Anton Grot

Anton Grot was the Art Director at Warner Brothers Studios from the late twenties through the '40s. He had started working in movies in 1913, so he was already very experienced when he started at Warners. He created sketches for set designs that are brillliant works of art in their own right. He would create the set-up for the "Master Shot" for a scene, and then this is all the set that would be built - sometimes incorporating false perspective, so the set could only be photographed from one camera angle, or it would look fake. (an example of how good design makes good business sense) The collection of Grot's originals is at UCLA Library, and years ago I asked permission to take pictures of some of these. (I had an alumni card at the library) They've since gotten more strict about taking pictures - I think these pieces should be in a museum for people to see - they're relatively small (most are about 4x5 inches - some smaller) and drawn in pencil on paper, but they reallly show how the "Warner Brothers look" really came from his designs. Enjoy.