for art to qualify for the work of an art director. You will need to understand all the elements of the project and prepare the best-representing design for it.
The art department not only consists of the art director. There are others working in the department. The art director will need to supervise all of them and make them follow his/her vision to design the set and props.
All of these had to be done by following the time and budget assigned to them.
So basically, the work of an art director is a more tactical approach to designing the vision of the production designer and making it into a reality.
What is the difference between a Production Designer and an Art Director?
Now that we know who a production designer and an art director are, let us shine some light on their differences.
Duties
The first difference is obviously their duties. We hope that you have already understood their difference in duties from the previous sections.
The production designer must consult with the director, producer to set a budget and research, design the sets and props for the production. He/she will also need to hire and manage an art team for handling all the affairs regarding design and production.
On the other hand, an art director follows the instruction of the production designer to design the sets and props and make them ready for use. His/ her duty is to encourage every staff in the art department and make them follow the production designer’s vision of set and prop design.
Goal
There is a clear difference in the goal of these two individuals. The goal of the production designer is to make everything work and follow the director’s vision. He/ she will try to give everything a uniform look so nothing doesn’t seem out of place.
On the other hand, the goal of an art designer is to make the sets and props from the sketch made by the production designer. His/ her goal is to follow the production designer’s instructions and make sure every product is made perfectly and ready for use in shooting.
Authority
The production designer has to answer to the director and producer of the film. His/ her topic is usually limited to budgeting, special effects, and feasibility of the project.
On the other hand, the art director answers to the production designer. But in reality, some organizations don’t have a production designer. In those cases, the art director answers directly to the higher authorities(directors and producers).
Conclusion
So those are the differences between a production designer and an art designer. There are some clear differences. We hope that you will understand them perfectly.
But do remember that in reality these differences are not found correctly. It is because many organizations don’t have these two positions at the same time.
