How to use production design
How to use production design
“Your visuals will have cinematic depth and meaning that resonate with the audience.”
Are you a sci-fi fan? I’m not, but recently I was convinced to watch director Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, and I’m glad I did. It’s probably one of the best films I’ve seen in a few years.
I’ve always been drawn into a film by excellent writing and acting, both of which Ex Machina has in spades, but this film also struck me on a different level – a design level.
The good folks over at Short of the Week put it well: “Production design is the overall look of a film that illustrates the setting and visual style of the story. It includes the design of sets, location choices, costumes, and the choice and supervision of props.” While it’s hardly ever the center of attention in a film, effective production design can elevate your story visually, playing off that classic rule of filmmaking, “Show, don’t tell”.
In other words, as we say here at Lights, film is about externalizing the internal.
From Ex Machina | Universal Studios, 2015
Ex Machina is a brilliant example of meticulous set design and minimalist decoration that help tell the story in this way.
For example, production designer Mark Digby’s use of sharp, long lines creates a sense of order and isolation that manifests the characters’ experience of both. Digby’s work is especially effective in fleshing out Oscar Isaac’s character, Nathan, who is reclusive and enigmatic; in fact, the only piece of art he has in his home is an abstract painting by Jackson Pollock. The minimalism extends to the film’s treatment of technology, which is streamlined and understated. The viewer is never distracted by undue flourishes or overly flashy science equipment.
As independent filmmakers juggling a million responsibilities, it’s all too easy to put production design on the back-burner, choosing instead to invest our cash elsewhere. Thankfully, there are ways to elevate your production design game – and by extension, the production value of your film – to the next level, for little or no extra cost.
First, take some time to identify the mood of your film. This involves defining your characters – think about who they are, what they stand for, what their goals are, and then pick colors or styles that represent this. The same goes for the theme and overall tone of your film. Collect swatches, shot examples, pieces of art, anything relevant that inspires you, and gather them into one central location; perhaps a poster board or Pinterest. This will focus your efforts of design, which will save you money.
Inspiration board in hand, scout for locations with key members of your team. Look for locations that are convenient, but not boring. Don’t be afraid to contact your local film office – many have extensive lists of all types of locations that may work better for your film, and some will let you shoot for free, especially if you’re a student. If the only place you have access to is your mom’s house, use set dressing to change it from your mom’s house to your character’s house.
Making your space look “lived in” is often the most challenging yet most rewarding aspect of successful production design. This is where you have an opportunity to really define your character as a person; to manifest their personality.
Start by looking in the location itself. For example, if you’ve established your character likes to read, look for books in the location you can place on your character’s bookshelf.
Not finding what you had in mind, or your location is vacant? Check with family or friends, or put out a general “In Search Of” post on your social media networks to see what you can get for free. Then visit local yard sales, flea markets or thrift stores for additional items. Keep an eye out not only for large pieces, like furniture, but also for small pieces like jewelry boxes or tchotchkes. These small pieces make a huge impact on creating a three-dimensional character.
When cultivating your film’s aesthetic, spend more time developing your story visually, and less time worrying about your equipment. The best camera and lenses in the world aren’t going to make much of a difference if you’re shooting in a boring, characterless space. Strengthen your film with locations, set dressings, and costumes unique to the world of your film, so that even if you end up shooting on, say, an iPhone, your visuals will have cinematic depth and meaning that resonate with the audience.
Check out this pairing of shorts via SOTW, for some great examples of short indie films with robust production design:
Strong use of color to define mood and space
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Dynamic drama that unfolds in one location.
How will you use production design to externalize the internal in your film?
How to Create Great Production Design for Film & Video
Production design is the key to creating the world in which a film exists. Let’s take a look at what it takes to develop solid production design.
Top Image: JJ Abrams and Daisy Ridley on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens via Lucasfilm.
Production design is a huge component of the filmmaking or video production process. There’s a lot that you can convey to your audience through great production design. With this in mind, we’re going to rely on the experience and knowledge of Colin Gibson (Mad Max: Fury Road), Grant Major (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), Rick Carter (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and the legendary Stuart Craig (Harry Potter Series).
Through each one of these Academy Award-winning Production Designers, we’ll learn what we need to do to take our productions to the next level.
What Is Production Design?
Production design is the process of developing and creating the “look” of a film or video environment. This includes creating the initial concepts, building sets, fabricating costumes, developing makeup effects, and working with the VFX team. In the end, all of these sections come together to present the audience with visual information that establishes a sense of place and conveys an emotional response through the background elements, costumes, and props.
Who Runs the Design Team?
At the head of production design is the production designer or PD. The PD will work closely with the director and cinematographer to set the overall look of the film and to bring the director’s vision to life. They also oversee all aspects of the production design from concept to construction. However, they do not do this alone; there are several key crew members that work alongside the PD.
Production Design Team:
- Art Director (AD): works directly with the PD and oversees the draftsmen, storyboards, artists, and set decorators.
- Production Illustrator or Concept Artist: creates the initial sketches and designs alongside the PD and AD.
- VFX Coordinator or Supervisor: works with the PD to ensure CGI elements match the look of the practical set.
- Set Decorator: develops the look of the set through research and obtains items to fill the set.
- Set Dresser: arranges the items from the set decorator and ensures continuity between scenes.
- Costume Designer: works with the AD to develop the look of the characters, pays close attention to period and place.
- Makeup Artist: oversees all makeup aspects of the production, from simple adjustments to special effects makeup.
Why Is Production Design so Important?
As mentioned above, this is the process of building the physical look of the film. The set, costuming, and makeup design all need to be reflections of one another. If one of these aspects is off, then you run the risk of pulling your audience out of the experience.
One worrisome issue that production designers face in today’s industry is they must fight to retain control over the look of the film due to the reliance on CGI visual effects, as Grant Major mentioned in 2014.
You often have to fight for control of the look of the film when you have the production sub-contract out to digital companies these virtual environments. — Grant Major
In an interview with Deadline, production designer Colin Gibson stated that PDs need to push for practical sets and effects. He mentions that audiences today are far more impressed when a set is practical and crafted by an amazing production design team, which was the approach he took when designing Mad Max: Fury Road.
You still need to get the hair up on the back of people’s necks. You still need real physics. — Colin Gibson
Of course, there’s no stopping the advance of digital filmmaking. While some production designers see this as a possible issue, PD Rick Carter sees it as a natural progression toward a new era of hybrid filmmaking. These are the principles he employed when designing practical and digital elements for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
There’s something that’s going on with the computer and with hybrid moviemaking… Just a lot that’s physical and a lot that’s digital, and it’s all part of the new vernacular. — Rick Carter
So, as you can see from the words of these Oscar-winning designers, production design is absolutely crucial to a film or video’s success. Let’s look at the collaborative process of designing a film or video.
Production Design: the Three-Part Process
1. Concept
Each production design begins with the production designer reading the script to determine the initial visual style. Once this is done, meetings with the director and cinematographer take place to solidify the design. To make this happen, concept illustrations and mock-ups are researched, produced, and sent to the director and producer for approvals. These concepts and mock-up designs cover set architecture, costumes, props, VFX design, and makeup.
Here’s a video from The Gnomon Workshop that features the legendary concept designer Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens). In the video, Mead offers crucial design advice and demonstrates some of his storied talent and technique.
2. Planning
Once the designs are approved, the PD’s team moves into the planning stage. Additional research on build locations for the sets takes place. Blueprints for set construction are drafted. Also, budgets and property lists are developed to ensure that this portion of production doesn’t run beyond the funding allowed.
3. Fabrication
Once designs are approved and plans are finalized, the actual fabrication of the design begins. Construction crews come in and actually build the set if needed. Also, the set decorator, dresser, costume designer, and makeup artist begin the process of developing their individual parts of the production design. When this portion is done, the director, cast, and crew begin film production.
Learn to Appreciate The Subtle Art of Good Production Design
Behind any successful project is good production design. In this article, find out what that means and how to incorporate it into your next project.
Cover image via The Criterion Collection.
Any project, big or small, is only as good as its attention to detail. A production designer is the person (or sometimes, team of people) who stays on top of even the most minute details in every setting, scene, and shot. If you’re an up-and-coming director, or even an established name, understanding the value of your production designer is everything.
Let’s explore the subtle art of production design — and how it literally sets the scene for any project.
Defining Production Design
Image via Hulu.
The role of a production designer is, ostensibly, to oversee a film’s overall visual look. However, that sells the role’s responsibilities a bit short. Production design (while sometimes the responsibility of one person) often involves a whole department, including many different teams and responsibilities. The head production designer works closely with the director and producer(s) from the get-go, then manages designs, budgets, and workflows through the efforts of other visual teams, costume designers, and VFX producers. Ideally, a good production designer has a diverse filmmaking background and multiple skill sets. A strong multi-tasking mindset is a must.
The Production Designer’s Role
Image from the set of Poldark (PBS).
Beginning with pre-production, production designers are some of the first people involved with scripts and location-scouting. Their job is to bring a project’s thematic elements to life. To do this, production designers have to carefully balance creative assets to make both overt and subtle elements on sets come to life — while keeping everything on track and on budget. In many films, the production designer is the one to make the call regarding when to use CGI and when to avoid it.
Attention to Detail
Image via The Killing of a Sacred Deer (A24).
Another major tenet of production design is attention to detail. This is especially true in the early stages when production designers create sketches, mood boards, and sometimes even the storyboards. Designers discuss things like lighting, colors, and other elements of composition with the director and director of photography. Even the smallest aspects of a film get careful planning and construction. Here’s a great interview with production designer Jade Healy, who’s worked on films like Pete’s Dragon (with director David Lowery) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (with director Yorgos Lanthimos).
Honestly, the hardest part of a job at that level is getting the ideas out of your head and into everyone else’s hands. That’s the challenge. It is certainly overwhelming to have so many people working for you. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified of my first day! But once we got into the groove of things, everything just flowed.
You can check out some of the original concept drawings alongside the final build for production and filming here. The final product is a careful and considered collaboration between the cinematographer and production designer that brings the set to life.
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