Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1490572
and trusting each other's decisions with a shared focus on making Guillermo's vision of Pinocchio a reality. I had worked with Guillermo del Toro for over a decade as concept designer on many of his previous productions. We had a good collaborative dynamic and I also had a good understanding of what he's looking for in a design and execution of ideas. And that collaboration of design and world building with Guillermo also helps with story and character, sometimes visually inspiring ideas for one element would lead back to strengthen the designs for others. Originally, I was part of his core concept team on the second phase of Pinocchio back in 2012, reworking characters from the original start of concept and Gris Grimly's designs of Pinocchio and some of the earlier characters. When the production restarted years later, I was honored to be asked to come back as Production Designer and share duties with Curt. But before production fully started at ShadowMachine, I collaborated directly with Guillermo again on first reworking Pinocchio and then some of the new characters he had written into the script, like Death and the Wood Sprite. That design phase collaboration continued into production with Guillermo always being B. LIKE THE FILM'S CAST OF PUPPETS, THE WORLD AND ARCHITECTURE WOULD BE EXAGGERATED BUT REFERENCED TO THE REAL WORLD SO THERE WAS NO SENSE OF WHIMSY. C. CONCEPT FOR THE FASCIST TRAINING CAMP, ITS MORE SEVERE MODERNIST DESIGN CONTRASTED AGAINST THE WARMER TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE VILLAGE. D. ART DIRECTOR ROB DESUE MANIPULATED A PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN BEST WHICH CONTAINED ALL PRIMARY HUES IN WHITE LIGHT TO REFLECT HOW WE COULD SHIFT THOSE COLORS TO FOLLOW GUILLERMO'S GUIDANCE. very hands on with every aspect of the film. From concept to fabrication of puppet costuming and set decoration or color key, Guillermo oversaw all the details of production, along with co-director Mark Gustafson. And for me and Curt, Production Design also carried over to character design and costuming, since we weren't just world building but also helping create the puppet actors as well. I think for myself having that background in concept and design helped, in that I could visually put ideas down quickly or interpret any historical details Curt researched into the context of the design stylization we were working out with Guillermo. Eventually with much of the design and look of the film worked out with setting and character, and the process moved more toward construction and fabrication. I moved onto another Guillermo project, Nightmare Alley. Curt and Art Director Rob DeSue continued on with the Portland production, along with working with the teams at El Taller del Chucho in Guadalajara and Mackinnon & Saunders in the UK, along with digital effects by Toronto MPC, but I continued to provide any draw overs or notes needed as sculpts and designs were being worked up to keep everything consistent and on model for the look of the film. D B C