User:David Halver

Biography of David Halver

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Known as a "One Man Art Department" among people he's worked with, David has worked on over 50 Films, dozens of TV shows and 100's of TV Commercials (1980-2009) as an Art Director, Set Designer & Carpenter, Scenic Artist, Set Decorator, Propmaker and Storyboard Artist. Combining his extensive production experience and sharp eye for design and details, he's also well-known as a skilled Photographer, Location Scout & Location Consultant.

Born in Seattle, his father was a scientist and his mother a concert harpist. Seeing the transformation of Seattle with the construction of the Space Needle for the Seattle World's Fair, David developed an early interest & passion for Architecture & Science Fiction. As a child they lived in New York City and Montclair, New Jersey, where his family restored an old Victorian estate. Showing a natural talent for illustration at an early age, at age nine he attended the Baum Art Institue in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Los Angeles in the mid-sixties.

In the late 70s, David worked as an assistant to world famous Artist, Designer & Architect Herbert Bayer, AIA, (1900-1985) who at the time was the last living member of the Bauhaus School of Design. His friendship with Bayer resulted in working as an Art Consultant to the Atlantic Richfield Company's Corporate Art Collection, displayed in their offices throughout the USA.

While at ARCO, David supervised the installation of major artworks company-wide; developed the world's first data-entry inventory system for an Art Collection and personally photographed over 20,000 contemporary artworks in office buildings from Los Angeles to New York.

With Arco's Art Collection being administered under the Cultural Affairs Division of Arco's Public Relations Deaprtment, David was responsible for researching & writing numerous "biographical sketches" of Artists in the collection. In this capacity he also worked as a "copywriter" for internal publications as well as various press releases for the office of Arco's Corporate Art Curator, Leila L. Mehle, in connection with new acquisitions and whenever Artworks were "loaned out" to museums and traveling exhibitions.

During a Christmas hiatus from ARCO in 1979-80, Roger Corman hired David to work on Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) as an Assistant Art Director to James Cameron and Charles Breen.

Unable to work through the entire production due to unexpected corporate responsibilities to Arco in New York and Washington DC, as well as his commitment to Bayer, David reluctantly had to leave the shoot during mid-production in January.

Making an experimental animated short led to his being accepted into Cal Arts, the Art and Film school founded by Walt Disney. Enrolled in the Filmgraphics program, David studied animation with his mentor Jules Engel, a veteran of the early Disney Animation production team.

While at Cal Arts, David placed an ad in American Cinematographer magazine which resulted in his working as a free-lance Story Board Artist; work that eventually led back to his working in Live Action production in the Art Department. But in order to have more time with his Family, he turned away from feature films and focused on TV commercials.

David has worked on hundreds of commercials over the years, from small spots to huge Super Bowl commercials, including several with MTV & Clio Award-winning Production Designer, Vance Lorenzini. During time not spent working in film production, David lived in Hawaii and also became a top producing Realtor in Southern California.

His extensive experience negotiating and writing Real Estate contracts led to representing major office buildings in the Los Angeles area, including the ARCO Plaza Towers during the filming of "Fun with Dick and Jane" (2005) (which involved the unprecedented use of their executive offices on the 51st floor); as well as negotiating location contracts for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005).

The success of these endeavors led to his working as the Stage Manager for "The Stages at Playa Vista" (the old Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" hangers in Los Angeles) during pre-production and filming of several feature films, including the construction of the massive sets and recreation of the Interiors of the Senate and Capitol Building for "XXX - State of the Union" (2005).

A long-term working relationship with "Malibu Locations," one of the premiere Film Location companies in Los Angeles representing the Owners of over 3,800 high-end homes from Malibu to Beverly Hills, led to David's managing the company during 2006, which resulted in a period of exeptional growth.

When not actively working in film production, David works as a Realtor, Designer and Builder, renovating and remodeling homes & cabins from Malibu to the Lake Arrowhead area of Southern California.