Being a production designer for a short film

A few months ago I was chosen to be the production designer for a short film written by a student and this is the most interesting and creative experience I’ve been going through since the pandemic swallowed our lives. My role is to create a whole new world with unique, meaningful and particular costumes and locations. I couldn’t be happier to be part of this as I can fully express my creativity and I can dedicate this part of my life to something I love doing.

Here is my journey as a production designer

Making sure that all visual aspects of the scene vibe together is my main goal. From the makeup, to the hairstyle, to the small details in the bedroom where the opening scene will take place. My source of inspiration comes from Pinterest where I can add the pictures that will help me create a mood board. For me, being a production designer is also a reminder that dreams do come true. As a child my dream was to become a stylist and now I’m creating outfits for actors. This project is the closest experience to being a stylist and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Another reason why I’m happy is the fact that I’m doing something I wasn’t planning to do and certainly, no one else was expecting me to take such a responsibility. In high school, education, sport competitions and personal life started to take over my life and I slowly started to lose my creativity. I was no longer drawing, painting or doing DIY projects such as making customised T-shirts, skirts dresses, pencil cases and sometimes Christmas balls. I neglected completely what I loved doing. I finally realised that I can be a student without giving up my hobbies. I’m currently studying film at university, which I’m happy to do, however, I need to remind myself that I can give time to other projects and tasks as well.

Being a production designer is helping me rediscover my love for fashion. As a child, I really loved Rarity from My Little Pony and Clover from Totally spies. I loved how much passion these two characters had for fashion and how much time and love they were dedicating to it. I often say that I have no style and I don’t know how to match colours, but the truth is that I don't dedicate my time to do these things.

There are two characters in the short film and I want the protagonist Alex to have a comfy and emasculated style while the co-protagonist Ruby to have a hyper feminine punk style. I created a Pinterest board with the title of the short film where I save all my favourite clothing pieces. I then downloaded the app Combyne to make the outfits’ match. Alex will wear a pair of short length boyfriend denim jeans, with a yellow oversized T-shirt and a pair of black Vans. The style will be combined with a ‘no makeup’ makeup look and a crown braid to gather the blond hair. Ruby will wear a blue plaid skirt and white corset combined with a super cropped black top with long sleeves. She will gather her hair in a half ponytail, leaving the hair in the front out to show the curls. A blue eyeliner will complete the look.

We recently discovered we have received funding for the short film, with a total amount of two hundred and fifty pounds. This news is making me smile as I can now ensure that we have enough money to buy all the items we need to complete the outfits. The actresses might have similar clothes but in case they don’t I’m really happy to go shopping with both of them at local thrift stores or in shops around the city.

Despite the funding being a precious treasure, I still want to make a few items with my own hands. I can create a pair of short length boyfriend jeans by cutting a pair of oversized jeans and I can cut a hoodie to create the super cropped top I have in mind. This will really help me rediscover the hobbies I left behind for years and also use the tailor’s scissors that I haven’t used since middle school.

When I was a child I used to follow a lot of DIY videos so I could make my own clothes. The main reason was that I couldn’t afford buying these fancy clothes and the second reason was that I really loved creating new things. I was also inspired by my mum who used to be a tailor and did have a lot of items to make clothes, such as a sewing machine, needles and a lot of fabric that I could experiment with. My favourite Youtuber at the time was Coolirpa and in a conversation with my mum she said she clearly remembers the face of this woman on the screen, which confirms how much time I spent reimagining and creating clothes.

The room in which the main scene will take place is either going to be my room or the room of the producer. I imagined a messy and disorganised room, in which every item has value and a story. Empty painting frames, ash trays, dead flowers and clothes on the floor. The wardrobe will be covered with Polaroid pictures, resembling the early 2000s photography style, that gives a feeling of nostalgia. I will take the pictures myself and choose the outfits and locations for the pictures as well. I want to create a feeling that shows how the protagonist is feeling stuck in the past and is incapable of moving on.

I feel like creating this room is also a reflection of my past self, drowning in my memories and not finding pleasure in new activities. From choosing to go to study languages in high school, despite knowing how much I loved artistic and creative subjects to finally choosing to do something that makes me happy and without worrying to make sure that the version of me other people created in their head has an impact on my choices. I want to be unapologetically me and enjoy my life as I’m enjoying being a production designer at this moment.