Designers


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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Highlights
Janie Bryant on her advice to aspiring costume designers
00:36
Bob Mackie on the famous curtain-rod dress he made for Carol Burnett in a spoof of Gone With the Wind on her show
02:17
Roy Christopher on bringing Pop Art to television production design in the mid-to-late '60s on such shows as the Andy Williams special "Love, Andy," and how well it appeared on camera
03:00
Bob Markell on the set design process from sketch to built set
02:38
George Barris on the craft of car customization
04:28
Who talked about this profession

Thomas Azzari

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Thomas Azzari on designing the sets for Gunsmoke and The Wild, Wild West
06:31
Thomas Azzari on designing the set for the Seinfeld  episode "The Parking Garage"
01:40
Thomas Azzari on designing Seinfeld's New York street and various other sets
04:17
Thomas Azzari on the job of set designing for Seinfeld
02:19
Thomas Azzari on his advice to aspiring production designers 
02:41

George Barris

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George Barris on knowing how his custom cars would look once they were on camera
02:58
Geroge Barris on knowing what colors to use for his cars on television and in feature films
02:39
George Barris on the craft of car customization
04:28
George Barris on the car that best expresses him
03:48
George Barris on communicating with his staff when creating cars, and on running his custom car business
05:57
George Barris on advice to aspiring custom car designers
05:16

Robert Blackman

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Robert Blackman on the fabrics they used for the costumes on Star Trek: The Next Generation
04:51
Robert Blackman on the budget constraints of costume designing for Star Trek: The Next Generation
02:12
Robert Blackman on the process of designing costumes for Star Trek: The Next Generation  and working with producer Rick Berman
08:32
Robert Blackman on where he gets the inspiration for his costumes
00:31
Robert Blackman on advice to an aspiring costume designer
01:16

Al Borden

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Al Borden on some of the "tricks" he used as propmaster for The Colgate Comedy Hour
01:44
Al Borden on how being a propmaster has changed over the years
00:46
Al Borden on advice to aspiring propmasters
00:42

Tom Broecker

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Tom Broecker on the transition from being the assistant costume designer to costume designer at Saturday Night Live, and on the process of learning how to be a boss
03:24
Tom Broecker on the costume design team at Saturday Night Live
02:54
Tom Broecker on how technological advances have changed the costume design process on Saturday Night Live
02:41
Tom Broecker on advice to aspiring costume designers
01:24

Janie Bryant

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Janie Bryant on how she researched and designed the costumes on Mad Men and on the attention to detail for the 1960s period series
Janie Bryant on her collaborative work with Mad Men  series creator Matthew Weiner and their philosophy about the design for the costumes on the show
01:54
Janie Bryant on how much she knows in advance about Mad Men and how much she has to keep secret about her costumes
Janie Bryant on fabrics that are ill-suited for television and how she works with whites and dyes on Mad Men
Janie Bryant on her role as the costume designer for Mad Men  and the attention to detail on the show
03:22
Janie Bryant on her advice to aspiring costume designers
00:36
Janie Bryant on her own fashion style and brand

Ed Christie

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Ed Christie on the process of creating a puppet
07:01
Ed Christie on tailoring puppets to the puppeteers that operated them
04:26
Ed Christie on what makes a great Muppet design
02:10

Roy Christopher

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Roy Christopher on the influence of pop art on the art direction on television in the 1970s
03:01
Roy Christopher on how lighting has changed over the years
01:47
Roy Christopher on dealing with changing fashions and styles over the years in production design
01:50
Roy Christopher on styles in the then-present (2006)
01:15
Roy Christopher on his style
01:57
Roy Christopher on advice to aspiring production designers
02:04
Roy Christopher on the limitations of production design in the early years
01:47
Roy Christopher on the addition of "production designer" as a title in television and what the profession entails
02:28
Roy Christopher on the limitations of color shades when he started in the 1960s and 1970s
02:15

Ane Crabtree

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Ane Crabtree on the role of a costume designer
06:09
Ane Crabtree on what happens during costume fittings with actors
05:09
Ane Crabtree on what makes a good relationship between a costume designer and a director
04:02
Ane Crabtree on learning about color from director of photography Alik Sakharov for the pilot of The Sopranos
01:39
Ane Crabtree on her early interest in costume and fashion design
04:06
Ane Crabtree on the beginnings of her wall of research on Justified -- something that she's continued to do on subsequent projects
06:03
Ane Crabtree on her process when she first reads a script, on how she finds creative ideas and how listening to music helps her creatively
09:58
Ane Crabtree on how she decompresses after emotionally taxing work -- getting away during filming of The Handmaid's Tale
01:47
Ane Crabtree on assembling her team for a show and differences between New York and LA shows
03:03
Ane Crabtree on how budgets impact her work, particularly on Pan Am, and on shopping for vintage pieces
03:10
Ane Crabtree on the fight for pay equity for costume designers
09:26
Ane Crabtree on advice to aspiring costume designers -- which includes advice from Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs, and Rick Rubin
15:50

Joe DeTullio

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Joe DeTullio on learning to do production design within a certain budget
01:06
Joe DeTullio on overseeing the construction of the sets for Saturday Night Live
05:11
Joe DeTullio on what he enjoys about production designing for Saturday Night Live
02:52
Joe DeTullio on making sure the sets he designs are safe
01:24
Joe DeTullio on the basic tools and material he uses in the craft of production design
03:00
Joe DeTullio on monitoring costs of materials and labor in production design for Saturday Night Live
02:01
Joe DeTullio on production design being both an art form and a technical craft
03:37
Joe DeTullio on building models of the sets he wants to create
02:04
Joe DeTullio on how he has evolved as a designer since he started
01:26
Joe DeTullio on his design style
00:59
Joe DeTullio on his favorite design period
02:22
Joe DeTullio on the importance of teamwork in production design
01:17
Joe DeTullio on advice to aspiring television production designers
02:39
Joe DeTullio on forming his design aesthetic
01:25
Joe DeTullio on the challenge of making the art design as true to the original thing it's based on as possible with time restraints on Saturday Night Live
04:45
Joe DeTullio on the great pressures and challenges of the Saturday Night Live art department, and on trying to accommodate all needs and requests from the creative team
04:07
Joe DeTullio on not using technology when designing, and drafting by hand
01:46

Louis Dorfsman

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Louis Dorfsman on his duties as Art Director for CBS and working with Frank Stanton
03:42
Louis Dorfsman on his style as Art Director for CBS
02:14
Louis Dorfsman on the use of words and pictures in an ad and on placing trade ads in "The New York Times"
06:06
Louis Dorfsman on promoting news coverage as Art Director for CBS advertising and on working with Fred Friendly
05:48
Louis Dorfsman on his peers in the graphic design community, including Saul Bass, and on what set him apart from his peers
03:04
Louis Dorfsman on his advice to aspiring Art Designers
01:52

Garvin Eddy

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Garvin Eddy on the role and responsibilities of a production designer or art director
02:43
Garvin Eddy on the importance of doing research as a production designer
04:07
Garvin Eddy on making sets look unique and non-generic
05:31
Garvin Eddy on the significance of the production designer in television
03:18
Garvin Eddy on the logistics and budgets on production designing for sitcoms in the 1970s
02:46
Garvin Eddy on collaborating with the creative team on his production design of a show, using The Cosby Show as an example
07:50
Garvin Eddy on the evolution of the title from art director to production designer
00:54
Garvin Eddy on dealing with product placement as a production designer
07:50
Garvin Eddy on what a producer needs to know about a given production designer, and on their collaboration
04:10
Garvin Eddy on the most important developments in the technology or technique of production design
03:31
Garvin Eddy on the essential elements that make a production design work
03:09
Garvin Eddy on the importance of a production designer understanding what the camera sees, and on the challenge HDTV presented
02:34
Garvin Eddy on advice to aspiring production designers
00:56

Peter Ellenshaw

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Peter Ellenshaw on his early duties at a studio and learning his painting technique 
02:52
Peter Ellenshaw on the craft of matte painting 
04:08
Peter Ellenshaw on his style and the tools he used
01:28
Peter Ellenshaw on advice to aspiring artists 
00:23
Harrison Ellenshaw on his father's style and the way he worked
03:34
Harrison Ellenshaw on advice for aspiring visual effects professionals 
03:47

Albert Heschong

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Albert Heschong on his style, and on the duties on an art director
08:10
Albert Heschong on collaborating with the director as art director, and on where he was while the show was airing
03:47
Albert Heschong on the duties of the set decorator
02:37
Albert Heschong on the duties of the prop master
02:41
Albert Heschong on the process of the set designer
04:44
Albert Heschong on art directors working with the crew
01:51
Albert Heschong on art directors dealing with the technological limitations of early television
02:47
Albert Heschong on art directors working with various locations, including outdoor scenes
04:28
Albert Heschong on being involved with creating special effects on shows, and on some memorable effects from The Wild Wild West
01:48
Albert Heschong on the challenge of crafting on airplane set, including on Spencer's Pilots
06:09
Albert Heschong on art directors location scouting
02:45
Albert Heschong on his design style
00:37
Albert Heschong on advice to an aspiring art director
01:02

Joseph Jennings

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Joseph Jennings on his production style
01:02
Joseph Jennings on working on various features as lead set designer and the duties of a lead set designer
01:28
Joseph Jennings on his duties as assistant art director
06:32
Joseph Jennings on the functions and responsibilities of an art director
09:14
Joseph Jennings on the difference between a production designer and an art director
05:02
Joseph Jennings on the duties of a set designer and on the duties of a set decorator
03:10
Joseph Jennings on the relationship between the director and the art director 
02:30
Joseph Jennings on the mechanics of preparing for a show as an art director
05:05
Joseph Jennings on the biggest challenges of preparing for a show as an art director and on doing art direction for science fiction shows including Star Trek
03:39
Joseph Jennings on art directors working with sound designers and on working with the director of photography 
02:05
Joseph Jennings on safety guidelines and on government codes that had to be followed for art directors
03:29
Joseph Jennings on the art director's involvement in location scouting
02:38
Joseph Jennings on deciding on shooting on location or shooting in a studio
01:37
Joseph Jennings on the differences between doing art direction for features, and on doing art direction for made-for-television movies 
06:35
Joseph Jennings on advice to an aspiring art director
02:27

Eugene Lee

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Eugene Lee on the role of a television production designer
05:25
Eugene Lee on why his temperament is well-suited for being a production designer on Saturday Night Live
00:50
Eugene Lee on his comfort zone for designing
00:31
Eugene Lee on whether he prefers designing for one medium over another
00:17
Eugene Lee on whether or not his process changes when he designs for different mediums
02:05
Eugene Lee on whether or not he has a signature style; on his aesthetic and his love of architectural models; on the book he's written about his work
04:56
Eugene Lee on his drawings
01:28
Eugene Lee on his mentors and mentoring others
00:50
Eugene Lee on advice to aspiring production designers
03:53
Eugene Lee on what he would have said to his sons if they had wanted to be production designers and on Saturday Night Live having several generations of families working there
02:29

Charles Lisanby

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Charles Lisanby on his approach to production design
18:54
Charles Lisanby on the differences between an art director and a production designer
00:56

John J. Lloyd

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John J. Lloyd on the path to becoming an art director 
01:24
John J. Lloyd on his typical work-week in early television 
00:25
John J. Lloyd on his start as an assistant and becoming Art Director on Alfred Hitchcock Presents
02:16
John J. Lloyd on how color television affected art direction 
03:03
John J. Lloyd on materials he used as an art director
02:56
John J. Lloyd on how he selects color
01:13
John J. Lloyd on his production design style
01:41
John J. Lloyd>  on advice to aspiring art directors
02:11
John J. Lloyd on his association with the Society of Motion Picture & Television Art Directors
02:07

Bob Mackie

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Bob Mackie on wanting to be a costume designer
00:56
Bob Mackie on his design style
01:29
Bob Mackie on advice to aspiring costume designers
00:45
Bob Mackie on the famous curtain-rod dress he made for Carol Burnett in a spoof of "Gone With the Wind" on her show
02:17
Bob Mackie on finding inspiration for costume designing on television
00:39
Bob Mackie on the craft of costume design for television
06:05
Bob Mackie on production design for the Academy Awards
03:24
Bob Mackie on costume design today
02:10

Nolan Miller

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Nolan Miller on how fashions looked on the television screen
03:29
Nolan Miller on costuming Diahann Carroll as "Dominique Deveraux" on Dynasty and working with the budget of the show
04:04
Nolan Miller on the process of creating an outfit for Dynasty
02:56
Nolan Miller on the process of making outfits for Dynasty
05:23
Nolan Miller on where his inspiration comes from when designing, and on the tools he uses to draw his designs
02:38
Nolan Miller on advice to an aspiring designer
01:31
Nolan Miller on the process of designing a costume for a television show
01:56
Nolan Miller on the fabrics that are best suited for costumes for television
01:04
Nolan Miller on quick costume changes in the days of live television
00:33
Nolan Miller on being on-set during the filming of a show
00:26
Nolan Miller on his general philosophy for costuming actors
00:37
Nolan Miller on the designers who work under him in his shop
01:18
Nolan Miller and Mark Zunino on the process of designing a dress for Sophia Loren or other clients
02:00

Lyn Paolo

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Lyn Paolo on her first job in television, as costume supervisor, on Dallas starting in its second season
02:54
Lyn Paolo on the difference between the role of a costume supervisor and a costume designer, and on how this distinction played out during her time on the show Homefront
04:29
Lyn Paolo on where she sourced the vintage material for the costumes on Homefront, which was a period show, and on what she bought versus what she designed and created for the show
02:32
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of working with vintage material and period costumes, as she experienced working on Homefront, which was set during World War II
01:04
Lyn Paolo on her process as a costume designer on a period show such as Homefront or Queen Charlotte, and on her process working with actors
07:41
Lyn Paolo on not being able to find any work despite winning two back-to-back Emmys for her work on Homefront because she was typecast as a "period" costume designer
01:39
Lyn Paolo on her role as costume designer on ER and the various challenges presented by the scope and style of the show
23:08
Lyn Paolo on designing costumes for Emmy Rossum's character "Fiona" on Shameless, and on the writing on the show and the joys and challenges it presented
01:41
Lyn Paolo on her work as the costume designer on Scandal with creator Shonda Rhimes, and on how the show was very different from her work designing on The West Wing
08:20
Lyn Paolo on her process of consciously reusing clothing as hand-me-downs on Shameless as those characters would necessarily do in real life, and on age-dyers and distressing clothing
02:12
Lyn Paolo on what she loves about costume design: "We get to go places and see things that no one else does. We get to create worlds. Every job we do is different. So, there's just no way to be bored in our industry. Every new project brings all these glorious gifts"
00:24
Lyn Paolo on the art of costume design and on working on Shameless
06:14
Lyn Paolo on her working relationship as a costume designer with producers like John Wells and Shonda Rhimes, and on how a good producer can "protect the integrity" of the writers' words, including how they handle network notes
02:54
Lyn Paolo on her process for designing costumes for The West Wing, her research and methodology, on visiting the White House during President Bill Clinton's administration, and on Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme's input on the show's costumes
02:44
Lyn Paolo on dressing the character "Vivien Kent," played by Anna Chlumsky in Inventing Anna, in stark contrast to the wardrobe of the main character, "Anna Delvey"
01:15
Lyn Paolo on how the Sunset Boulevard character "Norma Desmond" was the inspiration for the costume worn by Julia Garner as "Anna Delvey" in the a pivotal scene in Inventing Anna
03:14
Lyn Paolo on her fellow costume designer Laura Frecon with whom she worked on How to Get Away with Murder and Inventing Anna, and on the importance of bringing up younger talent and advocating for them to move up in the business
02:58
Lyn Paolo on costume designing for Inventing Anna, which was based on the life of a real person, and on the challenges of designing a show which had real people with real clothing that had been well-documented on social media
08:04
Lyn Paolo on the challenges of "crossboarding" on a show like Little Fires Everywhere, when two episodes of a show are shot simultaneously
03:29
Lyn Paolo on the costumes for Little Fires Everywhere, which was set in the 1990s, and on how actor Joshua Jackson wore one of Bradley Whitford's overcoats from The West Wing, which she had also designed costumes for and was shot in the '90s
00:59
Lyn Paolo on working as the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder
04:04
Lyn Paolo on how she became the costume designer on the Shonda Rhimes show How to Get Away with Murder in Season 3 of the show
08:30
Lyn Paolo on her favorite part of being a costume designer: being in the fitting room with the actors
01:01
Lyn Paolo on the role of a costume designer: "we create the fabric of the world
03:06
Lyn Paolo on her design process once she receives a script, on decorating her workspace with pieces of fabric when she's working on costume designs, and on using pencil and paper over computers in her process
03:59
Lyn Paolo on the commercialization of the industry, and on the questions and uncertainty involving intellectual property and ownership over the costume designs involving AI
03:49
Lyn Paolo on how the business of television is changing and the struggle to make a living since the runs are much shorter (6-8 episodes) than when she started on series television, on the business being mostly comprised of male designers when she was starting her career, and on her role models in fashion outside of the film/television industry, like Vivienne Westwood
03:13

Keith Raywood

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Keith Raywood on the role of an art director
01:09
Keith Raywood on ways in which he presents music on television, including the Eagles Hell Freezes Over special on MTV
07:16
Keith Raywood on how the production design department works with other departments
03:36
Keith Raywood on the tools he uses in his work as a production designer
03:09
Keith Raywood on working within a budget
02:50
Keith Raywood on considering different shooting formats when planning a production design
02:24
Keith Raywood on what has changed about being a production designer since he started, and on the advancing technology
03:18
Keith Raywood on what he enjoys about production design
01:59
Keith Raywood on his signature style
02:56
Keith Raywood on advice to aspiring production designers
00:49

Rita Riggs

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Rita Riggs on a typical workday at CBS Television City in the 1950s
03:13
Rita Riggs on adjustments that were made for costume designers when television switched to color
01:44
Rita Riggs on dealing with costuming guest-stars
00:55
Rita Riggs on a typical workweek as a costumer for several shows at once
04:32
Rita Riggs on the process of designing costumes for television
03:04
Rita Riggs on favorite fabrics and colors she uses when costuming, where she finds her inspiration, and her philosophy of costuming
04:01
Rita Riggs on the difference between being credited for costumes and wardrobe
01:03
Rita Riggs on advice to aspiring television costume designers
00:39

Glenda Rovello

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Glenda Rovello on advice to an aspiring production designer
01:20
Glenda Rovello on working with Bruce Ryan and on the role of a production designer for variety shows
03:25
Glenda Rovello on the design process of working on talk shows versus variety shows
01:04
Glenda Rovello on her responsibilities as production designer of Will & Grace, and on how she assembles her team
07:14
Glenda Rovello on the craft of production design and what she enjoys about her work
00:53
Glenda Rovello on how production design helps an audience understand a character better
00:59
Glenda Rovello on how the tools of production design have changed over the years
01:21
Glenda Rovello on her design style
00:43
Glenda Rovello on how she deals with creative block
01:14
Glenda Rovello on working within a budget
02:37
Glenda Rovello on how evolving camera technology impacts her work
01:17
Glenda Rovello on how production design has changed since she first started
01:40
Glenda Rovello on how opportunities have changed since she first started in the industry
00:41
Glenda Rovello on her biggest mentors throughout her career
02:30

Jan Scott

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Jan Scott on a typical work day as an art director in the 1950s
05:15
Jan Scott on working with other art directors in the '50s
02:40
Jan Scott on audience reaction to her work in art direction, and on collaborating
02:32
Jan Scott on how technological advancements impacted her career as an art director
02:40
Jan Scott on how the advent of video tape impacted her work as an art director
00:33
Jan Scott on being the head art director and having people report to her
03:34
Jan Scott on being involved with location scouting
02:37
Jan Scott on working with cinematographers
03:54
Jan Scott on how she selects projects to work on
02:24
Jan Scott on how digital technology impacted her work as a production designer
02:01
Jan Scott on her involvement with the production designer's union, and with the Television Academy
04:06
Jan Scott on the biggest changes in production design that happened during her career, and technological advancements in the field
03:19
Jan Scott on her style as a production designer
01:27
Jan Scott on the the then-future of production design
03:05
Jan Scott on advice to aspiring production designers
01:09

John Shaffner

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John Shaffner on the duties of an art director, set decorator, production designer and prop master
09:04
John Shaffner on art direction for television vs. art direction for features
03:25
John Shaffner on his day-to-day duties as set designer for Friends 
02:33

Gary Smith

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Gary Smith on his duties as a set designer and on working with Harry Belafonte on "Tonight with Belafonte" on The Revlon Revue
06:37

Dick Stiles

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Dick Stiles on advice to an aspiring art director
00:43
Dick Stiles on his style as an art director and sculptor and on how he'd like to be remembered
01:28

Noel Taylor

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Noel Taylor on fabrics he liked to use for costume designs
01:19
Noel Taylor on the challenge of doing costume changes on live television
02:27
Noel Taylor on doing research for period costumes
00:59
Noel Taylor on his style
01:40

Ret Turner

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Ret Turner on the craft of costume design
02:44
Ret Turner on working with directors
02:02
Ret Turner on his personal design style
02:10
Ret Turner on advice to aspiring costume designers; on the role of television on fashion
01:24
Ret Turner on doing wardrobe for live television
01:18
Ret Turner on the craft of designing
02:14
Ret Turner on what makes him a good costume designer
02:38

Jac Venza

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Jac Venza on re-designing the news set for CBS news
02:23

Leo Yoshimura

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Leo Yoshimura on making the transition from doing production design for theater to doing production design for television, and on finding work early in his career
03:53
Leo Yoshimura on his own and Eugene Lee's points of view and style of production design, and on his relationship with Lee
03:51
Leo Yoshimura on advice to aspiring production designers
02:42
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:50
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:50
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:50
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:50
About

This category consists of art directors/set decorators, costume designers, custom prop designers, production designers, propmasters, and set designers.