Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction

Who can forget the over-the-top, white-on-white, high gloss interiors through which Fred Astaire danced in Top Hat? The stark modernist high-rise architecture, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, in the adaptation of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead"? The lavish, opulent drawing rooms of Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence"? Through the use of interior design - called production design in the film industry - movies can transport us to new worlds of luxury, highlight the ornament of the everyday, offer a vision of the future, or evoke the realities of a distant era. In "Designs on Film", journalist and interior designer Cathy Whitlock illuminates the role of art direction and production design in the creation of the most memorable moments in film history. Through a lush collection of rare archival photographs, Whitlock narrates the evolving story of art direction - from the massive Roman architecture of "Ben Hur", to the infamous Dakota apartment in "Rosemary's Baby", to the digital CGI enhanced city of Gotham in "Batman Begins". With behind-the-scenes stories of how sets are imagined, drawn, built, and decorated, and features on the most notable designers, "Designs on Film" is a must have for film lovers and movie buffs - or anyone who wants to lift the curtain on movie magic to better understand how art direction and set design allow us to truly loose ourselves in the diverse worlds showcased on the big screen.