Designing a World for a Story
A home makeover show is a genre of reality television where a host and a team of designers renovate a person’s home in a short amount of time. The emotional core of the show is the “reveal,” where the homeowner sees their transformed space for the first time. While this is a non-fiction format, the entire process provides a direct and accessible parallel to the crucial filmmaking craft of production design.
Production design is the art of creating the entire physical world of a film. The production designer, along with their team of art directors, set decorators, and construction crews, is responsible for designing and building every set, from an intimate bedroom to a sprawling alien landscape. Just like in a home makeover, their job is to transform a space to tell a story and reflect the personality of the characters who inhabit it.
The Parallels Between Makeover and Moviemaking
We can understand the complex job of a film’s art department by looking at it through the lens of a home makeover show:
- The “Client” is the Character: In a makeover show, the designer consults with the homeowner to understand their personality, needs, and style. In a film, the production designer “consults” with the script and the director to understand the characters. Is the character neat or messy? Wealthy or poor? What are their hobbies? The answers to these questions inform every choice made about the set, from the color of the walls to the specific type of clutter on a desk.
- The “Before” is the Empty Stage: A home makeover starts with a dated or dysfunctional room. A film often starts with an empty soundstage or a blank location.
- The “Renovation” is Pre-Production: The design team on the show sources materials and plans the new layout. The film’s art department sources props, builds scenery, and dresses the set with furniture, artwork, and personal items that bring the character’s world to life.
- The “Reveal” is the Final Film: The emotional climax of the show is the reveal. In a movie, the “reveal” is the final, immersive world presented to the audience. A successful production design is one that feels so authentic and lived-in that the audience never questions it, fully believing that the characters truly belong in that space.
Essentially, a home makeover show televises a condensed, real-world version of the same storytelling-through-environment that a production designer does for every single frame of a film.