FILM & TV
I recently became a member of USA 829, United Scenic Artists, IATSE.
I created the work here as part of the union entrance exam process. Considering everything from materials and language to fonts and colors, I enjoyed doing the research necessary to uncover what would make each feel realistic.
Movie Posters
Given just the titles of these fictional movies, I created these posters as part of a movie theater lobby set. Details below.
Grand Vista Motel
Branding for the Grand Vista Motel, a fictional California desert motel and lounge, circa 1950s. I created logos and other graphics to be used as props and set dec elements, pieces like matchbooks and postcards that bring the motel to life.
D’Amore and Sons
Storefront design for D’Amore and Sons, a fictional New York City Italian butcher shop, circa 1930s. To create this pre-visualization, I created the store logo and other text and graphic elements, and added them to a photo composite of the storefront.
FINAL
ORIGINALS
SkateRat Magazine
SkateRat Magazine cover and spread, a fictional 1980s skateboarding magazine. Imagining this as a hero prop that might be closely scrutinized, I wrote all the body text for the video review and contest results, using Thrasher Magazine as inspiration. Cover photo by J.Grant Brittain.
Albertson Investigation Board
Fictional Albertson murder case investigation bulletin board. Having seen a board like this on so many shows, I imagined various props and materials - everything from evidence reports, handwritten timelines, and newspaper covers, to masking tape, string, and post-its, to create as realistic a version as possible.
T.C. Franks Boot
I found this boot from the early 1900s while renovating my house. Thinking of it as a prop, I imagined a history for it and created props and set dec elements to represent T.C. Franks, a fictional turn of the century shoe maker, and aged documents like a newspaper ad and page from a patent document, to represent it in the more recent past.
Photo Composites
Using the original wedding photo and church-front photo, I retouched and added elements to create this 1970s wedding photo composite. I replaced the bride’s torso, added a hat, and changed the colors of the dresses and overall image, adding evidence of human touch.
In this family photo, I removed one person, replaced the faces of two others, and added the soccer ball at the bottom. I like the idea of it being a prop that provides funny evidence that the older man never smiles in pictures.
FINAL
ORIGINALS
Manhattan Movie House pre-vis, props and set dec
The last stage of the exam process was to create a logo, set dec and prop elements to make the set of “Manhattan Movie House” complete, given only this photo and the name. In addition to the pre-visualization below, I created a logo and branding for the theater, movie posters, a drink cup, a ticket, and ordering screens. I included labeled set dec and props notes with details about all the elements.
