#norman garwood

The Jupiter 2 from the 1998 film Lost in Space.  The designers are Peter Mitchell Rubin and Norman Garwood.

An interview with production designer Norman Garwood (TIME BANDITS, BRAZIL, THE PRINCESS BRIDE)

How do you begin crafting a futuristic look? What questions do you ask yourself? 

For me, designing any new world is a combination of reaching into my imagination and also doing very extensive research for reference. There is a huge freedom when designing the future, but it’s also important to create a look that feels unique and unexpected. When I designed BRAZIL (’85) I created an Art Deco view of what the future would look like, as I thought it would be a really interesting aesthetic. And from this premise the film started to take on a style and a spirit if its own. The first month of prep was just researching and getting ideas together. We got wonderful illustrations from comic books from the 1930’s and their version of the future, plus extensive images of inventions and machines from the time. It fitted the narrative of the film perfectly and it was amazing how a “Brazil-esque” style evolved with everything - the design, the clothes, the props. It took on a life of its own. 

What are the discussions like with the director and the cinematographer – how much are they involved? 

Ideally, the director, cinematographer and designer work in complete collaboration to create the overall look of the film. My most successful experiences on films have always been when we’ve worked very closely together.  Director’s usually have very strong ideas about the films they are making, so that relationship usually involves a lot of brainstorming and exchanges of ideas. As a designer you also have to serve the filmmaker from a practical sense - so the sets and locations work for shooting and lighting too. And whilst designing sets, colour becomes increasingly important. A colour palette can help define a story, so you work hand in hand with a cinematographer to bring the narrative to life together.  For example, BRAZIL (’85) had a very controlled color scheme of primarily blue, black, gray and white. Terry Gilliam wanted to keep it monochromatic to make a statement about the establishment. I also worked very closely with Roger Pratt, a brilliant cinematographer, when the sets were being conceived because the lighting was so important in that movie. For one set, the padded cell where Jonathan Pryce ends up, Roger and I had talked about lighting it from the bottom and top, even before the set was designed. And the sets themselves often influenced how he wanted to light the scenes, so it was great. We all inspired each other. 

How much of creating a futuristic look is about attempting to be accurate versus taking creative liberty to fit the narrative? 

I believe you must always serve the narrative first. Your ideas must always have some grounding in reality, so the audience somehow believes what they’re seeing regardless of how crazy something looks, but then you should also let your imagination run wild. So the trick is creating a world that seems authentic while taking enough creative liberty to really engage the audience and tell the story properly. I also think humor should also come into design sometimes. I’ve always had fun creating different worlds, whether it be for TIME BANDITS (’81) or THE PRINCESS BRIDE (’87) or whatever. And we had hysterical fun on BRAZIL (’85). Terry Gilliam has a fantastic sense of humor, as did our wonderful costume designer Jim Acheson who came up with most incredible and hilarious costumes. We bounced ideas off each other constantly, and would all encourage each other to push the boundaries with everything. So even though accuracy and authenticity are very important, you also need to give yourself a certain amount of freedom. 

What was going on in the 70s, politically/philosophically/sociologically that affected how they imagined the future? How did that evolve going into the 80s and onward? 

During the 70’s in London there was an incredible sense of creativity that certainly inspired me. I had moved down to London from Birmingham after art school in the late 1960’s to take a job as an Assistant Set Designer at ABC television, and there was a real sense of liberation amongst the youth. We were the first generation to really break away from our parents and forge our own paths. Music, art and fashion all felt completely new and rebellious, and everyone got swept up in that energy. Some incredibly progressive films were being made at the time about dystopian futures like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (’71) 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (’68), and the original ROLLERBALL (’75). Society changed significantly as we headed into the 1980’s and capitalism started taking over, and you started to see that reflected in future films like BLADE RUNNER (’82) and the MAD MAX trilogy. Films always reflect society to some extent. That’s what’s so interesting about filmmaking.  

What factors influence the way we, as a society, imagine the future in general? 

Бразилия (Brazil), 1985г.

Режиссер: Терри Гиллиам (Terry Gilliam)

Художник-постановщик: Норман Гарвуд (Norman Garwood)

В 1971 году Ричард Роджерс и Ренцо Пиано выиграли конкурс на строительство Центра Помпиду в Париже, решив вывести все инженерные системы на фасад здания. Таким образом, они сэкономили полезную площадь будущего музея, а также утвердили новый стиль в архитектуре.

Чуть позже, Терри Гиллиам, вдохновившись, в том числе, этим замечательным зданием, создал уникальный мир своего фильма Бразилия, в интерьерах которого никто уже не обращает внимания на гигантские трубы, нужные чтобы обеспечить комфортную жизнь его обитателей. В доме Сэма, напротив, все коммуникации аккуратно спрятаны за белыми панелями, так что герой представления не имеет как работает вся эта электроника, которая постоянно дает сбои.

Офисы министерства снимались в мукомольне верфи "Виктория".  Бесконечные колонны в офисе отдела сбора информации, это один коридор, заканчивающийся нарисованной перспективой. Министерские помещения с каждым этажом становятся все более стерильными, и камера пыток должна была сниматься в небольшом кубическом помещении, облицованном белой плиткой. Но Терри Гиллиам решил использовать для съемок башенный охладитель на электростанции в Кройдоне, с совершенно противоположным видом пространства, за что ему большое спасибо.