A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

A look inside the Will Vinton Studio, with specializes in stop-motion animations with clay. Preserv...

Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "ch...

This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effor...
Documentary short film reporting on the activities of the American Red Cross and the useage made of ...

Short film in support of the Red Cross showing civilian volunteers'work, radio and movie personaliti...
Short by Stuart Schulberg. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

Kavery Kaul’s engaging documentary traces the history of calypso and soca music from their birth in ...

This is a film made in Toronto, in memoriam, so to speak - a memory piece, a "piecing-together" of t...
Documentarian Jon Boorstin follows architect Frank Gehry and his sister, Doreen Gehry Nelson, as the...
A portrait of three Los Angeles area residents who create things with their hands. Angelo Austin dec...

Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphre...

A description and enactment of the discovery of gold by James Marshall, and the role played by John ...

One of Les Blank's industrial films, which follows a Holly Farms "broiler" chicken from factory incu...

Short film made up of various clips showcasing the Cinecolor process, including a visit to a Marx Br...

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each wa...

A lyrical recreation of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ decision at age eight to stop chopping cotton and start s...

Produced by the Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps, with the cooperation of the Army Air Forces an...

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Compan...

A sideshow barker uses magic and visual aids to alert the public that proper food management is both...

Chick Strand's SOFT FICTION is a personal documentary that brilliantly portrays the survival power o...