Scott Murphy isn’t a name most people notice in a film’s end credits. In fact, most people probably don’t even know what his job as art director entails.

But that’s not surprising to Murphy. He says he is used to it.

“I have found out that people who have been in the [entertainment] business a long time still don’t know what an art department does,” Murphy says.

Simply put, an art director designs the sets, the buildings, the signs and many other things most audience members don’t even notice in a movie. There’s much more to it — including long days and hard work — but this is the basis of Murphy’s life whenever he finds work in movies or television shows.

And recently, he’s had a lot of work pile up. His film career includes the 2002 film, “Spider-Man,” its recent sequel “Spider-Man 2,” 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” and the Jim Carrey film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

On the small tube, Murphy has worked on “The Sopranos” for the past few years, earning him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Art Direction.

But before his work in entertainment, Murphy got his start at Iowa State. He says his study of architecture helped him prepare for his career in art direction.

“Study of architecture at any really good school would give someone a good starting point,” Murphy says. “I consider Iowa State a good school. It gives you a place where you can branch off and go many different places.”

After graduation, Murphy moved to Los Angeles, where he attended graduate school. He didn’t immediately dive into film and television productions — his first job was designing theme parks.

Eventually, Murphy found a job on the soap opera “Santa Barbara.” He says finding a job on a television show was going to happen sooner or later.

“It’s not hard to get pulled into the entertainment business if you’re … living in L.A.,” Murphy says.

Since then, Murphy has worked on nearly two dozen films with directors like Sam Raimi, M. Night Shyamalan and Barry Sonnenfeld.

When an art director is hired for a movie, he or she works with many other people and departments, which are all coordinated by the director. A good director, Murphy says, understands the balance between the different departments.

“[Filmmaking] is an art form, and directors need to know all of the elements,” he says. “They are the creative force behind a project.”

But for art directors, even though they may only focus on one aspect of a film, the work may take over their lives for several months at a time. Murphy says it is not uncommon to work 12 to 14 hours a day in six-day workweeks.

Work for an art department happens mostly before the cameras start rolling. After designing sets and other scene-specific items, the department works throughout the shoot to make sure everything is set up for the next scene.

A movie requires much time and effort condensed into a short period of time. It’s important to know the kind of dedication required to work in the entertainment business, he says.

“In the world of architecture, you have years to design and build a building,” Murphy says. “In a movie you have days and weeks.”

Another challenge is working with other departments that may or may not respect your work, Murphy says. Although it is important to be considerate of others, he says, it is also pertinent to push your own agenda.

“You have to have a big ego, but you also have to handle other big egos,” he says.

Looking back at his experience, Murphy says the best advice for anyone wanting to break into the entertainment industry is to remain persistent.

“It’s tough to break into,” Murphy says. “You have to have a good work ethic and be talented. You must be willing to work hard and make sacrifices.”