Continuing the ongoing series of interviews with creative artists working on various aspects of movie and TV productions, it is my honor to welcome Rick Carter. His wonderful career has brought us the worlds of the original “Jurassic Park” and its “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” sequel, “Forrest Gump”, “Cast Away”, “Polar Express”, both sequels in the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker”, “Munich”, “Lincoln”, “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” and “Avatar”. He has won Academy Awards for the production design of “Avatar” and “Lincoln”. In this interview Rick talks about building a world that serves the story, the expansion and evolution of the role of the production designer in the last 50 years, the magic of watching these stories on big screens, and what advice he’d give to his younger self.

This interview is the third and final part of a special initiative – a collaboration with the Production Designers Collective that was founded in 2014. This collective brings together over 1,500 members from all around the world, sharing ideas, experiences and advice across the industry. We talk about its goals and initiatives, and the upcoming second International Production Design Week scheduled in mid-October this year. Here you can browse its full program, where you can filter by country, city, category and more to find an event near you.

Kirill: Please tell us about yourself, and how did you start in the industry.

Rick: I grew up around the Hollywood filmmaking industry because my father was a publicist. I knew about it a little bit from the inside, but I wasn’t sure I wanted too much to do with it. After I went traveling extensively as a young man, it seemed to fit because of the art that was embedded in the art direction. It felt like that it would be a good path for me to see if I can make my way.

I think I came in also to a fortuitous time because the industry was in the midst of a lot of changes. This was in the early 1970s, and I was able to meet some people that I got along well with. So I had it quite good, because once I met Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, I had 20 years of the two of them as these two brothers, almost an older brother and a younger brother that I could collaborate with. They were so good at what they were doing in terms of making movies, and they took me along for the ride. I attribute a lot to where they went with their ideas and how those were realized.

It felt like I was growing up going on those adventures through the movies that we did together, from “Back to the Future” to “Jurassic Park” to “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”. There were so many adventures to go on in the stories – time travel, dinosaurs slave ships and islands, the future with the AI. I was introduced to so many worlds, and then I was the one who got to be in charge of making the worlds. That was an adventure to be called upon from my early thirties to my mid fifties. They were jobs, but it wasn’t that formal. It felt more like I was being invited to partake of their fantasies. And they were very interesting people, and they were successful with what they were doing.

Kirill: Would you say that you got to participate in this transition from special effects to visual effects? What kind of world building it unlocked for you?

Rick: There was the digital revolution, moving from analog to digital, and from optical to digital. The expansiveness of the digital realm has opened up how big the worlds can be as they come across on screen. They’re not necessarily built out more physically, and so the production design is more split now between the physical and the digital side of it.

It can be an historical world or a fantasy world, but they all share the same DNA for me. I ask myself how could I believe this? How could I truly be inspired to be at that place? That’s what I try to bring to the production design – the authenticity of the place that I’m in. I want to have it feel like it serves the story in the right way. And also, it needs to come together emotionally to be supportive of the actors and the narrative of the story. It’s an intuitive process, and there are many levels to manage through the process, be it set decoration, illustration or digital arts.

As production designers, we’re in the midst of this expansive arena, and it keeps on expanding as the technology keeps on expanding. Generative AI is just the latest example of this.

Rick Carter’s work on “Jurassic Park”.

Kirill: How do you see the role of the production designer evolving over these last few decades? I’m partial to the ’50s and the ’60s, with Hitchcock and Kubrick as some of my favorites. I just rewatched “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “To Catch a Thief”, and there is no production design credit. It was art direction, which later morphed into world building, and separating – or maybe elevating – the role of the production designer.

Rick: The elevation creation of the production design credit happened all the way back in 1939 with “Gone with the Wind”. They gave William Cameron Menzies a special title called production designer for that production, because he had so much involvement in all the development of the whole movie getting made.

But at that point, most people that were in the art direction end of it – they were art directors. Then, as you said, production design started slowly getting credibility through the ’60s into the ’70s. That gets to the era that I’ve been involved in, starting in the ’70s and all the way until now, where the movies have become so complex that more often than not, I’ve had co/production design collaborators. The role is so big and so diverse, and it’s important to have a way of making it cohesive, which often is beyond the capacity of one person. And it’s never really one person anyway. It is so collaborative. There’s so many people involved.

It certainly has expanded during my time. It used to be about drawing up physical sets and maybe do some illustrations, but nowadays it is about world building. We’ve also seen many games taking advantage of world building. You might or might not have a narrative in a particular game, but the world is still in there.

I don’t know where it’s going from here. It’s extremely expansive because of how much even my own minimal experience with the AI has been. I look at the AI as a partner and not a tool. It’s an advancement of what started with the digital revolution, and now it’s going that much further. You mentioned Kubrick, and he is in many ways a godfather of the concept of the AI. It wasn’t specifically digital in “2001: A Space Odyssey”, HAL is the entity brain. And then I got to work on “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” which was Kubrick’s concept.

I am old enough to have been around at those times, and that was my learning curve to see it a little broader than most people see it now – in the evolution of it from the analog times in the beginning of production design, through going into the digital realm to design worlds. Calling it “worlds” is an interesting way for people on the outside to perceive it. It’s almost a magician’s act. You’re always involved in something that the audience can see. But you have to really look at it and admire it. And when you’re admiring production design, you’re not into the movie. It’s almost going antithetical to how most people like to watch movies.

Rick Carter’s work on “Jurassic Park”.

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Continuing the ongoing series of interviews with creative artists working on various aspects of movie and episodic productions, it is my pleasure to welcome Kathrin Eder. In this interview, she talks about collaboration and fostering creativity, the importance of tactile work, challenging the viewers through her stories, the impact of Covid on the industry, and her thoughts on generative AI. Between all these and more, Kathrin dives deep into her work on the just-released “The Man in My Basement”.

Kirill: Please tell us about yourself and the path that took you to where you are today.

Kathrin: My name is Kathrin Eder, and I am a production designer. I’m originally from Austria, where I grew up in the time before cell phones and the Internet. My village didn’t have a permanent movie theater; instead, the convention center would occasionally be converted into one. That was where I first discovered Disney films, with their brutal storylines of loss and their magical approach to visual storytelling.

Later in my teen years, I felt a calling toward the visual arts. With my limited access to the university system in Austria, I applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna but was turned down. Looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It led me to study social and cultural anthropology, which allowed me to explore philosophy, sociology, ecology, and the grand sciences that make up the human experience.

I always had a need to travel, and on one of my trips I met someone who invited me to Los Angeles. When I arrived, I realized I could pursue my curiosity for art in a different way than in Austria. I didn’t need pre-given talents – I could be curious and naive, and that freedom spoke to me. I originally wanted to become a screenwriter, without really knowing what that meant. But through a fine arts internship with local artists, I discovered production design and soon became an intern to a production designer on a music video.

The first time I stepped on set, I felt like production design had chosen me. It was one of those rare moments when everything made sense. From then on, with the support of friends who believed in my growth, I took filmmaking seriously. I wanted to understand storytelling, mythology, and world-building. That curiosity led me to teach myself design – by working on short films, collaborating with students, and starting out in the indie world. It’s been a journey now for about sixteen years.

Kirill: Is there anything that you’ve seen on your projects that was particularly surprising?

Kathrin: There’s a surprise in every story. I believe that as much as we choose projects, projects also choose us. Every story that enters your life is, in some way, connected to your own experience. Each project becomes a vessel – a moment in time where, through collaboration, you can reflect on your emotions, your pain, and sometimes your most personal experiences. I’m always struck by the unexpected moments when something – or someone – truly resonates. The first surprise is always the emotional connection you make.

As to execution, I believe creativity is malleable – there’s never just one right idea. Communication fuels creativity, and the most beautiful surprises for me always come when communication flows easily with collaborators. You enter a mental space that feels familiar from childhood. When you’re fully immersed in the creative process, there’s no fear and no boundaries. You’re in that place where judgment disappears, and reaching that point with colleagues is always a truly beautiful surprise.

Another surprise is that no matter how much you plan, there will always be coincidence. Coincidence can be a beautiful addition to what to what your plans are. Coincidentally, a color doesn’t turn out the way it should be. Coincidentally, a wallpaper that was shipped to you has water stains on one side and creates a new pattern. It’s tiny instances like that.

When you collaborate with others, you can never assume they’re seeing things the same way you do. You can’t assume they share your perspective or your assumptions. What comes out of that collaboration can be surprising – and often, endearing.

Lookbook development for “The Man in My Basement”, courtesy of Kathrin Eder.

Kirill: Do you feel that anybody can be an artist?

Kathrin: Yes, I think so. I don’t consider myself an artist. I consider myself a craftsperson – someone with many passions.

The reason I left Austria was because the image of “the artist” there felt so tied to old aristocratic principles, rooted in our history. It created something elitist, something I felt ordinary people couldn’t access – and I never liked that. To me, art prospers in conflict. Art prospers where there is struggle. It is a form of expression, a form of storytelling, and it runs in our DNA to be storytellers.

To become someone whose creations are appreciated by others, you need dedication and curiosity. You need to reflect on your own growth, to train your skills, to consistently be in dialogue with yourself. At its core, art is an expression of the human soul – and everybody carries it within them.

Kirill: Is there such a thing as objectively good and bad art? I have my own reactions to different stories, and so does everybody else, and different people like different things. But there are also some artists and works of art that are universally considered to be masterpieces. How do you see it?

Kathrin: I’ve thought about this so many times. Recently I was in Venice at a Da Vinci exhibit. You look at his work and you can’t help but bow your head – you’re humbled by the idea that some human minds simply think differently, with a clarity of vision that feels beyond reach.

In our world today, I feel that same sense when I look at certain directors and screenwriters – how they interpret the world and present it back to us. Their work moves us, teaches us, and immerses us in experiences we’ve never known before. One of my favorite authors is Ken Liu. When I read his short stories, I feel deeply connected to what it means to be human. No other writer has ever triggered that kind of emotional response in me. So yes, I do believe there are people of extraordinary talent.

But then there’s another conversation – about good and bad. As humans, our rationale is built on opposites and polarities. We like to categorize things, to orient ourselves. If there’s “good” art, then by judgment there must also be “bad” art – because we’re naturally biased. I do it myself. I don’t like certain pieces. That’s only human. I don’t have a clear answer. Sometimes you just ponder it, drift in it, and see where your thoughts take you. What I know is that I love appreciating the work of others when it truly touches me. That emotional connection – it makes me feel alive.

Lookbook development for “The Man in My Basement”, courtesy of Kathrin Eder.

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Continuing the ongoing series of interviews with creative artists working on various aspects of movie and TV productions, it is my pleasure to welcome back Beth Mickle. In this interview, she talks about the changes in the industry since we spoke back in 2012, how she sees generative AI, what advice she’d give to her younger self, and the importance of physical and mental well-being. Between all these and more, Beth dives deep into her work on “Superman”.

This interview is the second part of a special initiative – a collaboration with the Production Designers Collective that was founded about 10 years ago. This collective brings together over 1,500 members from all around the world, sharing ideas, experiences and advice across the industry. We talk about its goals and initiatives, and the upcoming second International Production Design Week scheduled in mid-October this year.

Beth at the LA Premiere Of “Superman”

Kirill: Welcome back, Beth. We first spoke back in 2012 about your work on “Drive”. What has been happening in your professional life since then?

Beth: “Drive” was an amazing opportunity to work with Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling. A couple years after that I worked on Ryan’s directorial debut “Lost River”, as well as a few other smaller studio movies. Then, quite excitingly, I got swept into the James Gunn filmmaking arena in 2017, and I’ve worked almost exclusively with him for the last eight years. At the height of pre-vaccine Covid I did “Dear Evan Hansen” with Stephen Chbosky, and I’m working with my brother right now on a live action film for the Japanese franchise Gundam. It’s been a wonderful adventure for all of us.

Kirill: Outside of your work on “Deuce”, would you say that you are one of the rarer artists that stays in the feature world, and not crossing over too much, if you will, into episodic productions?

Beth: Not by choice, necessarily. It happened to be the projects that have come my way. There have definitely been many wonderful series that I really admire and would love to have been a part of if the stars had aligned. I’m hopeful that in the future I’ll be able to dive into world building in the TV side of things.

My brother is a writer / director, and he did the series “Sweet Tooth” with Netflix, which my husband designed. I always admired their work on that, and always thought that it would have been fun if I could have been free to be a part of that. I was on “Guardians of the Galaxy” at the time, so it didn’t happen.

Kirill: What bigger changes have you seen over the last decade or so since we spoke? Maybe some technical advances, or new materials or techniques that are directly applicable in your field?

Beth: There have definitely been advances when it comes to the visual effects [VFX]. Every year it feels that the VFX worlds get progressively more sophisticated with the finishes and the realism that they can achieve. Compared to 10 years ago, we are able to lean on them more and more as needed for resurfacing and for set extensions.

For physical builds, we did a lot of material testing on “Superman” to nail down how we were going to do the Fortress of Solitude. It’s a rare thing to have that much time and resources to be able to explore and experiment with so many materials. We definitely wouldn’t have had that luxury in the smaller filmmaking arena. It’s one of the joys of getting to work on some of these larger movies – you have time to develop techniques and fabrication to achieve what you want.

Beth on the Fortress of Solitude set of “Superman”. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Kirill: When “Avatar” came out in 2019, there was a period of a few years where a lot of productions did 3D – and then it slowly faded away. Do you feel that the audiences prefer “flat” images?

Beth: I remember being really excited about the 3D world. I felt that it was going to have great reception and great longevity. I don’t understand why it’s not been used more frequently. My husband did a number of 3D films, and in our discussions we thought that this new technology was going to sweep the industry – but surprisingly for me, it hasn’t. I keep reading about some of the 4D experiences where they’re bringing in motion in the seats and all kinds of effects within the theaters. It’d be interesting to see what that might end up doing.

And that brings me back to your previous question about technology – I should mention the volume [virtual production stage]. It’s a great new tool that is being introduced. It still has a little ways to go with being fully accessible for all the movies that might want to use it. But I think when used correctly, it’s a fantastic resource. As people get a handle on that technology, it will start to become more and more ubiquitous on films.

Kirill: Continuing to the Production Designers Collective, what is it and what is it for you?

Beth: I am thrilled that the Production Designers Collective has come into existence. Inbal Weinberg is one of my dearest friends in the film world. She and I worked together when we were first starting out in the indies in New York twenty years ago. I remember she said to me how she strongly believed a community could be created of all the production designers out there, so that we could share resources and advice, and build a supportive community for each other. And I’m sitting there and thinking what a beautiful idea that would be, but what a Herculean effort it would be to actually bring that together.

So now here we are, ten years after she actually started this collective with Kalina Ivanov, and they’ve connected hundreds and hundreds of production designers around the world. You have all of these people that I have always admired from afar, and whose work I had always respected from afar, and whom I always wished I could be in connection with – and now we can talk about crew, about ideas, about approaches to work. You can ask what it’s like to work in the middle of Ireland or the middle of New Zealand.

I never had easy direct access to these wonderful designers, and with the Production Designers Collective, it’s so easy to get in touch with one another. It’s taken down these imaginary walls that may have been there before. There’s only one of us production designers on a movie, and that means that we’re quite isolated from other production designers in the industry – unless you really make an effort for outreach. You’re not always sure if designers across the world are all going to want to be in communication in that same way.

That is what this Collective has done – open all those doors, open all those lines of communication. Now we can be stronger as a community because we’re all connected.

Render of the exterior of the Fortress of Solitude for “Superman”. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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Continuing the ongoing series of interviews with creative artists working on various aspects of movie and TV productions, it is my pleasure to welcome Kalina Ivanov. In this interview, she talks about what production design is, our need to tell stories, the meteoric rise of episodic productions over the last decade,  how she sees generative AI, and what keeps her going. Between all these and more, Kalina dives deep into her work on “The Penguin”.

This interview is the first part of a special initiative – a collaboration with the Production Designers Collective that Kalina founded about 10 years ago together with Inbal Weinberg. This collective brings together over 1,500 members from all around the world, sharing ideas, experiences and advice across the industry. We talk about how it came to be, its goals, and the upcoming second International Production Design Week scheduled in mid-October this year.

Kirill: Please tell us about yourself and the path that took you to where you are today.

Kalina: I am originally from Bulgaria. I came to the United States when I was 18, and I wanted to study theater design. I studied and practiced to become a theater designer, and I couldn’t find a job in theater in America. It was completely different than in Europe, and it was a quick switch to storyboarding movies for me. Once I was in, I was hooked.

Kirill: Looking back at the time when you started in early ’90s, what would you say are the biggest changes for you in this field since then?

Kalina: It’s clearing moving more and more towards special and visual effects, and now we have AI is coming for us. We all have to be prepared for it. That’s coming, and I find it challenging, but also great. And at the same time, I’m hoping that young filmmakers will find their way to tell a good story with this new format. I keep up with new technologies, like drawing on computers, but I still draw a lot of it by hand.

Kirill: Do you feel that it doesn’t matter if it’s a physical tool or a digital tool, and that the art is more important than the tools?

Kalina: Absolutely. Every production designer brings a unique point of view. No two people are the same, even identical twins. There were two production designers who were identical twin brothers – Richard and Paul Sylbert, and they were not the same [laughs]. We bring a unique point of view to the field, and no technology can take that away from us.

Sketch of the Red Light District for “The Penguin”, courtesy of Kalina Ivanov.

Kirill: Can anybody be an artist? Can art be taught?

Kalina: It depends on what kind of artist you want to be. I don’t consider myself a phenomenal artist in terms of drawing, but people find my sketches evocative. I look at them as working drawings. I don’t look at them as a piece of art at all. It all depends on your point of view. An artist has the sensibility, and that can be expressed in many different ways.

Kirill: How would you define what production design is? What kind of an art form is it?

Kalina: It’s about creating the environment. Every project is different. Every journey in every project is different. For me it starts with a script. As long as I can get under the skin of the character, as long as I can become that character, I’m good. If I can’t become that character, there’s trouble brewing on the horizon [laughs]. My process is quite intuitive. I read the script carefully, I think about the characters, and then I draw. Then, through these drawings, the atmosphere starts showing in.

Render of the Red Light District for “The Penguin”, courtesy of Kalina Ivanov.

Kirill: Sounds like you are in the camp of a picture is worth a thousand words.

Kalina: Absolutely. I’m not eloquent, so I prefer the drawings to talk.

Kirill: What is the biggest misconception that people have around what production designer is or what do they do?

Kalina: Most people consider us set decorators. They don’t see production design for what it is, especially in contemporary movies. Sometimes I also feel that the cinematographer gets credited with production design, believe it or not. All sorts of people get credited, but production design is a unique art. It requires the mental capability of thinking of all the colors, and all the textures, and all the shapes and forms that come in into the world.

Sketch of the Blackgate Eye Prison for “The Penguin”, courtesy of Kalina Ivanov.

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