Having scoured locations in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” the two reunite for “In the Heights.” This time the job was to find areas in Washington Heights that represented the area’s diversity.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Cultural Accuracy Was Key to ‘In the Heights’ Production Design
Having scoured locations in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” the two reunite for “In the Heights.” This time the job was to find areas in Washington Heights that represented the area’s diversity.
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Crazy Rich Asians is amongst the few fils whihc has managed to encapsulate the true environment of the locations it is set in, which I believe is so important to true storytelling. And what is even better is to realize that a lot of upcoming films are also trying to achieve this form of storytelling.
"In the Heights" is a great story, encapsulating a story that functions on the diversity that its character bring to stage. With that, it is a great feeling to realize that the designer for the upcoming film is trying their best to achieve the scenic demands of the story in order to stay true, which is commendable.
I believe that today the society has progressed enough to the point where they realize that the environment that they story is set in must be in consistency with the story that is being told. They realize that a story is informed by its surroundings and that is honestly, one of the better things that has happened in the entertainment spectrum in recent times.
Nelson Coates seems to embody everything that a good designer should—extremely thorough, digs deeper than surface level research, advocates for diversity of culture, ethnicity, and gender in creative teams. It’s honestly so inspiring. I didn’t realize that he was president of the ADG—from what I’ve read in this article, he seems like the perfect type of person to head a group of creators. Anyways, I think it was imperative for him to do such deep cultural research on Washington Heights, since the location and cultural climate have such a big thematic impact on the story. I enjoyed reading that he looked into many different categories of culture, including food and furniture—it’s this type of detail that can make a production above and beyond. Anna Louizos’s scenic design for the original Broadway production of In The Heights was gorgeous, with intricate building facades, but I’m excited to see how the medium of film and production design can take the cultural impact of this story even further!
I am really glad that more conversations are happening surrounding true cultural accuracy for productions that are happening now. “It’s about getting the details correct – the color, the flavors and making it feel authentic to whatever constituency you’re working with” is a quote from Coates that really stood out to me and emphasized the importance of accurate representation in films. Representation in film is a term that really extends beyond representation in the actors (though I believe that is most important) and goes into the accurate representation of places and cultures. The detail that is required to go into making a well-rounded story is incredible, and that’s where the production value and production detail comes in to play. That is why there has been such success with productions and films like Crazy Rich Asians, where people are able to see a part of a culture that they connect with and can feel represented by.
It is so important that Nelson Coates prioritizes cultural accuracy. Only when designers prioritize this mission can the work be authentic and respectful to the communities that it is depicting. I feel like in the past when I have seen films that depict a community stereotypically, the designers, the producers, and the director have skipped over understanding the culture with the excuse of our catered audience wouldn’t know. But it reflects in the overall mood of the film. If something is seemingly fake, it will be fake to the audience (like the new Mulan live-action movie…). Nelson Coates’ attitude toward designing should be a model for everyone else. His dedication towards cultural accuracy means thorough research, a true understanding of the culture, and most importantly, an advocate and ally for diversity. I am so happy to hear that he is also in a position of importance within the art directing community because it’s designers like this who will improve diversity and inclusion within the circle.
It was really nice to read about the depth of research from the production designer of the In the Heights movie adaption. I am excited to see how his perceived attention to detail plays out when we see the final film. The photos that have floated around online look great. It is also nice to read about his involvement in diversity and inclusion in filmmaking. I agree with him that, by having a balanced cultural and gender presence in the making, it allows for a better perspective to tell the story from. I wonder how he became involved with Jon Chu. I had not seen Crazy Rich Asians but I heard it was very well received, so it is good that Jon Chu felt comfortable with the production designer to work with on this project that holds a lot of memories for people who have known the original Broadway show.
I have always been of the opinion that, if you want something to look or feel “realistic”, you should be striving to touch something as close to real as possible. I think that most of the research of this type that I have heard of has been in reference to period pieces (especially in reference to costuming) but even then (in pieces with loads of documentation due to their story originating in the white, western world) there can also be absolutely horrendous products being put out (whether due to a lack of research or a lack of care, we may never know). Especially because “In The Heights” is telling a story that people are living today, I feel like there should be an even closer eye being put towards the real reality of the production; and it sounds like there is. The Broadway production was absolutely gorgeous and it is wonderful to see the same kind of attention being payed to the movie.
I love the amount of detail that is going into the production design for In the Heights. I absolutely love the story of In The Heights with the focus on family and loyalty as well as success in the sense that you can have it by being able to be happy being with the people that you love or by getting out and being able to make a new start for yourself. My high school put on a production of In the Heights during my junior year, and I had the privilege of playing Daniella, the hair salon owner. I absolutely loved my connection to that character. The feeling of being protective over your family whether they're blood or not. For me, the entire production is about being there and standing by your family and that family isn't always the people you happen to share DNA with. Paying so much attention to creating the true cultural atmosphere of Washington Heights and incorporating all of the different cultures in that area is heartwarming. The last line of the article really resonated with me: "Seeing what [that film] does for an entire community and beyond with representation makes you realize how people are presented in media really does affect how they’re treated in real life.” The more people of color are represented positively in the media, the more likely people's biases and thoughts are to change and welcome the idea that people of color can be amazing, beautiful, caring human beings.
I love this so much!! This is a huge key actually representing a group of people down to the cultural furniture! This research is so important because it is true representation of a people and their history. Crazy Rich Asians was phenomenal and I had never seen a movie so beautifully designed and giving the world a perspective that the film industry doesn’t give. The quote “It’s about getting the details correct – the color, the flavors and making it feel authentic to whatever constituency you’re working with” really resonated with me and every designer should model their research off of this idea. I love the story of In The Heights and Miranda’s work on Hamilton so the research for this story is serious. I cannot wait to see the In The Heights movie and how well this team will tackle this production like they did with Crazy Rich Asians.
I am very excited to see an article like this. Even if this movie did not challenge themselves to create a culturally accurate movie, it is important that this article is there to ask these questions. But I am happy to hear that the director, Jon M. Chu, has a team that he can trust and knows the production designer will do his most to create a culturally conscious environment. It is nice to know that the production designer, Nelson Coates, also worked with Chu previously on Crazy Rich Asians. Now, I don't have much knowledge of how accurate that movie culturally but I heard great things about it and understand that the production attempted to make the movie's audience the same as the culture it was representing. In the Heights is the movie I am most looking forward to this summer. I hope it is everything the musical is and more, bringing a more visually stimulating environment to what Washington Heights is and to all the many hispanic cultures in that area and beyond.
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