I highly recommend you complete all the drawing assignments for your professional portfolio. Art Directors responsible for hiring Set Designers will want to see drawings.  It is however not a requirement of the course.  It's completely up to you and your professional goals.

In addition to building your portfolio and learning correct drawing nomenclature and symbol use we'll cover the basics of:

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Script Breakdown
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Set construction techniques and common building materials
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Fundamentals of cameras and lens optics
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Scaling from photographs and artwork
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Working on a sound stage
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The proper use of traditional  and digital backings
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Set requirements for common special effects shots
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Drawing details and FSD's
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Proper location surveying techniques
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Recreating period details; moulding, plaster and staff elements
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Architectural hardware.

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Understanding set requirements for the Camera, Lighting, and Visual Effects Departments
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Because of the special nature of the proprietary class materials, refunds will only be offered within 14 days of course registration. Please be sure this class is for you before you commit to it. If you have any reservations about signing up, you can schedule a free discovery call with me to discuss the class and whether or not it fits your needs. 

- Tool List   -  Download the Tool List. Here you'll find a list of tools you'll need for the course. If you're an architect or interior designer, you probably have a number of the items on the list already. I've noted a number of options for each item so you shouldn't have to spend a huge amount on them.

There are over 4 hours of instructional videos which you’ll be able to replay for an unlimited time. And, you will have access to a private class site where you can interact with the other students in the class.

Topics covered:

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Cameras - Film vs Digital
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Lenses - spherical vs. anamorphic, prime vs. zoom
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Specialty lenses and attachments
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Understanding focal lengths
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Understanding depth-of-field
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Aperture settings - F-stops vs. T-stops
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Dynamic range - over and under exposure comparisons
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Lighting - color temperature, typical lighting styles
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The Inverse Square law of light
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The basics of optics for in-camera effects such as foreground miniatures and forced perspective sets.
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And, an analysis of the camera work of the new German film, All Quiet On The Western Front, which won the Oscars for both Art Direction and Cinematography in 2023. I'll examine how the choice of shots influenced and affected the set design. 

With 3D model recreations of some of the sets and locations, I'll discuss how physical locations and built sets can sometimes make certain scenes difficult to achieve and how careful pre-planning can avoid problems and frustrations during production.

The course also includes a manual which explains the concepts covered in the course in text and diagrams for reference.

--Because of the special nature of the class material and proprietary materials refunds will only be offered within 14 days of course registration. Please be sure this class is for you before you commit to it. If you have any reservations about signing up, you can schedule a free discovery call with me to discuss the class and whether or not it fits your needs. 

The class materials include several videos of which one is a practical step-by-step demonstration of standard flat construction, 3D models of typical scenery pieces for you to use in your work, a manual of common drafting conventions for drawing film scenery, and a number of actual working drawings from actual films and television programs.

There is also a file of reference material which includes period trade manuals, and a list of suggested reference books.

You get:

• Video that describes the history of film scenery and the different types of construction methods currently used
• A how-to video showing the actual construction techniques of the two most used styles of flats in the industry here in the U.S.
• A video on creating construction documents and working drawings for the entertainment industry
• 3D models (.skp /.obj) of basic standard set pieces for you to study and use in your own digital models
• A manual of drafting conventions used in construction drawings in the entertainment industry
• A set of construction drawings of film sets to study and refer to for creating your own working drawings
• A reference file of building materials typically used and hardware charts.
• A list of other suggested reference material and books

 It examines door design from the 17th to the early 20th centuries with emphasis put on how construction techniques affected the designs.

The course also covers door hardware that was both utilitarian and decorative. It covers the evolution of hinges, door pulls, knob design, and locking devices.

You get:

• A video which covers door evolution as well as the hardware that was used on doorways.
• Accurate 3D models (.skp /.obj) of doorways with correct period construction techniques and joinery for use as study models or in 3D set models for design. The models are full scale, meaning that they can be used to create working drawings.
• A selection of Historical American Building Survey drawings from the various time periods for reference and study.
• Construction drawings of door details from various films
•  Digital copies of several out-of-print period manuals that cover door construction and door hardware, as well as several period door manufacturer catalogues.
• A list of reference books for further study.

 It examines window design from the 17th to the early 20th centuries with emphasis put on how construction techniques and glass manufacture affected the designs.

The course also covers window hardware that was both utilitarian and decorative. It covers the evolution of hinges, pulls, counterweight systems, and locking devices.

You get:

• A video which covers window evolution as well as the hardware that was used on them.
• Accurate 3D models (.skp /.obj) of windows with correct period construction techniques and joinery for use as study models or in 3D set models for design. The models are full scale, meaning that they can be used to create working drawings.
• A selection of Historical American Building Survey drawings from the various time periods for reference and study.
• Construction drawings of window details of scenery from various films
•  Digital copies of several out-of-print period manuals that cover window construction and hardware, as well as several period window manufacturer catalogues.
• A list of reference books for further study.

The materials include an unproduced feature-length script, a set of nine script reports that you'll refer to while completing the breakdown, both a blank Excel breakdown form and one that has been partially completed. There is a video that explains the process and leads you in steps through the breakdown, pointing out possible challenges and giving you tips on avoiding problems that may not show up until midway into the pre-production phase of a film.

The storyline covers both a current day environment as well as a historical time period and points out the challenges of having scenes which will have sets that will need to be designed and dressed to work for different time periods.

You get:

• Full-length unproduced feature script
• 8 reports which separate the script into categories by story order, set name, and occurrence
• A blank Excel document, pre-formatted for your breakdown
• A partially completed breakdown to help you understand the system
• A video that describes the process and guides you through a breakdown of the script