Production design yet to become popular

By Gotot Prakosa

JAKARTA (JP): Production design is a visual design prepared for a film. At first the idea, which may be only an abstraction or in literary form, must go through a stage-by-stage process to turn it into a cinematographic design, which may be used to make a film. It is in this visual design that everything which may appear in a film may be seen, such as the setting of place and time.

The visual design will indicate, for example, whether a decor must be prepared in a studio or whether an existing building can be used for the purpose. Likewise, items to be used as properties in a film to depict spatial atmosphere will also be shown in the visual design. A production designer will also design cinematographic pictures in accordance with the shot-by-shot needs of the film being made. In this respect, they will cooperate with the film director to prepare a story board, a guide for shooting a film.

In the 1970s, people involved in making films felt the need for well thought out plans in making films. Many films are not simply the imitation of a reality or the reproduction of daily life. A film must reveal an idea. The pictures must represent the idea of the filmmaker. These pictures must speak in metaphor or perhaps in symbols. Therefore, a film must not simply be something that features a particular atmosphere in a particular era.

Chalid Arifin, a lecturer of art direction at the School of Film and Television at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, once said: "A production designer is an art director with a much greater capacity. A film director may accept the input from this production designer because it offers various choices about how to visualize his ideas. Obviously, a film director enjoys a great prerogative right in making artistic films. However, it is on this occasion that he will need a reliable production design and at the same time know how to visualize his ideas."

In Indonesia, production design is yet to gain popularity because most filmmakers in the country directly involve art directors to prepare the setting and decor of a film as the script demands. Unfortunately, many Indonesian directors find it hard to accept advice. Often, they do not even want to be bothered about the setting or the decor prepared by their art directors. They only wish to see the setting or the decor when the shooting starts. Therefore, it often happens that their ideas are difficult to put into reality, a condition forcing them to make compromises.

An art director is indeed the artistic executive of a film. A production designer, in the meantime, is involved in the process of filmmaking from the very start. They are involved in the process from the time the idea is conceived. Production designers weigh down this idea in terms of artistic consideration, and will come up with designs which can be transformed into reality by an art director.

In Indonesia, only Chalid Arifin and Roedjito, perhaps, deserve to be called production designers. They are involved in the discussion on making a film even when an idea has just been conceived. Then the film director will discuss with them the form of the film to be made, the style of the film and also other artistic interpretations of the film.

British production designer Tom Conroy is currently in Indonesia for a workshop. Graduating with a bachelor degree from the film design department of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, UK in 1992, Tom is a production designer who enjoys great popularity in Britain. For the workshop, which will be held between June 30 and July 4, he also has with him the films he has been involved in. One of these films, East is East, directed by Damien O'Donnel, will be screened at the British Film Festival, to be held at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center (TIM) between July 1 and July 7.

East is East is a tragicomedy set in the 1970s. For Tom, it was a challenge during the making of this film to present the visual design of a past era, particularly because the film tells the story of a community of Pakistanis with their own culture and traditions. Of course, he had to gain a deep understanding of these things before beginning the visual design of the film.

The film is about the seven children of George Khan, the owner of a snackshop. George's life is a long compromise. One of daughters, Meenah, a tomboy, prefers to play football rather than wearing her sari. Meanwhile, one of his sons, Saleem, is a hippy who pretends to pursue his studies at a technical school just to please his father. In fact, he has joined an art school. His handsome son, Tariq, is a playboy who makes love to the girls from the surrounding areas.

To George Khan (called Genghis by his children), life is a war to ensure his family maintains the traditional values of Pakistan, even though they live in Salford, England. Meanwhile, his wife is a pure Briton, born in Lancashire. The family live in a small house in a crowded neighborhood, and their children often give rise to problems. When the children begin to defy the authority of their father, his wife, Ella, is confronted with a difficult choice: her love for George or the freedom of their children to live their own lives.

To a designer, a story like the one in East is East is quite interesting and challenging. It allows a lot of room for artistic exploration. Human problems with different backgrounds constitute conflicts, which are interesting material for a film. This is all the more so because the temporal setting of the film is the 1970s, a decade fraught with problems related to moral decadence. So, bringing together two different ethnic groups with different cultural backgrounds is quite interesting to visualize, especially considering the problems related with deeply rooted tradition and a strong sense of religion (Islam).

The first thing from a film that will create an impression upon the audience is its visual aspect. So, if the visuals are not given the proper attention they deserve, the film will duly suffer.

It seems that Tom Conroy, who has served as production designer on scores of short and full-length films, can address all these problems with skill and talent. It is no wonder, then, that East is East won six awards at the British Academy Awards in 1999, including one for best film.