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Tuesday, September 07, 2021
'Shang Chi' Production Designer on Building the Film's Magical Village
Variety: From dragon scales to the five elements of Chinese philosophy, production designer Sue Chan worked to incorporate numerous element into the set details of Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
6 comments:
Madeline Miller
said...
I am not a Marvel fan, but I loved Shang Chi. I thought it was more emotionally and creatively genuine than the superhero movies of CGI villains, sets, and artificial emotion that I am used to seeing. Reading about the creation of the Ta Lo set was fascinating. Movie sets are different from theater sets in that a lot of the setting can be created digitally, so I was surprised to learn that Ta Lo is actually a fully built village. Shang Chi is a wonderful example of what actual representation in the arts looks like. Not only is the large majority of the cast Asian, but there were also many Asian people in creative leadership roles, one of whom is production designer Sue Chan. The scale and detail of this set is a testament to the effort of the creative team, as well as the respect paid to these characters and this story. The success of Shang Chi emphasizes the importance of comprehensive representation and true creative care in film.
I was excited when I heard this movie was happening because I couldn’t wait to see the design concepts and elements of design that would be implemented. I spent a lot of time studying ancient Chinese history and cultural design within dynasties in my undergrad program. I am glad that the story line allows for the design to be “all over the place”, because I think they were able to combine some of the most beautiful aspects of various cultures throughout China’s history. the time is over due for Chinese culture to be represented on a bigger scale in our mainstream media especially in an appropriate and respectful manner. I love how much research went into the design of the entire production and the honest perspective and drive for them to tell a story that was grounded in truth yet the supernatural. You can tell how much care went into it by their responses in this small article interview. I had no idea that they filmed in Australia so the process to create their world there was a massive undertaking.
I loved “Shang Chi” for its uniqueness and its obvious differences from the rest of the MCU, and I find that Sue Chan’s description of her work as the production designer fit in with the reasons I loved the film. It had its own style, perfectly followed by the script, Chan’s sets, and even the stunt choreography that truly built up a unique world for the characters of “Shang Chi.” Her explanation of the research that went into the construction of all the sets, from San Francisco to Ta Lo, encapsulates the obvious care put into every bit of the film and sets it apart from the regular MCU blockbusters with their rather basic Sci-Fi set pieces, as Chan based her fantasy world in history as well as imagination. Particularly the melding of the fantastical Dragon Scale material and ancient chinese architecture wowed me even before I heard the explanation as an incredible fusion of myth and fact that makes for the most interesting, believable fantasy.
Hi, hello, I'm, like, never going to stop talking about this goddamn movie. First of all, I've been on an embarrassingly long Marvel kick ever since the Falcon and the Winter Soldier came out, so Marvel content is just a huge dopamine kick for me right now. Second of all, I love, love, love behind the scenes content, so interviews with cast and crew, gag reels, and making-of clips just send me over the moon. Third of all, I love being Asian. I'm Taiwanese, but ethnically Han, so Chinese culture ties into a lot of stuff I am familiar with. I don't want to compare the content and message of the movies, but this was like the second coming of Crazy Rich Asians for me in the way it was so cathartic for me to see elements of my culture onscreen in a casual, integrated way. I might go and watch it one or more times. Can't get enough of this movie.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a visually stunning film. I have so much respect for the production designer and the whole creative team that created the world of the film. I have always found it fascinating to learn about what went on behind the scenes to create films with such a visual spectacle (other than just an exorbitant budget). Reading this interview with Sue Chan, the production designer, gave great insight into the time and care that went into researching and portraying this culture with great and painstaking attention to detail. I also immensely appreciate that an overwhelming majority of the production team was Chinese. There are too many films which are heavily inspired by other cultures when the entire production team is white. Shang Chi is a nice change, and seeing as it is also a Marvel film, hopefully this will pave the way to more diversity in production teams on big films such as this one in the future. I absolutely want to watch the film again, especially now with the new insight I have gained from reading this interview with Chan.
I’ve liked watching Marvel movies for a large part of my life, but Shang-Chi is now probably my favorite one. I’ve seen it twice so far. I was adopted from China into a predominantly white place and it’s been pretty alienating my entire life. Getting to see a major superhero movie with people who look like me and come from my ethnic background meant a lot. Something I’ve also loved for a long time is fantasy, so I really enjoyed getting to see Ta Lo with all the mythological creatures and traditional architecture. I love how a lot of it was in Mandarin, and how segments of it played out like a Wuxia film. I’m also kind of surprised that they built the village, since it seems like a lot of large sets these days are comprised of mostly green screen shots and CGI built around them. I definitely would love to get the chance to work on a set for a show like this.
6 comments:
I am not a Marvel fan, but I loved Shang Chi. I thought it was more emotionally and creatively genuine than the superhero movies of CGI villains, sets, and artificial emotion that I am used to seeing. Reading about the creation of the Ta Lo set was fascinating. Movie sets are different from theater sets in that a lot of the setting can be created digitally, so I was surprised to learn that Ta Lo is actually a fully built village. Shang Chi is a wonderful example of what actual representation in the arts looks like. Not only is the large majority of the cast Asian, but there were also many Asian people in creative leadership roles, one of whom is production designer Sue Chan. The scale and detail of this set is a testament to the effort of the creative team, as well as the respect paid to these characters and this story. The success of Shang Chi emphasizes the importance of comprehensive representation and true creative care in film.
I was excited when I heard this movie was happening because I couldn’t wait to see the design concepts and elements of design that would be implemented. I spent a lot of time studying ancient Chinese history and cultural design within dynasties in my undergrad program. I am glad that the story line allows for the design to be “all over the place”, because I think they were able to combine some of the most beautiful aspects of various cultures throughout China’s history. the time is over due for Chinese culture to be represented on a bigger scale in our mainstream media especially in an appropriate and respectful manner. I love how much research went into the design of the entire production and the honest perspective and drive for them to tell a story that was grounded in truth yet the supernatural. You can tell how much care went into it by their responses in this small article interview. I had no idea that they filmed in Australia so the process to create their world there was a massive undertaking.
I loved “Shang Chi” for its uniqueness and its obvious differences from the rest of the MCU, and I find that Sue Chan’s description of her work as the production designer fit in with the reasons I loved the film. It had its own style, perfectly followed by the script, Chan’s sets, and even the stunt choreography that truly built up a unique world for the characters of “Shang Chi.” Her explanation of the research that went into the construction of all the sets, from San Francisco to Ta Lo, encapsulates the obvious care put into every bit of the film and sets it apart from the regular MCU blockbusters with their rather basic Sci-Fi set pieces, as Chan based her fantasy world in history as well as imagination. Particularly the melding of the fantastical Dragon Scale material and ancient chinese architecture wowed me even before I heard the explanation as an incredible fusion of myth and fact that makes for the most interesting, believable fantasy.
Hi, hello, I'm, like, never going to stop talking about this goddamn movie. First of all, I've been on an embarrassingly long Marvel kick ever since the Falcon and the Winter Soldier came out, so Marvel content is just a huge dopamine kick for me right now. Second of all, I love, love, love behind the scenes content, so interviews with cast and crew, gag reels, and making-of clips just send me over the moon. Third of all, I love being Asian. I'm Taiwanese, but ethnically Han, so Chinese culture ties into a lot of stuff I am familiar with. I don't want to compare the content and message of the movies, but this was like the second coming of Crazy Rich Asians for me in the way it was so cathartic for me to see elements of my culture onscreen in a casual, integrated way. I might go and watch it one or more times. Can't get enough of this movie.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a visually stunning film. I have so much respect for the production designer and the whole creative team that created the world of the film. I have always found it fascinating to learn about what went on behind the scenes to create films with such a visual spectacle (other than just an exorbitant budget). Reading this interview with Sue Chan, the production designer, gave great insight into the time and care that went into researching and portraying this culture with great and painstaking attention to detail. I also immensely appreciate that an overwhelming majority of the production team was Chinese. There are too many films which are heavily inspired by other cultures when the entire production team is white. Shang Chi is a nice change, and seeing as it is also a Marvel film, hopefully this will pave the way to more diversity in production teams on big films such as this one in the future. I absolutely want to watch the film again, especially now with the new insight I have gained from reading this interview with Chan.
I’ve liked watching Marvel movies for a large part of my life, but Shang-Chi is now probably my favorite one. I’ve seen it twice so far. I was adopted from China into a predominantly white place and it’s been pretty alienating my entire life. Getting to see a major superhero movie with people who look like me and come from my ethnic background meant a lot. Something I’ve also loved for a long time is fantasy, so I really enjoyed getting to see Ta Lo with all the mythological creatures and traditional architecture. I love how a lot of it was in Mandarin, and how segments of it played out like a Wuxia film. I’m also kind of surprised that they built the village, since it seems like a lot of large sets these days are comprised of mostly green screen shots and CGI built around them. I definitely would love to get the chance to work on a set for a show like this.
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