An art director has variety of roles working throughout many artistic industries. Often working more than 40 hours a week an art director is responsible for the overall aesthetics of a product or project and managing groups of other creatives. There is no set number for the size of the groups an Art Director may be overseeing. The particular aspect of art direction I’m interested in is art direction within TV and film.
To become an art director there a multiple different paths. Firstly you will need to finish a bachelors degree within an art related subject. From this point you can either search for internships or chose to continue with education and get a masters degree in art direction. Personally I hope to go down the route of continuing with education and study the MA Design for Art Direction at University of the Arts London. After this point it is finding work within the field of art direction.
Chae Kyung Sun is the art director behind Netflix’s popular 2021 Korean drama, Squid The entire atmosphere of the show relies on its aesthetics. In watching interviews featuring Chae Kyung Sun it is fascinating to hear the amount of attention to detail. There was not one aspect of the set design, costume or props that were not thought about.
“I think I focused on the mind of the person who came up with the game. I imagined heβd think he gave the contestants a chance as if heβs a god.“
Chae Kyung Sun
I think Squid Game is a perfect example of the importance of art direction. The visual impact of a show is usually the most memorable aspect of the show and responsible for setting the tone. It is an art directors responsibility to ensure all the pieces come together to create a cohesive narrative.
Sources:
- What does an art director do? – CareerExplorer – https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/art-director/#:~:text=Art%20directors%20usually%20work%20more,weekends)%20to%20meet%20strict%20deadlines
- How To Become an Art Director | Indeed.com – https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-an-art-director#:~:text=How%20to%20become%20an%20art%20director%201%20Earn,a%20full-time%20art%20position.%20β¦%20More%20itemsβ¦%20
- MA Design for Art Direction | UAL (arts.ac.uk) – https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/communication-and-graphic-design/postgraduate/ma-design-for-art-direction-lcc#course-summary
- Squid Game: a minimalist architecture for a maximalist oppression β Decoventure http://decoventure.com/squid-game/
- Hereβs The Hidden Meaning Behind The Coffins In βSquid Gameβ That Will Make You Watch The Show Differently (koreaboo.com) https://www.koreaboo.com/news/squid-game-coffin-hidden-meaning-netflix-korea-interview-art-director/
