Maria Djurkovic is one of the most talented Production Designers in the industry today. She has created a multitude of worlds in many critically acclaimed movies and TV shows, including: Sliding Doors (1998), Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002), Mamma Mia! (2008), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and Gold (2017). Matthew Toffolo: Is there a… Continue reading Interview with Production Designer Maria Djurkovic (Oscar Nominated – The Imitation Game)
Category: art direction
Interview with Storyboard Artist James Doh (Captain America, X-Men: First Class, Drive)
James Doh is one of the most sought after Storyboard Artists in the industry today. His imprint is on most of the top action movies in the last 15 years. In 2016 alone, he worked on “The Conjuring 2”, “Suicide Squad”, and “Star Trek Beyond”. He’s currently working on the upcoming blockbusters “Ghost in the… Continue reading Interview with Storyboard Artist James Doh (Captain America, X-Men: First Class, Drive)
Interview with Set Decorator Lori Mazuer (The Mindy Project, Popstar)
The Mindy Project has been an incredible experience. We are headed into Season 5 soon which will be my 3rd season with the Mindy team. Our main goal is to make Mindys world come to life, every week with a very ambitious schedule. We shoot our half hour episode every 5 days. This means we are prepping, shooting and wrapping all at once. We often crossboard which means we shoot multiple episodes at once.
Interview with Storyboard Artist Robert Castillo (X-Men: Apocalypse, Star Wars: Episode VII)
Award winning Director, Animator and Illustrator and Storyboard Artist Robert Castillo discovered his passion for art and illustration at the tender age of five. Nicknamed “Sketch”, Castillo would draw his way through his difficult transition of returning to the US from the Dominican Republic, mastering English, and acclimating to the mostly white environment of Chelsea,… Continue reading Interview with Storyboard Artist Robert Castillo (X-Men: Apocalypse, Star Wars: Episode VII)
Interview with Emmy Winning Make-Up Artist Paul Engelen (Game of Thrones)
Paul Engelen is is 2 time Emmy winner, and 2 time Oscar nominated Makeup artist. He has worked on some of the greatest/most successful films and TV shows in the last 40 years, including: Game of Thrones (2 Emmy wins), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Oscar nomination), The Legend of Tarzan (Oscar nomination), Star Wars: The Phantom… Continue reading Interview with Emmy Winning Make-Up Artist Paul Engelen (Game of Thrones)
Interview with Production Designer Beth Mickle (Drive, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot)
I would absolutely recommend this route for aspiring production designers. The lower budget world is where you learn to be resourceful, where you can somewhat safely make mistakes which can be recovered, where you learn the complete fundamentals of how a film is made. I try to approach every production—large or small–with a calm nature, and I think that comes from being in the trenches for so many years and learning how to adapt to in all situations. The biggest con to this route is that formal “union” filmmaking can be a bit jarring when you do finally make the leap to the larger arena—but once you learn those nuances, the process really smooths out. That is definitely one pro if you do start in the larger union world—you learn those protocols right away, so you enter the film world knowing how union positions are categorized and how the different departmental responsibilities are broken down.
Interview with Set Decorator Ute Bergk (The Dark Knight, Enemy at the Gates)
Ute Bergk answered the set of questions I emailed her on the airplane on her way to Budapest, Hungary to complete the television mini-series “Emerald City”. Based on the “Wizard of Oz” universe, Ute promises that the series is “going to be something else” and that director Tarsem Singh is a delight. Two months in… Continue reading Interview with Set Decorator Ute Bergk (The Dark Knight, Enemy at the Gates)
Interview with Costume Designer Janelle Nicole Carothers (The Perfect Match)
No matter the medium it’s all a delicate balance between style and craft. I put 100% into every project so they all require the same amount of blood, sweat and tears.
Interview with Storyboard Artist Cristiano Donzelli (Ben-Hur, The Young Messiah)
A storyboard artist, or story artist, creates storyboards for film productions.
Storyboard Artist Cristiano Donzelli is a wealth of knowledge. You can feel his passion for what he does. No wonder all of the top filmmakers in the world who venture to Italy want to work with him. He simply makes all the films he storyboards better.
Cristiano’s credits include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Rome (2005). Zoolander 2 (2016), The American (2010). Ben-Hur (2016), The Young Messiah (2016), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Interview with Production Designer Jane Musky (When Harry Met Sally…, Ghost)
Jane Musky is one of the top Production Designers working in the industry today. She has designed over 40 films in the last 30 years, working with directors Mike Newell, Ivan Reitman, Andy Tennant, Gus Van Sant, Jerry Zucker, James Foley, and The Coen Brothers, to name a few. She also happens to be married to the President of the United States (well on the TV show Scandel) for the last 28 years too!
It was an honor to interview Jane and talk about her amazing career, and it looks like she’s just getting started.
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 