Filmmaker Magazine: Ethan Tobman describes production design as the art of “visually interpreting the world of a director through emotional architecture.” Below, he and director Mark Mylod discuss their film The Menu and going from reference images on the wall to a fully realized world structured to best absorb the viewer emotionally while furthering the narrative (along with meticulously crafting a last-minute birthday cake and a finale involving a carefully choreographed 30×60-foot flaming dessert).
4 comments:
This concept of fake food is something that can be translated from both film and stage. Fake food is such a hard prop to create to get it to look realistic enough to pass on stage but also not be gross as sometime the process to get the food to look right is slightly off-putting. The menu was a unique challenge because the whole story centered around food and this incredibly deluxe fine dining restaurant. The people that do fake food well do it incredibly well and I think that it is a true artistry. I do wonder if there are any film tricks that could translate to theatre that are either being employed at larger theatres or specific artists that could be more widely used in the industry. I wish there was a distributer of fake food that looked more realistic to what is actually eaten because every time I go to source something I can never find exactly what I am looking for.
I agree with Kelsey that there are many things discussed in this interview that can be applied to theatre and how we work. It seems like the director, Mark, and the production designer, Ethan, have an excellent working relationship. I relate to Mark when he acknowledges that he’s insecure about his visual vocabulary because we also interact with designers a lot, and sharing the same vocabulary is difficult yet essential. Even when we are using the same word, how listeners interpret and visualise the wording varies from person to person. In times like these, much like Mark and Ethan said, it is then crucial to use visual references to ensure that everyone’s on the same page to avoid confusion and complications much later on in the process. Moreover, it’s inspiring to see how Mark welcomes Ethan to be so involved in the production process instead of just telling him what the props need to look like. This is definitely something that we can bring into our processes here at CMU.
Mark and Ethan undoubtedly have a great work dynamic and it was super interesting reading how they would work and talk to each other. Their method of creating art is something that many people could work on. They both were very good about identifying their strengths and also their weaknesses, and figured out how to mesh them to create a final product that beat their initial expectations. I also found the physical process of creation fascinating, especially the story of how Ethan and his team made a large cake overnight with no warning. He didn't see this as a chore but instead cited it as one of the best nights of his job. Being able to be inspired and passionate about work is one of the best skills anyone can have, especially in a creative job. I have experienced this with personal projects, and it is a great feeling to work hard on something and surpass all expectations for it.
There are a couple of reasons why I really enjoyed this article. The first of which is that the article talks about how different roles work together on a Hollywood set. As someone who is interested in pursuing this field, I really love and need to hear about how these professional dynamics work together. I am just starting to get into the world and learning the difference between creative directors, directors producers, and designers. This article really talks about the importance of teamwork and learning how to communicate with other people in order to get ideas across. I think if anything sums up how the production process works it is probably that. I will now probably have to watch this movie because the amount of thought and research that went into this design sounds amazing and It is crazy to me the sheer amount of food they must have made for the movie and how much edible food they must have made
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