Sam Reinders

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit:

I can use:

About me

My experience so far has been wide and very useful. I have worked in the art department on over 25 films; mainly short dramas but also feature films, adverts and music videos. While my main focus has always been art direction and production design, I have also tackled a range of other roles, from sound recordist to first assistant director.

Over the course of my experience I have learned the importance of using my creativity to further the dramatic narrative, whether that’s the selection of incidental props or the design and construction of an entire period set. I enjoy the challenges of working to a deadline and can confidently say that I perform well under pressure. My ability to think on my feet and be adaptable has proved useful when situations change on set or on location. I can take care of my own schedule, and when I’ve had the roles of floor manager or first assistant director I have also successfully managed the schedule for entire shoots. I enjoy the process of collaboration and have a natural tendency to mediate co-operation. So as a team player and co-worker I am confident that I would fit in and perform well in all situations. To prepare for the construction of sets I have had practice drawing plans and making scale models, but I am also currently doing a course to learn CAD.

Here’s a little more detail about some of the projects I’ve worked on over this last year. As the designer and art director of Chalk I led an art department team of five. The story was set in the seaside town of Broadstairs in 1964 and after extensive research we dressed several rooms on location as well as a cast of nine actors, all in period-perfect detail.
At the same time I was also working as the standby art director on Splitting Hairs which has been accepted into both the Munich and Beijing Student Film Festivals. This involved following the instructions of the set designer precisely to create, among other things, the interior of an old train compartment. And of course, being the art director on the spot all through the shoot.
Outside of my university course I worked as standby art director on an independent film called A Private Man starring Paul Freeman. Because of the actor’s limited availability and precise schedule it was essential to make sure everything went like clockwork. It did, even when I had to tackle some emergency prop construction.
The most technically challenging set I have built was for an advert to be entered into the Kodak Nahemi Student Commercial Awards. It was for the charity COAP and as the production designer I was part of the team that liaised with the client to make sure their intensions were achieved. The set was of a child’s attic bedroom and involved building an oversized flat and rigging it at a fifty degree angle to form the ceiling. As both the designer and builder I was responsible for ensuring 100% safety at all times to full health and safety requirements. For this project I also made a couple of action figure toys that were featured in close up. Our advert came third in the competition and was also rated in the top eight at the Porsche International Student Advertising Awards.
Referees:
Available on request

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Art Dept Assistant
Job Titles	1st AD (Assistant Director), Production Designer, Art Director, Props Master, Prop Maker, Props Assistant / Support, Art Dept Assistant, Set Dresser, Set Artist / Designer, Set Builder
Years in industry	1 to 3 years
Organisations / Memberships	BECTU (UK)