Friday, January 23, 2015
How the Production Designer of 'A Most Violent Year' Recreated 1980s New York
The Creators Project: John Goldsmith had to scale things back to create the world of J.C. Chandor's new crime drama, A Most Violent Year (in theaters now). Not only did the architecturally-educated fine artist-turned-production designer have to subtly recreate the gritty realities of New York in the 80s, he had to do so on a bare-bones design budget. Having previously worked with Chandor on the Academy Award-nominated survival drama, All is Lost, however, Goldsmith knew exactly where to start: the characters.
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God, I feel like such a nerd when I freak out over articles like these. This is almost exactly what I've dreamed about doing for years, and it's incredibly exciting to hear John Goldsmith's vision and process for making this film. Period films with low budgets are extremely hard to design, and it's really a testament to Goldsmith's managing and his team of designers for pulling together a design of a film that looks incredibly realistic. I also love that I can see some of the lessons I'm learning in college coming up in his words -- especially when it comes to delving into research, understanding the characters, following the form of the time while also attempting to imbue a semiotic mood. There's so much you can pull from, and so much you can ask for and find if you're voracious enough. Take the Armani wardrobe collection for Jessica Chastain: she had the connection, and it worked like a charm in the costume designer's favor. That opportunity created a different style that may have changed the way the director and the production designer saw these characters for the better. And that's one of the coolest things I can think of.
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