Looking Back
As the production designer for this
production I learnt to use things available to create the look needed and
improvise on the set. Due to having no budget, my hands were a little bit tied
though. I believe we did well, but we could have done more if we could have put
money towards some areas of the design, the make-up of the characters for
example. I also now understand why there is so many different job roles in the
production design, there is a lot to do and look over. Sometimes the people who
have great ideas may not always be able to make it happen in real life. Production
designers could make a great plan but they need make-up artists who are great
at what they do. If I have another chance to be a production designer on a
project, I would find people who are good in different areas to get the best results.
Also I think I could have done
more research on the second location we used. We were a little bit limited, but
I could have still found out if there was a nicer place near by to shoot at. I
really didn’t like the construction sight that was just meters away from our
location. It didn’t look good and made the air dusty.
I learnt that the communication
between the production designer and the director, also cameramen, is very
important. It’s vital to have the same understanding of the vision and work
towards the same goal. The looks of the characters have to compliment their
profiles and the locations the story. If I could do it all again I would make
sure to have meetings just with the director to discuss the look of the film
and have an understanding of their vision.