Anthony, Kathryn H.

Butka, Erik

Meagan Calnon

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“Star” Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made it in Hollywood.

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Butka Erik, Meagan Calnon, K. Anthony.STAR ARCHITECTS-THE STORY OF FOUR ARCHITECTS WHO MADE IT IN HOLLYWOOD. ArchDaily.2013.pdf: 2249000 bytes, checksum: 696cf5026994664e959c4b9592f76017 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-03T21:30:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
Butka Erik, Meagan Calnon, K. Anthony.STAR ARCHITECTS-THE STORY OF FOUR ARCHITECTS WHO MADE IT IN HOLLYWOOD. ArchDaily.2013.pdf: 2249000 bytes, checksum: 696cf5026994664e959c4b9592f76017 (MD5)
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5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 1/7ArchDaily | Broadcastingthe world's most visited architecture website Share in Whatsapp00:00 - 19 June, 2013 | by Erik Butka, Meagan Calnon & Kathryn AnthonyIn recent years, high profile news outlets like The New York Times and CNN have featured architects’ struggles by citing the dire unemploymentstatistic of 13.9% for recent graduates, the highest of any college major.  Many architecture firms are still reluctant to hire new full-time members totheir team, and all too o韠�en students and recent graduates remain without work. Since approximately 40% of architecture graduates pursue workoutside of the architectural profession, and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) currently reports 26,850 studentsenrolled in accredited architecture programs, we can assume that over the following years 10,000 students trained as architects will forge their ownpath in a variety of other occupations.  One of the most creative, high profile fields that can o韚�er an architect a wide range of positions is the film industry. And, in fact, those witharchitectural backgrounds have been making the transition into the filmmaking industry for decades.  Our timeline showcases a sample of thosewith an architectural education who have enjoyed enormous success in the filmmaking industry over the last 80 years as actors, set designers, ordirectors. You can read more about their stories (including how Jimmy Stewart went from architecture to acting), a韠�er the break...  "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood Sudipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 2/7Readers may be surprised to learn that Academy Award winning actors and classic film legends, Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Quinn, both havearchitectural education backgrounds. Jimmy Stewart graduated from Princeton University with his architectural degree in 1932. Ever since he was aboy, he had a strong interest in aviation, and so his architectural thesis focused on airport design.  He began his acting career before entering the Army Air Corps in World War II, acting in 29 motion pictures from 1935-39.  Stewart went on to star infour Alfred Hitchcock blockbusters, Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo and over 80 films over the course of his career. He received highly-sought a韠�er recognition for his acting abilities, culminating in an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1941 for The PhiladelphiaStory.Our graphic below showcases a sample of some of his most famous films in which he had a starring role.  For architecture graduates considering a career in the film industry, set design may be the most obvious avenue of entrance.  One example of anarchitecture grad who made that leap is Anshuman Prasad, who graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003 with hisMaster of Architecture.  A韠�er writing his thesis Beyond Mise-En-Scene: Narrative Through Architecture in Main Stream Cinema (1980-2002), Prasadmoved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a set designer.  He is now a member of the Art Director’s Guild. One of his latest projects as set designeris the film Captain America: Winter Soldier.  From 2005-2013, he has been involved in many blockbuster films, including Die Hard 4, The Hangover,No Strings Attached, and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, as shown in our timeline below.  Prasad views his film career as more of a specialization rather than abandonment of architecture, as his time as set designer has given him a newappreciation for the mood and character of spaces.  In particular, light, shade, reflections and rain create incredible variations within a space.  Thebenefit of being a set designer is that all these conditions can be controlled. He also believes that the most critical aspect of set design isproportion, and here his architecture degree is especially useful. Looking back on his career transition, Prasad reminisced, “I believe it was the S dipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 3/7diversity of the work that has always attracted me to set design and there was a lot of passion as well, a韠�er all, this was Hollywood.  For someonewho still believes in the magic, it was a dream job.”Before becoming a virtual set designer, Tino Schaedler began his architecture career at The University of Hanover in Germany, graduating with hisMasters in 1999.  He practiced for three years, working for Daniel Libeskind and Barkow Leibinger, while teaching Studio Digital Analog at theUniversity of Arts in Berlin.When interviewed by designboom.com, he admitted that he felt stifled as an architect.  While fascinated with accessible mediums and techniques,he endured long hours, lots of pressure, and little money.  He quickly realized the potential of broadening his architectural design andrepresentation skills with advancing digital tools and decided to attend film school at the Art Institute of Vancouver, British Columbia, where hegraduated with a diploma in 3D animation and visual e韚�ects in 2003. Schaedler realized that his degree in architecture provided him with a broad range of  “understanding and sensitivity for other fields.”  It was a harddecision to quit architecture but it led to more creative freedom, since he was now able to create opportunities to bridge various fields andmediums together. His approach to architecture has shi韠�ed as a virtual set designer as he no longer feels limited to traditional building practices.  From 2003 to 2011, he was involved with blockbuster films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, V for Vendetta, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Fantastic Voyage. He now views space as a relationship driven by a narrative rather than being conceptually rigid.  Schaedlercontinues to enjoy being fully in charge of his own designs and to grow in his passion as a virtual set designer, art director, and trained architect. Our graphic highlights all 10 of Schaedler’s Hollywood motion pictures to date. Sudipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 4/7Another architecture graduate is film director Joseph Kosinski.  A韠�er studying engineering at Stanford University in 1996, Kosinski earned his Masterof Architecture at Columbia University in 1999.  He claimed to learn two things in architecture school: the ability to be self-critical and that he didnot want to be an architect.  His decision not to be an architect paid o韚�.  Kosinski made his directorial debut in 2010 with the blockbuster sequel, Tron Legacy.  He landed thisjob due to his digital modeling skills, which he learned while studying architecture.  Originally, Disney sought to use a formula for the movie similarto The Matrix, but Kosinski was able to convince the producer, Sean Bailey, to hire him based on his ability to conceptualize a new reality in hisworld of Tron. This year, Kosinski extended his filmmaking resume by serving as director, writer, and producer for Oblivion, starring Tom Cruise.  Due to Oblivion’sinstant popularity as the number one film at the box o韚�ice on its opening weekend, Kosinski’s background in architecture is gaining extra attention. The highly visited pop culture website Buzzfeed.com has profiled how his architecture degree is able to help him design structures like the ‘SkyTower’ in Oblivion.  When interviewed for that piece, Kosinski was quick to point out that he does not miss being an architect. In fact, he argued, hehas done just as much if not more than most of his colleagues with whom he went to school.  As a filmmaker, he is able to be more of a dreamer,one that, using the same digital tools as an architect, can create what cannot be physically built at this time. Our graphic shows all three of hisHollywood motion pictures to date.For Prasad, Schaedler, and Kosinski, this transition between creative fields lent itself to more gratifying design work, much higher pay, andultimately a more satisfying life. Their stories remind us that those with an architectural education are fortunate - they have the creative grounding,technical knowledge, and flexibility to be successful in a variety of other industries. Working in a standard architectural firm may not be foreveryone, especially if it entails working long, thankless hours, getting stuck drawing bathroom details, or even getting laid o韚� at the drop of a hat.These stories show how an architectural degree can allow architecture grads to forge their own path, and create a dream job of their own design. Erik Butka graduated with his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his Bachelor of Sciencein Architecture degree from the University of Michigan.  A韠�er working in an architectural firm and strengthening his digital modeling skills, he isconsidering the transition into the film industry.Meagan Calnon graduated with her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned her Bachelor ofArts in Architecture degree from Miami University.  In addition to architecture, she continues to be interested in multidisciplinary creative outletsincluding furniture and product design.Kathryn H. Anthony, Ph.D. is ACSA Distinguished Professor at the School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and theauthor of two scholarly books, Design Juries on Trial:  The Renaissance of the Design Studio (20th Anniversary Edition available on Amazon.com)and Designing for Diversity:  Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the Architectural Profession (University of Illinois Press); over 100 scholarly articles, andtwo apps for iOS:  The Design Student Survival Guide, and The Student Survival Guide.  For the past two years, she has taught a new graduate Sudipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 5/7 Share in Whatsappseminar on “Architecture, Cinema, Environment and Behavior.”  The class was inspired by her experience supervising Anshuman Prasad’sarchitectural masters’ thesis.News Articles filmsSee more:Cite: Erik Butka, Meagan Calnon & Kathryn Anthony. ""Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood" 19 Jun 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 3 May 2017.<http://www.archdaily.com/388732/star-architects-the-story-of-4-architects-who-made-it-in-hollywood/>BROWSE THE CATALOGPorcelain Tiles - CalacataGrespaniaRolling Steel Service DoorsCornellCookson Sudipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 6/7Individualdecor - Decorative LaminatesFunderMaxArchitectural Terra CottaBoston Valley Terra Cotta Sudipta Rakshit ›5/3/2017 "Star" Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made It in Hollywood | ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/388732/star­architects­the­story­of­4­architects­who­made­it­in­hollywood/ 7/7Sintered Stone - Calacatta Gold - Classtone CollectionNeolithFacade panel TectivaEQUITONE Sudipta Rakshit ›

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/95996/Butka%20Erik%2c%20Meagan%20Calnon%2c%20K.%20Anthony.STAR%20ARCHITECTS-THE%20STORY%20OF%20FOUR%20ARCHITECTS%20WHO%20MADE%20IT%20IN%20HOLLYWOOD.%20ArchDaily.2013.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

“Star” Architects: The Story of 4 Architects who Made it in Hollywood.

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