Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544119
Finding the design language for this film was an intense process. I knew the period well and I thought I knew director Emerald Fennell's instincts… But it wasn't that simple! I could hardly contain myself reading the script for the first time. Emerald Fennell's wordsmithery is a Production Designer's dream, and occasionally, a mild threat. The stage directions alone triggered a familiar emotional response: "How on earth am I going to do this?" swiftly followed by, "I absolutely cannot wait to do this!" At the beginning of preproduction, we were in different parts of the world and talked through her desires and images for the story across many long Zooms. Not in terms of fixed references or rules, but more ambition, mood and instinct. Kubrick. Gone with the Wind. Bergman. One particular text she sent during this period opened doors in my brain I didn't know existed: "I'd love to see a truly unhinged scary German expressionist version. Go fully bonkers and then we can pull back." The idea of restraint arrived later and, as it turned out, only partially. The spaces needed to feel like extensions of the characters themselves—volatile, sensual, slightly unhinged. Sensation was as important as form. If there had been a way to make the audience smell and touch the design, we would have done that too!! We talked constantly about atmosphere —walls that felt like they were sweating, the smell of the freshly cut grass and the roses clustered around the swing. Even food became part of the language—excessive and tactile, almost oppressive in its presence. The aim was immersion—not simply to look at these spaces, but to feel them pressing in on the viewer. At that point, I realized this wasn't going to be about recreating the past, but more about translating obsession into filmic architecture. Collaborating with Emerald is like getting a creative fix injected straight into the bloodstream. Her enthusiasm was palpable and genuinely infectious. Whenever she came into the office, the atmosphere shifted—there was a surge of energy as if everyone sat up a little straighter!! She noticed everything—fabric was picked B A. WUTHERING HEIGHTS EXTERIOR. ILLUSTRATION. B. WUTHERING HEIGHTS EXTERIOR. IN PROGRESS. C. WUTHERING HEIGHTS STAGE PLAN. D. WUTHERING HEIGHTS DIGITAL MODEL. E. WUTHERING HEIGHTS ARCHWAY. SET PHOTO. A