Featured Buyer: Almitra Corey, Art Department Coordinator

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:41:00 -0000

This week's featured buyer is Almitra Corey, an art department coordinator for film. Almitra moved to New York to work in galleries about a year after college, quickly realized that it was a horrendous field, and then accidentally fell into television a few months later. She recently helped plan Etsy's Anda and Pete's wedding. She also loves champagne and champagne fountains. Her choices for featured buyer (and juicy interview!) follow...

Can you describe a bit about what you do?
My title is Art Department Coordinator, and my duties are just as vague as my title. I am in charge of coordinating everything art department related on whatever film or tv show I'm working on. That basically covers everything you see on screen except the actors and costumes. For example, I make sure we get materials and set dressing on schedule for building and shooting deadlines. I also do research to give the production designer, art director, set decorator and prop master a variety to choose from, whether it's different photos of a musician or 1970's wallpaper swatches. The best thing I did recently was to give the director and the prop master a choice of four different pink rolling papers. I had to get inventive with food coloring and highlighters.

Here are some interesting things that would be perfect for decorating some of the recent sets I've worked on:

I'm a big fan of recycled soup cans. I would use these on any character's desks or work space.

What's the movie you're working on now?
I just started a one-hour pilot for FOX called Blue Blood. It's about a group of twenty-something rookie cops in the Bronx and their first day on the job. The show is based on an autobiography of the same title about a man who went to an Ivy League school and then chose to become a cop in the Bronx. The script is interesting and it's produced and directed by Brett Ratner, which should be fun.

What movie did you use Etsy products for? Which products?
I got one million prints from Matt "MATTY8080" Cipov for the last film I did called Assassination of a High School President with Mischa Barton and Bruce Willis. (Don't worry, they weren't romantic.) I also got a photo from ScottBulgerPhoto for a Spanish classroom, and a piece of wall art and some pillows from mamadelic for Mischa's character's living room. A couple of jewelers (redcatrun.etsy.com and soloartworks.etsy.com) were nice enough to send a crucifix and a rosary that I passed on to the costume department.

This might be my favorite print of Matt's and maybe the only one he didn't send me for Assassination of a High School President! But, we used tons of similar ones all over the school's set.

Phoebe in Wonderland was really whimsical and sweet. This would have been perfect.

Are there differences between high budget movie and a low budget, in terms of what you do in the art dept?
Somehow I usually end up with less money in my budget on the bigger budget jobs. There is also a lot more red tape on the studio shows.

And again...whimsy! But, I could use a piece like this almost anywhere except maybe a police precinct.

Do you pick items for specific characters? Their rooms?
I'm usually lucky enough help out the set decorator with a few things here and there. The lower the budget, the more I'm able to do in that department. Either way, I definitely always suggest items that I think would work in different sets or for different characters and the decorator usually welcomes my suggestions. A good example is when I got some pillows made by Anda of stopsandstarts (and Etsy admin) for Sarah Michelle Gellar's character's bedroom on the first film that I was in the art department. The funniest thing I've done recently was on the last job when I decorated Mischa Barton's dressing room. It was a classroom inside Bayonne High where we were shooting for three weeks. I bought pretty blankets, pillows, and rugs to class up the rented couches. I also got a bunch of magazines, which felt pretty weird since she was probably in them.

This "In The Forest Wall Art" piece worked really well in Mischa Barton's character's house. It was a contemporary film with a 70's feel, so this was perfect.

I haven't had the good fortune to use these candles anywhere yet, but I did just purchase it as a birthday gift for one of my favorite people ever. She loves Loretta.

This zebra butterfly art would have worked really well in Elle Fanning's character's room in Phoebe in Wonderland.

One day I will work on something that can feature this feline brilliance!

Why should/does Etsy appeal to art department movie folks?
It's appealing to me because it's a great way to make up for the fact that I work in an industry that can spend seven million dollars on an actor to come work four days, but won't let me buy fancy pens! It also makes me feel better buying good work from hardworking and interesting people instead of prop houses that just recycle the overpriced rentals to every production, too.

A Gocco printer in the Etsy supplies section...Great for making flyers and cards for office or music venue sets!

Are there any general art deptartment calls for pieces/web resources that Etsy admin or sellers should know about?
Whenever I need something weird like a vintage Battleship game, a prosthetic limb, or some old large format negatives I usually post a myspace bulletin about it since I have such great friends. I used the Etsy forums for the first time on Assassination and it was really successful, too! That's when MATTY8080 became my hero.

These stickers can be seen throughout the halls of the school in Assassination of a High School President. I also have a pink one covering the apple on the back of my computer!

I don't know how or where this would fit in, but it made me laugh really hard. I mean, Andrew Meyer said some important things, but is only remembered for this "Don't tase me, bro" phrase.

I would use these tea towels in any kitchen that wasn't ultra modern. The color is the perfect kitchen color.

Sad kittens fit in anywhere!

What's the best part about your job?
The best part of my job is that I get to directly contribute to a creative project that will reach an enormous amount of people. It's also really nice that each job usually ends just when I'm about to be burnt out. Then I start all over again on something new!

Set Decorators love shopping at flea markets and estate sales. These pieces would not be left behind. They would work on almost any set because they're so unique and beautiful, but not offensive or too attention grabbing.

And finally, we have to ask...

...Got any dirt on Bruce Willis or Mischa Barton?
I can't spill the beans on Bruce and Mischa until a little more time has passed! But, I can tell you that Mischa managed to make it to set on time every day. Also, Sarah Michelle Gellar hates the smell of cigarettes, pizza, and fried chicken and told me that she didn't believe anyone actually liked yogurt. Fred Thompson is a giant in real life. Bebe Neuwirth is so pale she's almost translucent. John Leguizamo rides a bike to the office and wears a grubby backpack. Tim Roth is a snob. Alec Baldwin is also a giant, and I'm convinced he's one of the best actors of all time after watching him in between takes. Pras is a gentleman. Elle Fanning is amazing and made the entire crew cry after we shot the final scene of Phoebe In Wonderland. Oh, and Felicity Huffman is the classiest lady, and extremely low maintenance and professional. How's that?

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Featured Buyer: Almitra Corey, Art Department Coordinator