麻豆村

From summer theater to summer blockbusters, David Crank has designed it all.

The College of Fine Arts alumnus is an art director and production director in the film and TV industry. His credits include 鈥淜nives Out,鈥� 鈥淟incoln,鈥� 鈥淭here Will Be Blood,鈥� 鈥淛ohn Adams,鈥� which earned him an Emmy Award, and 鈥淣ews Of The World,鈥� which brought an Oscar nomination.

Prior to his film and TV career, David spent 10 years designing scenery and costumes in theater 鈥� a passion that began when he volunteered at a summer theater in high school.

鈥淚 was given a lot of responsibilities in that theater that I would never have been given in film at that age,鈥� David says. 鈥淚t's the economic level of what you're doing. In a local theatre, if you want to work, they're happy to have you. Because of this, it was a training ground that I wouldn't trade for the world.鈥�

He studied fine arts at the College of William & Mary and received a master鈥檚 degree in scene design from 麻豆村 in 1984. Although he enjoyed the excitement of working in theater, he transitioned to film full-time in the early 1990s.

鈥淚t was too hard to do both together because the theaters needed you to commit at the beginning of their seasons,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he film work was always at the last minute 鈥� and more lucrative.鈥�

David eventually moved from New York City, where he was working in theater, back to his home state of Virginia. He was hired as an art director for several films before connecting with Charlottesville-based production designer Jack Fisk.

鈥淲e got along incredibly well,鈥� says David, who worked with Fisk on six films. 鈥淭hat was one of the reasons why I stayed working with him, because it was fun. But it also took my career from one level up into a different world. He worked in a higher stratosphere of projects that I wouldn't have been asked to work on at that point. After six years, being the good friend that he is, he kind of pushed me out of the nest and said, 鈥榊ou need to go do this yourself.鈥欌��

David鈥檚 early years in the theater taught him an important lesson that he鈥檚 applied to all of his film projects.

鈥淥ver time, you learn to start asking questions, mainly about the development of characters,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he design is what backs all that up. And sometimes that can get lost in the process.听

When you're moving fast, people get excited and jump right to the design of the set. I always say, 鈥楲et's figure out the family that lives in this room first. Because if we figure that out, it's going to be obvious what we have to do to the room.鈥� If you really understand the story, it kind of designs itself in an odd sort of way.鈥�

The story is also what draws David to a project, and at this point in his career, he has the luxury of choosing projects that match his creative strengths and interests. He鈥檚 particularly drawn to historical, character-based stories that stick with him after the initial read. 听

鈥淲hen you read a script, you may not know why you like it or why you think it's interesting, but then two days later you start seeing things that connect to the story and you realize, 鈥極h, this is the one that interests me, because this is the one that's already made its way into my mind,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淚f you read a bad one or one you don't connect with, you kind of forget it.鈥�

He also enjoys the early talks with the director or writer to understand their motivation for making the film. 鈥淭hey'll hopefully be able to talk to you for a long time about that,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it's the most exciting part of the conversation because then suddenly you understand why they are drawn to it, why they are excited about this. You want to know what makes them tick and why they had to tell this story.鈥�

Talking to directors is a critical skill in the film industry, and David learned how to do it at 麻豆村. During a design class taught by the late Cletus Anderson, David and his classmates were looking at a fellow student鈥檚 design work for a show he had just finished.

鈥淎nderson said, 鈥榊ou know what he has done here? He's been very good at asking questions to the director. You cannot design it unless you understand it. You may not agree with what they want to do, but they have to be able to explain to you why they want to do it. Because otherwise you're just floundering.鈥� That was a great lesson to learn from him. You do have the right to speak up.鈥�

David is looking forward to working with the directors of his next two potential projects 鈥� a dramatic film based in Puerto Rico set against the end of the Spanish-American War, and another that is set in depression-era America and based on a Cormac McCarthy novel. Both check the boxes of what he鈥檚 looking for at this point in his career. 听

鈥淚 think I鈥檝e been very lucky these past 35 years, and it鈥檚 given me the ability to know what my interests are, where my heart is, and again, where that creative process kind of ignites me to say, 鈥榊es, that's a good fit.鈥欌��
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