The Creators Project: Wes Anderson’s bubblegum pink Grand Budapest Hotel isn't a real locale, but a combination of the innards of the Görlitzer Warenhaus department store, an exquisite 14' by 7' miniature model, and landscape paintings for the scenery. Every detail that exists in Anderson’s meticulously-crafted film world, from the tiered pastries of the fictive Mendl’s bakery to the carpeting that sprawls across the hotel’s lobby, passed under the keen eyes of production designer Adam Stockhausen before being set into motion. Along with the film's eight other nominations, Stockhausen is up for an Academy Award for Best Production Design for the film, his second nomination since his work on 2013's 12 Years a Slave.
4 comments:
It's wonderful to hear from the Production Designer of one of my favorite movies of last year. I really enjoyed what he said about his job--that most of it is problem solving, using your wits to get as close to the director's vision as you possible can. That's what I have always found fascinating about production design, the fact that you're always in a time scramble to find and create what looks good and what clicks in everyone's mind as the perfect locale. It was also really cool to see how Stockhausen drafted some of his designs, and the inspiration from which he procured the hotel. When I saw the film, I could literally see how much expansive research had gone into it to make it look as it did. And that, to me, is perhaps one of the best parts of film-making. You get to wholly invest yourself in a meld of cultures and come out with a product that is a mix of both new and old -- which, in itself, is completely new itself.
This movie is absolutely fantastic for a variety of reasons (the all-star cast, the darkly hilarious writing, the uncompromising direction, etc.), but the production design aspect of the film deserves a great deal of applause. In all of Wes Anderson's films, the audience is taken to a completely unique, all-encompassing environment. I appreciate what Stockhausen says in the article, "The way you perceive a story is really influenced by the setting in which you see it told." This is especially true in Wes Anderson's films, I find. The design is, above all, specific, and it creates a hugely engaging experience for the audience. It definitely seems like a mistake to me to reserve a disproportionate amount of money for the exclusive purpose of acquiring new works of art. While it goes without saying that this is an important function of the CMOA, these are funds that could be used toward marketing and creating an space that draws visitors in. The museum would do well to focus on becoming an institution that inherently pulls in a crowd, rather than relying on the newest temporary exhibit to create a surge of interest. In Indianapolis, the museum of art is beautiful and extensive and has always been free for general admission. However, in April, they are being forced to begin charging relatively expensive prices for everyone. These are symptoms that there needs to be a rethinking of how these museums approach and attract their potential visitors. <54-102> 54-102 54102 Eric Wiegand
I loved this article partly because I loved the design for the film The Grand Budapest Hotel, and partly because I think film design is fascinating in that so much of the world exists in the details. The research they talk about here really shows in the film, and I think it was a very successful and artistic design. The detail in the design for the hotel itself and the landscape it existed is very evident in the movie. Though it doesn’t feel like a real place, it definitely puts the audience in the world of the characters. This article reminded me of the “making of” video made for the Lord of the Rings movies (which, if they were still in production, I would be begging to work on). I loved the design for those because, similar to Adam Stockhausen’s attention to and interpretation of Wes Anderson’s vision, the creators of Lord of the Rings were interpreting Tolkien’s vision of a world that existed entirely in the details. So much of the original books exists in exquisite detail outside of the plot, that the end result was a rich and complex vision of an imagined world.
I absolutely loved the production design for the Grand Budapest. The design’s ability to not only evoke a historical research based context but even greater an intrinsic unique feel really grounded the plot of the story and enveloped Wes Anderson’s quirky crazy style of filmmaking. Every part of the production design seems really thought out, and the style of the film is truly evocative of the research brought forth. It is most clear with the postcard shown that has a ton of resemblance to the artistic style of the hotel, and the film in general. I really enjoyed hearing Adam Stockhausen’s perspective and gaining a little more insight into the job of a production designer through his draftings and descriptions of design choices. His view on design as one of problem solving and continuity is very similar to mine, which excites me since films with great artistic designs like the Grand Budapest are what have inspired me to pursue a career in production design for films.
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