Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504681
4 0 P E R S P E C T I V E | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 The many variations on a theme, the different historical periods, the range of excellent directors, (some up-and-comers, some seasoned pros). That, along with a curated selection of stories from a producer/writer/director who holds an extremely high bar for visual excellence in all his projects. And, yes, designing the eight very different tales that make up Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities was all that. It was also a head-spinning, utterly challenging, and an exhausting chess game of design moves that kept me and the Art Department team tap dancing all the way through giant rat tunnels, surreal storage lockers, musty cellars, strange forests and remarkable Brutalist mansions. As a designer, I was grateful for my team, the ease and grace with which they understood my vision and the collective vision—their support, their teamwork, their creativity. I was grateful to Netflix for a comfortable budget that didn't restrict our work, but, also, for leaving us to "do our thing" without interference, suggestions, restrictive approval processes. Working with longtime collaborator, producer J. Miles Dale, I felt supported, enabled, appreciated. Having a producer who understands the design process was vital on a show of this breadth. And, then, there is Guillermo, for whom design is of utmost importance: The look is as essential as the actors, script and camera. It really is the canvas that holds the story together…or, in this case, the many stories. All this made the dance bearable… and, indeed, there were days when it was eight kinds of "fun." T h e D a n c e o f t h e A n t h o l o g y S e r i e s A L L U R E , A N G S T, A G O N Y B Y TA M A R A D E V E R E L L , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R "It will be intriguing, fascinating, different, even fun," I mused when first approached to do an anthology series with show creator Guillermo del Toro. "A designer's dream." A. "LOT 36" STORAGE LOCKER, DOTTIE'S CELL. ILLUSTRATION BY ANDY TSANG USING BLENDER AND PHOTOSHOP. B. INTRO CABINET. DIGITAL MODEL BY SORIN POPESCU AND SHIRIN RASHID USING CINEMA AD AND RHINO 7. C. "LOT 36" STORAGE CORRIDOR. ILLUSTRATION BY ANDY TSANG USING BLENDER AND PHOTOSHOP. D. "LOT 36" STORAGE CORRIDOR IN PROGRESS. SET PHOTO. A