VERMONT VOICES
Design Research staff , San Francisco , CA . David , foreground left , 1975 .
David prepping the “ rat tunnel set ”, US / Mexico border crossing for “ El Norte ” 1983 . Photo by Robert Yerington
David standing in front of Design Research store . Cambridge , Mass . 1977 . Photo by Jim Wasco
David ( cont .): was not as much of a glut of people going after the work that I was trying to do . I was told by a couple of different people that I was being a little bit too aggressive , but I actually tell some of the students that I meet that you have to do that . In order to be successful , you have to take it right to the edge of being too aggressive , because otherwise you ’ re not going to get where you want to go . Once I moved to Los Angeles , I had an interview set up with Dean Tavoularis , who is a legendary production designer . I was going after a job that would allow me to work for one of my favorite directors , Francis Ford Coppola . They were just starting production for The Outsiders , but that interview actually fell through . It didn ’ t happen when it needed to happen , but another opportunity presented itself when my friend told me about a commercial art director who needed an assistant for a feature film . The film was a non-union movie called The Beastmaster . It was a Conan the Barbarian-type , Bronze-age , Period , Fantasy movie . I went into the interview with a portfolio of graphic material , and the designer hired me . I
worked for almost a year as an art department coordinator and an assistant art director . Working on a fairly-big movie that was happening in Los Angeles during that quiet time allowed me to really watch the process of how a movie was made . I was able to see how much things cost , and it was really like a crash course in how to make a mid-range motion picture . It was a great experience , and it sealed my interest in working in the motion picture industry . I also met a lot of different people through working on that movie , and I ended up connecting with people who worked at Design Centers , which was a set construction company that worked on a lot of commercials and feature films . They hired me as their in-house art director , and I was also allowed to work on other projects while working there . I got to meet many different production designers , and I was very lucky to be given those opportunities .
Sherman : What do you consider to be the turning point in your career in the film industry ?
David : A lot of people who work as production designers will gradually climb the rungs . They ’ ll start early-on as production assistants , assistant editors , or set designers , and then eventually become production designers . When I was working at Design Centers , I got to meet Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas through my friend Trevor Black , who was a director . At the time , Gregory and Anna were starting production for a film called El Norte . After meeting them , they gave me a job as a set designer . The film was nominated for an Oscar ® for Best Screenplay , but it didn ’ t win . It was a fabulous movie , and it still resonates today . The cameraman that shot El Norte , James Glennon , then introduced me to a director named Joyce Chopra . She was the director of Smooth Talk , which coincidentally starred Treat Williams , who now lives in Southern Vermont , as well . It was a wonderful project , and it was the second film that I worked on in a succession of small projects that really struck a note with the public .
Sherman : When did you and Sandy start
32 VERMONT MAGAZINE