Final stages of Carcass: Set concepts

An idea for Lucy’s flat that shows the sleeping area, seating area, skylight lighting source and possible colour for walls. This concept was a work in progress and would benefit from some more detail, however, the process did give me some experience of concept art. I would like to try producing concepts on the computer in the future, maybe using sketch up/Photoshop/ Vector or a combination of these in addition to hand-drawn visuals.

Rough white card model of Lucy’s flat (external) showing the platform and tank. Tanks are used for underwater filming but can also be used when height is needed to allow levels within the set or for cameras to film from beneath.

Interior of Lucy’s flat showing some light sources and potential camera angles.

Another shot showing the possible light sources from the exterior and a high camera angle with a ceiling removed.

The photo below shows one of the ceilings that would be removed for filming or lighting.

Machine concept variations for Carcass

The original drawing of a concept, showing a view through the machine in Carcass. Below that are some colour versions. I may add some more colour to show the rivers of red described in the script later this week.

The role of the production designer: The creative trinity

I have been researching the role of the Production Designer for both the Carcass project and my on going final project. Both use the skills of the designer in producing the sets, concepts, use of location and props design plus theoretically take on board the relationship between the Director, Director of Photography and Production Design known as the Trinity (LoBrutto,V., 2002,). I’ve broken it down into a simple form, showing the script/story at the centre of the creative process.

One of the main roles of the Production Designer is to assist the Director in their vision of the story and to provide various possibilities for filming i.e. camera angles, revealing the meaning of story, a visual representation of symbolism or metaphors that work on a subconscious level. For Carcass, we have to produce a series of designs without physical interaction with a Director who would probably have a definite idea of how they want to represent the story.  The designer would then discuss, re-design, accommodate the wishes of the Director within the constraints of budget, much like theatre.

On Carcass we have to make a lot of decisions based purely on the script and discussions within our design group. My personal project will probably be similar.

Notes taken from The Filmmakers Guide to Production Design (LoBrutto,V., 2002)