Production Designer

- Late Afternoon, 2017, directed by Louise Bagnall -

On this project I worked closely with director, Louise Bagnall, to develop the visual style of the film. With another main designer, Stefano Scapolan, we established a visual language for three distinct settings in the film; the present, the subconscious and the memories. Each setting needed to be distinct, but also flow smoothly from one to the next.

The connecting thread between these worlds was colour and, with Stefano, we created a colour script which aimed to find a satisfying transition between them. In the present day the living room has very limited colours and the backgrounds have more structured compositions with defined lines and flat staging. The approach for the memories was to have looser, broken lines, and a palette dominated by single vivid colours. I also explored the treatment of light in my early concept designs, which was carried through as a significant storytelling tool throughout the film. 

Another part of my role was exploring ways of representing the more abstract ideas on screen. I developed an aesthetic for the memory 'blobs' as they were such a significant transition from the subconscious world into Emily's memories. We applied this aesthetic to the other memory symbols in each sequence, creating a cohesive feeling throughout. The process was a mix of looping shapes and textures animated in Photoshop and layered together in After Effects.  

At the production stage of the film, I created a number of production backgrounds as well as tackling compositing for some of the abstract moments. As with most short animated films, it was all hands on deck, and I was happy to contribute versatility and adaptability to the team.