Product Review

"Production Design: Architects of the Screen" explores the role of the production designer through a historical overview that maps out landmark film and television designs. From the familiar environs of the soap opera to the elaborate and disorientating "Velvet Goldmine" and the hyper-realism of "Trainspotting," production design is integral to understanding moving-image text, with the emergence of themes, motifs and colors offering clues to unravel plot, character and underlying concepts. In considering the importance of physical space in the creation of a filmed environment, the book investigates questions of authenticity in detail, props, colors and materials. The design codes of period drama are examined and contrasted with more playful productions of the past, and the creation of distinctive contemporary looks are discussed through the use of key examples ranging from musicals of the 1930s to cult films of the 1990s. The book also includes interviews with leading production designers.