Are you a local Atlanta artist who would like to showcase your artwork in a film production?
Action Artwork Rental is a cleared art rental house that caters to the film industry and represents local artists on all types of productions, from commercials to TV shows to big-budget feature films. Georgia Film Site reached out to Victoria Coffee, the business side of Action Artwork Rental, who shared some insight about how art rentals work in the film industry.
Georgia Film Site: How does Action Artwork Rental represent artists to film productions?
Victoria Coffee: We at Action Artwork Rental (AAR) ensure that our artists’ artwork is being used legally and that our artists are being compensated appropriately. By having so much artwork in one place, our clients can view thousands of options online, easily and quickly. We also work hard to promote our artists on social media, as well as in personal conversations with potential clients. You’ll never see a piece of our artwork online without credit given to the artist(s).
GFS: What does “cleared art” mean?
VC: Cleared art is artwork that has been cleared for use by a third party. Any artwork that is being used on set can only be used with written consent from the artist.
GFS: What is the process for an artist to submit their work for film rentals?
VC: Artists can reach out via our contact page if they are interested in submitting their artwork. We accept digital copies of all styles of artwork, because we never know what our clients will want!
GFS: Can artists who are not local to Atlanta submit their work?
VC: Absolutely! While most of our artists are local to Atlanta, we do work with artists all over the country. Because we typically rent prints, our artists provide us with high resolution digital files of their artwork when they sign up. This not only ensures that the artists’ original works are safe, but also allows us to work with artists located anywhere!
GFS: What are the advantages of renting prints vs the original?
VC: The biggest advantage is cost. Renting a print vs an original is simply cheaper. Also, in the event that a piece of artwork is damaged on set, the cost to replace a print is much less than to repair or purchase a damaged original. In many cases, our artists have already sold or are trying to sell their originals, so by sending us digital files they can make money off a piece that is either on display in a gallery, available for purchase or sold. Renting artwork from print also means that the client can get what size is needed as opposed to what was the original size of the artwork. On our end, storing digital files is a lot easier than having to store original pieces. We currently have over 6,000 cleared art images on our website, and it would be nearly impossible to house that much physical artwork.
GFS: Can you share an interesting story about showcasing artwork on a particular film or TV production?
VC: Not myself personally, but the previous owner, Carey Hall, had the opportunity to visit one of “The Originals” sets. Carey had sold a few pieces by an AAR artist, Julie Tucker-Demps, to the show, and she coordinated having her come on set as an extra. Julie was actually playing the part of a New Orleans street artist, which was extra cool because she is from New Orleans.
About Action Artwork Rental
The idea for Action Artwork Rental came about in the mid-2000s, when previous owner Joey Sisson saw a need for local and affordable cleared artwork in Atlanta, Georgia. Joey spent the next few years sharing his idea with his wife and a few close friends. As the film industry continued to grow in the Southeast, Joey knew he needed to turn his idea into reality. A few months later, Joey’s wife, Carey Hall, joined the team and by March of 2014, they had formed their LLC. They worked hard to secure highly talented artists and ensure their business model is one that not only services the film industry, but also protects the artist and his/her artwork. After four years of managing both AAR and their own personal careers they decided to step back from AAR and pass the torch to long-time friends and co-workers Zombie Cat Productions, owned by Molly Coffee and Victoria Coffee, and Second Hand Interesting Things, owned by Nik Morgan. They will continue the previous owners’ policy of renting the pieces out on a weekly basis, with artists receiving a portion of the revenue each time their works are rented. We here at AAR look forward to seeing our company grow within the film industry and being a part of the art community in Atlanta.