KU News Release

Movie graphic designer to talk about his work on Academy Award-winning film

LAWRENCE — Gregory Hill, a 1971 University of Kansas alumnus and former theatre faculty member, will talk about his experiences as a member of the art department on the Academy Award-winning film “No Country for Old Men” as part of the Department of Theatre and Film’s “Alums Come Home 5.”

Hill’s presentation, “The Making of ‘No Country for Old Men,’ ” is scheduled for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall. It is open to the public.

Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, the film, which stars Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and the Art Director’s Guild Production Design/Art Direction Award for Production Design in Contemporary Film.

Hill worked closely with production designer Jess Gonchor, with whom he worked on “Capote,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and the newly completed Coen brothers film “Burn After Reading,” which stars George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt.

“Jess and I have found a really solid working relationship,” said Hill. “We start with the script and do lots of research. I then start rough plans and set sketches — not like stage set sketches — these are either camera point of view sketches or wider full-set sketches. Then I do more sketches, tighter plans and color sketches and also do a lot of digital manipulation of location photos. This is invaluable as it shows everyone exactly what Gonchor intends to do at the location — scenery, dressing, greens etc. These are meant to be as ‘real’ looking as possible so the director and director of photography can see the extent of the art department’s work at any one location.”

Hill also works on many graphic-related projects for the films, including designing the show logos, designing logos for any fictitious companies, creating signage, package labeling, magazines, newspapers, stationery, business cards, billboards and computer screens.

“The list can be endless,” Hill said. “Every bit of graphics has to be designed.”

For “No Country for Old Men,” he also designed a ram gun, created a 1980 Southwestern Bell phone bill and did the signage for all of the motels and hotels.

Hill has designed hundreds of stage pieces throughout the United States and Europe. His first film work was for Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled.” After that he worked primarily in television, spending several seasons as art director and/or assistant art director on all three of the “Law & Order” TV series, as well as “Max Bickford” and “Deadline.” Most recently he art directed the pilot for the TV show “Traveler” and the film “Baby Mama,” starring Tina Fey, Steve Martin and Greg Kinnear. He is currently working on the Nora Ephron film “Julie & Julia,” starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, and is scheduled to move on to the next Coen brothers’ film, tentatively titled “A Serious Man,” late this summer.

In addition to television and film, Hill continues to work on illustration projects. His illustrated alphabet, “Stalking the Wild Alphabet,” won first place in the international category of a design competition sponsored by Unitre and Caus in Torino, Italy. He was invited to submit another alphabet for the 2008 competition, Europa dall’Alfabeto mai Comune, and will be the guest of Unitre and the city of Torino for the exhibition of submitted artwork in mid-May.

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