GIVING CREDIT
Saluting the behind-the-scenes talent making movie magic.
‘We were a small group of likeminded people who were more determined than usual’
Craig Lathrop is one of Robert Eggers’ long-time collaborators – creating the physical worlds of The VVitch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. His work can also be seen in The Devil All The Time and The Empty Man. He tells Buff about the art of being invisible in his creativity.
How would you describe your role in simple terms?
I’m responsible for designing the physical world of a film, ensuring all of the visual elements work in concert to achieve the director’s vision and reflect the characters on screen. To do that, I am tasked with leading a large creative team to produce all of the sets, set dressing, props, graphics, greens (or landscaping), etc.
How did you get started?
I grew up in LA and studied theatre at CSUN after I left high school. I was able to get part-time work at a local scene shop during the school year and worked full-time as a carpenter on films during the summers. It wasn’t long until I started working as a set designer and worked my way up through art departments in LA, San Francisco, New York and Canada.
What’s the biggest misconception about production designers?
I don’t think a lot of people know what production designers actually do! I hope when you see a film I’ve designed, you’re transported into the world of the film. When the camera pushes into a character’s bedroom, I hope you’re not thinking about how the items on the bedside table reflect certain aspects of the character, or how the colour palette of the room ties into a larger thematic arc of the film or the emotional beat of the scene. I hope that you simply see the character’s bedroom and are excited to see what might happen there. When we do our jobs well, much of what we do should be invisible.
What’s the best thing about your job?
In the early days of pre-production, I may have an idea and scribble something down on a piece of paper, and then in just a few weeks or months, I get to walk onto the stage and there is the fully realised set, painted and dressed and waiting for the actors and other crew members to arrive. For me, there is not much better than that.
What’s the worst thing about the job?
There never seems to be enough money to do everything that had originally been envisioned. So a fairly large part of my job is to creatively and diplomatically help bring the vision and the budget together.
What’s the most memorable film you’ve worked on? And which was the most challenging?
The VVitch – we were a small group of like-minded people who were more determined than usual not to compromise even as we found a way to work within a small budget. The most challenging film is probably The Northman. The art department built everything on locations spread out over much of Northern Ireland. We had ships we designed in Belfast built in the Czech Republic, tapestries, carved idols and furniture being made in India, saddles and carts in England, and an army of carpenters, plasterers, painters, blacksmiths, propmakers, furniture makers, greens persons and other craftspeople building sets, forging swords, weaving blankets, etc. It was a lot of work, and terribly fun.
What do you need to be a production designer for films?
If you’re just starting out, I’d suggest two things. 1. Draw whenever you can. 2. Watch movies and start thinking about how your favourite filmmakers use world building to help tell a story. There are no certificates, diplomas, or official qualifications to be a production designer, but you will need to be able to work collaboratively, manage a budget, you’ll need time management and leadership skills, because you will be leading a team of creative people and there will never seem to be enough time in the day. To design most of these worlds, you should have strong general knowledge of architecture and the history of architecture, of interior design, furniture styles, graphic design, art and art history, storytelling, film and film history, popular culture, construction techniques and the trades, set construction techniques, paint finishes, etc. You will need to become the jack of all trades, but the master of only film design.
THE NORTHMAN IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD AND KEEP, AND ON 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAU AND DVD NOW.