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Realist Design:
A realist design simulates an existing setting, location or graphic format. Although a realistic set may be filled with objects and furnishings that one would expect to find in such a place, emphasis is placed on the illusion of reality, not necessarily the depiction of reality itself. Maintaining basic principles of spatial perspective and pro-portion size are extremely important in realist design, since they help to sustain an illusion of reality. Sets are often constructed out of lightweight materials that give the impression of being real but are much easier to construct and move around than actual objects. Virtual sets and backgrounds are created or stored as computer files to be used on command and at the will of the director. Such virtual sets may take the form of interiors, exteriors, space or any location within the imagination of the creative staff of the production. Realist designs are rarely defined by their supposed fidelity to nature or reality alone. Almost every realist design that has emotional impact has some degree of subjective stylization. A realistic setting, title, or illustration should convey a psychological impression that reinforces the central theme of a drama or the central message of an informational programme. It can reflect warmth or coldness, tension or relaxation, simply by virtue of the colours, lines and shapes it presents. It is even possible for a realistic setting to reveal a specific character’s emotional state through the feelings that the design conveys.
Modernist Design:
Modernist designs are much more abstract than realist designs. The subject feelings they arouse and the subjective impressions they convey are rarely tied to actual experience or production efficiency alone. Modernist artists usually have much freer rein to explore specific design elements or subjective impressions of their own sake. A designer may decide to call attention to textures, shapes, lines and colour themselves. Visual innovations often stem from such formative experiments, which can be incorporated into more conventional narrative, documentary or instructional programmes. Innovative television programs and films by many experimental artists have shown how a formative or modernist approach to scenic design can break down conventional illusions of reality by ignoring spatial perspective and using highly artificial, stylized sets, backdrops and lighting such as those used on the Entertainment Tonight program.
Postmodernist Design:
Postmodernist designs leave much of the visual perception to the imagination of the viewer. Graphics colour and movement can be juxtaposed in a series of apparently unrelated images. Postmodernist designs often mix a variety of design styles drawn from different genres and historical periods. For example, the settings in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) suggested 1940s Los Angeles in a semi-realist way until the timeless, garish cartoon world of Toontwon collided with the live-action world. The production design in Chinatown (1974) limited the colour blue to appearances of the main theme; water, in 1930s Los Angeles, while pastel colours and art nouveau designs were reminiscent of the 1930s in the 1980a urban setting of the television series Miami Vice. Postmodernist designs sometimes appeal to the emotions and often are difficult to analyze or categorize, just as postmodernist paintings and writings are difficult to place in traditional categories. A blend of classical and modern, traditional and contemporary, elite and popular patterns and combination of colours and textures can serve as the basis for postmodernist designs.
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