Careers A–Z · Art department
Standby art director
The standby art director is the art department on the floor. Once shooting starts, the set is yours: continuity, changes, damage, and whatever the director asks for in the next ten minutes.
It is the grade where design meets reality, at speed, in front of a waiting unit.
The basics
Also known as, and where the grade sits.
| Standby art director | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Standby art director, standby art. Works alongside standby props and standby construction. |
| Level | Mid, and the department’s representative on set. |
| Reports to | The art director and the production designer. |
| Comes after | Art department assistant, props, or set dressing. |
| Leads to | Art director, or set decoration. |
The job
What does a standby art director do?
You are on the floor for every set-up. You check the set matches the design and the continuity, dress and re-dress for each angle, and repair or replace whatever the shooting day destroys.
You take requests from the director, the DoP and the 1st AD, work out what is possible in the time, and either do it or say honestly what it would cost in minutes.
The unglamorous end: you are on standby, which means waiting, then thirty seconds of urgent problem solving, then waiting again. You carry a toolkit, you get wet, and you rarely sit down.
The requirement
What is a standby art director good at?
Practical problem solving, a good eye and a good memory.
Continuity
Remembering exactly how the set looked four days ago.
Making and mending
Fixing, ageing, faking and hiding, quickly and convincingly.
Speed under pressure
Solving it while the unit waits and the clock runs.
Judgement
Knowing what the camera will see and what it will not.
Diplomacy
Saying what is achievable without stopping the day.
Kit
Tools of the trade.
| What | The actual items |
|---|---|
| Standby kit | A tool roll, cordless drill, gaffer and double-sided tape, cable ties, glue, wire and clamps. |
| Finishes | Paint, ageing sprays, dulling spray, dirt, wax, blacking and a heat gun. |
| Continuity | Photographs of every set-up, floor plans, and a phone that never runs out of storage. |
| Dressing | Set dressing stock, greens, practicals, signage and the graphics the show uses. |
| Personal | Knee pads, gloves, a head torch and boots you can stand in for twelve hours. |
The unit
Who does a standby art director work with?
| Who | What passes between you |
|---|---|
| Art director | The design intent and what may be changed. |
| Director and DoP | Requests, and what is in shot. |
| Standby props and construction | Who owns which object and who fixes what. |
| Script supervisor | Continuity of the set across takes and days. |
| 1st AD | How long you have, and when the set can be touched. |
Routes in
How do I become a standby art director?
A floor grade people reach from props, dressing and the trades.
Art department trainee
The direct entry, usually from a runner in the department.
Props and dressing
The commonest crossover, and the closest daily experience.
Trades and making
Carpenters, painters, model makers and prop makers transfer well.
Theatre
Stage management and scenic crews already work this way.
A degree is not required for this grade. Practical making skill, a driving licence and a well-stocked tool roll matter far more.
You are hired by art directors who have watched you rescue a set-up.
Nearby
The grades either side of this one.
The floor and the drawing office are one department seen twice.
Art and costume department guide
The making skills this department hires on, and the free archives research is actually done in.
Never been on a set? Start here. Offered a first day? Read this first. Want to know where this grade leads? Where people have gone names people who trained here and the productions they went to.
