The Questionnaire: Three production designers on creating the look and feel of TV’s biggest shows
“Not even my mom understands what a production designer does”
Andy Berry
Current project: “Amazon’s The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh" Dream job growing up: “A painter.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “A lot of people used to say that I look like Morrissey.” Favourite TV show right now: “I really enjoyed The Last of Us.” You wish you had worked on… “The Mandalorian. It would be great to have the chance to create a world like that.” Best place to film in Toronto: “Abandoned buildings, TTC tunnels, rooftops of towers—the kinds of places that few others get to see.” What people get wrong about your job: “Pretty much everything. Not even my mom understands what a production designer does. When you’re watching a film or TV show, everything except the actor and their costume was chosen or created by one of us.” First thing you do at work every day: “I meet the shooting crew and open the set, then make sure everything looks the way it should.” Best transformation project: “For Perfect Storms: Disasters that Changed the World, I used Sunnyside Pavilion to create a scene during the Spanish Inquisition, in which we burned a heretic at the stake.” How to improve the industry: “It’s still a white-male-dominated business, but I’m always hiring new crew and making sure to bring on more diverse talent.” What scares you about the future of TV: “Not getting the next gig.”
Nazgol Goshtasbpour
Current project: “Amazon’s Reacher" Dream job growing up: “An actor.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “When I had short hair, I got Selma Blair a lot.” Favourite TV show right now: “The White Lotus—I love Jennifer Coolidge.” Favourite director: “At the moment, Asghar Farhadi, who directed A Separation.” Best place to film in Toronto: “The Fairmont Royal York. It has so many versatile spaces.” What people get wrong about your job: “People think we just find locations, but I lead a team of magicians—an art department, construction workers, painters and set decorators—who transform each location we use.” Behind-the-scenes secret: “In cereal commercials, we use glue as milk to help the pieces float and not get soggy.” Best transformation project: “For Quarter Life Poetry, we turned Bay and Bloor into NYC with yellow cabs, street vendors and a giant inflatable rat.” Hardest part of your job since the pandemic: “Ordering supplies takes six to eight weeks of lead time, and the price of materials keeps fluctuating.” Biggest industry shift: “Being able to ‘walk’ a set virtually before it’s built.” What scares you about the future of TV: “There’s so much demand for content that I often wonder if a drought is coming.”
Matthew Davies
More Questionnaires
Current project: “Netflix’s The Madness" Dream job growing up: “An architect, until I actually became one. Once I got out of school, the job felt so mundane.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “A mix of James McAvoy and Prince Harry.” Favourite TV show right now: “I really appreciate the design of Severance.” Favourite directors: “Sarah Polley, Clement Virgo and Denis Villeneuve. I’m rooting for Canadian talent!” First thing you do at work every day: “Apologize for being late and check the production calendar.” Best transformation project: “In Five Days at Memorial, we turned parts of the Financial District into a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.” Hardest part of your job since the pandemic: “All of our meetings are on Zoom, and we scan locations online rather than physically scouting them.” Biggest industry shift: “Virtual production has been a game changer. We build and travel less, which reduces our carbon footprint.” How to improve the industry: “It’s about time we reflected on the environmental impact of film production.” What scares you about the future of TV: “The proliferation of content right now is extreme, and shows I’m proud of, like Five Days at Memorial, aren’t getting the love they deserve.”
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