Monday, February 25, 2008

Robert F. Boyle’s Honorary Oscar : Art Direction

Boyle has said some of the best words I have ever heard about architecture. Although his comments below are about production design for the movies, I think they apply perfectly to architecture as well. Using his words to guide me, I think that ultimately architects are creating spaces within which the action and meaning of a person’s life is arrived at. This is a basic truth about architecture. A truth that becomes “an emotional truth as well.”




I’ve transcribed some of his quotes from the clip shown at his award.

“Production design. Art direction. Very few people know what that means. A production designer is responsible for that space within which the action and the meaning of the film is arrived at. What we are looking for is the appropriate environment .

“As a designer, my obligation is to give a physical interpretation of the script.

“The basis of production design is an architectural truth, which becomes an emotional truth as well. That’s what we’re really after is the emotion.

“We try to return to that essence. To get back to feelings. And that’s what we in movies try to do.”



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