Within this segment of Noticing Media Bodies, Joe Tiernan discusses the creative practice of production design. As the practice incorporates both mental and physical labour, the documentary depicts how embodiment is a driving factor in the creation of these worlds.
The work engaging with the concept of embodiment within the creative practice of production design, the interview with Tiernan demonstrates how the practice is a thoughtful one, as well as the two types of labour required; mental and physical. As mentioned by Tiernan, a films production design processes begin with the script to identify the way of which the film is supposed to look and convey itself to audiences. Once this concept is established, the production designer and the art department then move towards bringing it into the physical world before being shot. While this is considered the general process for production designers in the industry, it is apparent that two forms of labour are involved in both mental and physical capacities, however it is more so a thoughtful practice.
The concept of ‘thoughtful practice’ is mentioned in Lisa M. Heldke’s reading, Food Making as a Thoughtful practice. The concept being described as form of practice that requires both thinking and embodied knowledge, it eventuates into the creation of something that holds meaning. Considering how this may be applied to production design, the work requires consistent consideration whilst creating the set to match the contexts associated with the script, yet also make it appealing to viewers. Therefore, the process of think – make – reflect is consistently used.
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During the production of the segment with Tiernan, a major obstacle faced was cutting down the clip from 10 minutes to 2 minutes, whilst creating a narrative structure that still had flow. Reflecting on the finished product I think this was able to be achieved, yet the closing could have potentially been stronger. In future, keeping the time constraint in mind and narrowing down my questions may have allowed this to be not only a much quicker process, but also produce a stronger meaning towards the subject matter.
Another aspect that could have made the work more effective was the audio. Although there are some slight hints of diegetic sounds with the shots, the addition of adding more sound or amplifying sound may have allowed audiences to be more immersive with the space shown and discussed.