Work experience: TV show Into the badlands

Ive written a big post about how I found working in each department for 603, which can be read HERE

So covering that side of the experience, I thought it would be good to talk about the lovely professionals I had the chance to meet and pick the brains of, and the different insights they all offered. Starting with my introduction, the art department:

It would be difficult to mention everybody that I spoke to in the art department as production designer, headed by Philip Murphy, but here are some of the nuggets and interesting facts I gathered from them:

-There seemed to be a genuine appreciation for fellow employees working on this production, whereas this seems like it may be quite rare for teams to merge this well. 

-Speaking of inter relationships, Philip had a fantastic rapour with everybody, reaching outside the art department. He knew everyones names, was able to strike a conversation with anyone on their life events, and most importantly, had a keen eye for how they could best help the production.

-Asking the question "how did you get your start in the industry?", resulted in a majority answer of nepotism or some chance encounter.

-Adobe illustrator plays an important role in the graphic designer side of things, allowing designs to be blown up to bilboard scale.

-Concept art requires you to be efficient with photorealistic painting.

- When asking them about personal projects maintained outside of work, almost all said they had just stopped doing them over time, with only the concept and storyboard artists speaking of maintaining other things.

- Job titles may cover more than expected, it isn't unusual for members of the art department to go to sets and build their designs alongside the set building team. They are also expected to budget their supplies.

-Days are long, working from 8-6:30/7:00

- It is an expectation to use your own equipment, all were using computers and tablets that they had brought in.

I also got a good chunk of information spending a day in the prop making department. I was taken over the basics of creating a prosthetic by Mark Maher, who had a real knack for teaching. and alongside this got to spend time with their digital sculptor Peter cooper also, who was kind enough to take an image from my japan zine, sculpt it and 3D print it! unbelievable!

I even had the chance to talk to others, head of set building Neville being one. He took me through the sets and talked to me about the logistics behind the environment, things like how colour is used in correspondence with characters, how elements pay homage to other films and in some cases how specific elements of the set were made.

Finally I got the chance to briefly chat to one of the directors Paco Cabezas, brimming with passion over a shot he just pulled off. After I told him I was considering working on storyboarding, he warned me about a lack of creative freedom. In concept art you get a sway and say on the environment, storyboards you are beholden to the commands.