Building Worlds The Art & Architecture of Film Design 30 January 2018 Linwood Dunn Theater powered by in association with Hollywood, California Building Worlds For decades, audiences around the globe have thrilled to the spectacular environments and memorable settings created by the designers of American movies: astonishing visions of the future, haunting evocations of the past, poetic renditions of the contemporary world. Meanwhile, the leading edge of architecture and urbanism has increasingly embraced the importance of “narrative” and “story” in the creation of new structures and places, widening their frame of Reference to include the power of experience, memory, and dreams. On the evening of January 30th, 2018, these two worlds will come together in a special cultural event—one poised at the very intersection of architecture and film, shifting fluidly between reality and fantasy, space and screen, modern urban life and timeless cinematic vision. The event Building Worlds: The Art & Architecture of Film Design will gather five of Hollywood’s most renowned production designers—a group of dazzlingly gifted men and women who among them have earned 12 Academy Award nominations and four Oscars—for a lively and informed conversation moderated by the architect James Sanders, AIA, author of the landmark volumes Celluloid Skyline and Scenes from the City. The event is being sponsored by the global architecture firm Woods Bagot, in association with the American Institute of Architects/Los Angeles Chapter and SCI-Arc, and The event’s participants represent some of the will take place at the Academy of Motion Picture most talented and accomplished figures working Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater, in the today, including Jim Bissell (E.T. the Extra- heart of Hollywood. terrestrial, The Monuments Men, 300, Good Night, and Good Luck), John Myhre (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Dreamgirls), Jeannine Oppewall (L.A. Confidential, Seabiscuit, Catch Me If You Can), and David & Sandy Wasco (La La Land, The Royal Tenenbaums, Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2). The evening will include a specially produced video presentation by the production designer and scholar John Muto (Home Alone, Night of The Comet, Terminator 2-3d). the conversation At the heart of Building Worlds will be wide-ranging The conversation will also ask the designers to explore art directors, construction departments, and, of course, and stimulating conversation, exploring the ways in the process of designing a feature film, from script and their directors and producers. which design and architecture have helped to shape story analysis, to visual concepts, to early sketches, to the extraordinary environments the participants working drawings, to built sets or dressed locations, to the One final turn of the conversation will reflect back out have imagined, designed, and constructed for their final onscreen image. This discussion will be illustrated to the larger urban environment in which the event—and array of globally admired films. Using examples from by rare—indeed, in many cases, never-seen-before— Hollywood itself—is situated: Los Angeles. Participants the panelists’ work (including features created in images provided by the designers themselves, including will be asked to discuss the challenges and opportunities collaboration with directors Steven Spielberg, Quentin hand-drawn sketches, storyboards, physical and digital in capturing on film the city in which they live and work, Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and others), the conversation models, plans and elevations, sets under construction, in films ranging from La La Land and L.A. Confidential will explore ways in which the design of films mirrors the etc. These revealing images will provide the springboard to Rules Don’t Apply and The Rocketeer. design of actual places—and the crucial ways it differs. It for the designers to share essential insights on the journey The program will be recorded and will be distributed will discuss the power of narrative to shape the “space” from initial idea to finished motion picture, from the online in the Spring of 2018, in edited form, in an online of films, and the techniques by which film designers fundamental mix of techniques they employ—purpose- video. combine careful research, close observation, and free- built stage sets, adapted locations, and in recent decades, flowing imagination to create the broadly believable yet computer generated imagery—to the kinds of creative visually powerful “worlds” in which their films take place. collaborations they they must forge with set decorators, The Participants THE co-ORGANIZER JOHN MUTO Jim Bissell John Myhre JeaNnine Oppewall David Wasco & A longtime production designer Jim Bissell began his career in film John Myhre is a celebrated Jeannine Oppewall is a renowned Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Home Alone, Night of The Comet, art direction by designing Steven American production designer who production designer who has designed Terminator 2-3D) and scholar David Wasco & Sandy Reynolds- Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. has garnered five Academy Award more than thirty feature films. She of American art direction, Muto Wasco are a husband-and-wife team His film design credits include nominations and two Oscars for his has received four Academy Award founded the Art Directors Film of production designer (David) and The Monuments Men, Mission: work. In recent decades, he has been nominations for Best Art Direction, Society in 2001, dedicated to putting art director/set decorator (Sandy). Impossible—Rogue Nation, Mission: known for his long and close creative for L.A. Confidential, Pleasantville, a spotlight on unsung, neglected, They are known for designing La Impossible—Ghost Protocol, Jack collaboration with the director Rob Seabiscuit, and The Good Shepherd. and forgotten gems of film design. La Land, for which they received an Reacher, 300, Good Night, and Good Marshall, on the filmsChicago (2002) Her notable films also include The He has lectured on film design at Academy Award, and for their work Luck, The Rocketeer and the recently and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)— Big Easy, The Bridges of Madison universities in the United States, with director Quentin Tarantino, released Suburbicon, directed by both of which earned him Oscars— County, and Catch Me If You Can, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp George Clooney. as well as the musicals Nine (2009) and the recently released Rules Don’t He has taught at the American Film Fiction, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: and the upcoming Mary Poppins Apply, directed by Warren Beatty. Institute, UCLA, and is currently Bissell was the original chair for the Volume 2, along with Michael Mann’s Returns, starring Emily Blunt in the teaching production design at Art Directors Guild Awards as well as Oppewall began her design career at Collateral. title role. California State University at Long a former Vice President of the Guild. the age of 22 at the legendary design For their work, the have been awarded Beach. He is a twenty-five-year He has taught at AFI, USC, UCLA Other film titles include The studio of Charles and Ray Eames, the Art Directors Guild Award for member of the Designers’ Branch extension and the NC School of the Great Wall (2016), shot entirely who, in her words, “saw something in Excellence in Production Design for of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and is a member of the DGA, in the People’s Republic of China, me I didn’t know was there.” By the a Contemporary Film, Critics’ Choice Arts and Sciences. ADG, and Academy of Motion Picture Dreamgirls (2006), Elizabeth (1998), end of her eight years with the office, Movie Award for Best Art Direction. Arts and Sciences. Ali (2001), and X-Men (2000). she was designing and organizing In addition to his film production Eames’ international museum design work, Myhre has designed exhibits. several stage and exhibition projects, including the 84th Academy Awards ceremony is 2011. The Moderator Cultural Initiatives/2018 James Sanders, AIA James Sanders, AIA, is an part PBS series, New York: A Building Worlds is part of an inaugural internationally recognized Documentary Film, and Andy series of innovative events and programs, architect, author, and Warhol: A Documentary Film, sponsored by Woods Bagot in association documentary filmmaker. His for which he received an Emmy with a group of civic, cultural, and media landmark study of the city and Award for Outstanding Non- partners, that seek to expand discussion film, Celluloid Skyline (Knopf), Fiction Writing. was hailed by Jane Jacobs as and understanding of major areas of Mr. Sanders is affiliated with a “marvelous—miraculous— contemporary architecture, design, Columbia University’s Graduate book” and became a large-scale and urbanism, including the changing School of Architecture, multimedia exhibition in Grand Preservation and Planning, landscape of cities, and the evolving Central Terminal, sponsored by is a trustee of the Skyscraper nature and variety of contemporary TCM. In association with the Museum, and is the consulting design practice. NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Chair of the Design Review Theater and Broadcasting, Board for the global architecture he produced Scenes from the A companion event, LA 3.0: Development and firm, Woods Bagot. In 2006 City: Filmmaking in New York he was awarded a John Simon Design for the New Los Angeles, sponsored (Rizzoli), with contributions Guggenheim Fellowship for in association with SCI-Arc, will be held by Martin Scorsese and Nora research in the experience of Ephron. With Ric Burns, he co- on February 1, 2018 at the campus of SCI- cities. wrote the award-winning eight- Arc in the Arts District of Los Angeles. sponsoring PartneR cultural Partners MEDIA PartneR the venue Woods Bagot Global Studio AIA|LA members are at the forefront Located in downtown Los Angeles, Metropolis magazine is the continually expands and challenges of delivering design excellence, and SCI-Arc is a center of innovation and indispensable source for architecture the expectations of multi- contributing to the well being of one of the nation’s few independent and design at all scales.