It’s time for another Links & Stuff post! I hope June was a great month for you. If you want to stay in the loop before these posts roll around, follow Art Departmental on Instagram, Twitter and like us on Facebook where I post all the latest and greatest film, art, architecture and production design news and views.
Photo of the Month
This month I was largely away from working on Art Departmental as I finished designing a film about a mid-century Catholic laundry in New Brunswick. I’m very proud of what my team and I were able to accomplish with a limited budget and I look forward to seeing the film when it’s released next year. Sometimes a set comes together just as you envisioned and it feels like a tiny miracle. Cheers to the tiny miracles we create in the art department.
Links of the Month
I became a bit obsessed with Wonder Woman this month. I was so excited to see Jean Pierre Jeunet favourite, production designer Aline Bonetto, production designing a film of this nature. We don’t often see women designing huge action films and I found it really refreshing. For a look into the film’s visual world, click here and to hear more from Bonetto herself about the world she created for Wonder Woman click here.
Have you seen the Murder on the Orient Express trailer yet? It’s one of those rare trailers that doesn’t seem to spoil anything and made me incredibly excited to see the film. The poster is also really well-executed. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and production designed by Jim Clay. I can’t wait to see more of that train upon its release in November.
Twin Peaks is back in grand style! Unfortunately there isn’t much online as of yet about the production design since the design team has been sworn to secrecy for five years but I did find these two interviews with Twin Peaks art director Cara Brower, and Twin Peaks production designer Ruth De Jong really insightful. Ruth’s path into production design is the stuff dreams are made of.
If lattice work gets you all hot and bothered, I have just the post for you: 8 Sinuous Diagrid Ceilings. Look at those curves…
The Emmy nominations are almost upon us and it’s hard to deny that Netflix and HBO shows have been killing it the last couple of years. Here’s a look at the production design of The Crown, Stranger Things, and Westworld.
Who knew an observatory or an ignition facility could be so beautiful? Check out this list of 5 amazing architectural experiments shaped by science. I just added these to my research image library. Great stuff.
After reading about this new measuring tape app on Archinect, I’m definitely curious to take it out for a spin.
Sad news. In a previous Links post I mentioned how much I loved the new show Girlboss which was superbly designed my newcomer, Kay Lee. Netflix unfortunately decided to cancel the show that I was most looking forward to seeing a second season. Oh well, I guess you can’t win em’ all. Decider did a great post on why they think the show did not get renewed.
If you haven’t visited McMansion Hell, you simply must. It’s everything you’ve thought quietly to yourself about the hideous homes you’re often dragged into on location scouts (recces) but never felt you could say out loud. Plus Kate Wagner of McMansion Hell posts regularly about the many facets of vernacular architecture which are insightful but also written in a way that make architecture accessible to a wide audience. However, this month McMansion Hell was sent a threatening cease and desist letter from the online real estate database website, Zillow, claiming Kate republished photos found on their site illegally. They were not impressed with Kate’s trademark architectural satire of McMansion photos taken from their website. This drama threatened to take the blog down but luckily Zillow quickly backed down deciding not to sue after it was made very clear that they had no case given that they do not hold the copyright of the images. You can read more about this widely reported story here. I’m just happy the blog and Kate’s hilarious architecture jokes are here to stay. McMansion Hell has quickly become one of my favourite blogs. I also recommend reading Kate’s latest article on Curbed which describes the wonderfully hideous architectural details involved in the recent rise of the modern McMansion.
Video of the Month
Ethan Tobman participated as a speaker at this LA Delta Launchpad event in May and this month they released this video featurette on his talk about production design. I really appreciate Ethan mentioning the importance of travel in the work of a production designer. It’s the best advice. Travel opens up the mind.
Well, that’s it for me. Which articles and links did you love this month? I would love to know in the comments below.
You can find previous Links & Stuff posts here.
