Q&A With Oscar Nominee Fiona Crombie

The other day I was lucky enough to be able to ask the very talented production designer Fiona Crombie some questions. She has worked on masterpieces such as the critically acclaimed "The Favourite" (2018) where she gained an Oscar nomination and a Bafta. Other notable works consist of "Macbeth" (2015) and the recent Netflix original "The King" (2019).

What was your first big break in the industry?

It’s hard to say exactly what the big break was because one thing led to another... but, it

probably was the film The Snowtown Murders. It was the first feature film that I production

designed and it was an enormous success in Australia and internationally. It changed the

careers of everyone that worked on the film. The director Justin Kurzel was a very old

friend of mine. We had known each other since we were 13 years old and had worked

together in theatre and later short films, music promos etc. In some ways, my big break

was meeting Justin and nurturing that precious, long standing collaboration.

Did you have any education in the field beforehand?

I actually grew up in the film industry. My father was a film director in Australia and my

mother was a film executive. I visited many film sets as a child, understood the lifestyle

and listened to endless film talk. That meant that I knew that the film industry existed as

an option for a career. However, I had no plans to join the industry after finishing school.

My plan was to get a ‘solid’ degree and then think about a career in the Arts. But, after

giving law school my best shot (and doing very badly) I applied for a theatre design course

at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. I was a theatre designer for 10 years

whilst also trying my hand at film design with short films, TVC’s, music promos etc. I never

trained in film and I have never worked professionally on a film that I didn’t design so I

have learned entirely on the job.

What are the responsibilities of your job?

I am responsible for the entire look of the film with the exception of the costumes, hair &

makeup. I am concerned with small details like the knives and forks on a table, or the

vehicles in the street, as well as the rooms, buildings, streetscapes and landscapes. It’s

the big picture as well as the fine details. It is my responsibility to interpret the director’s

vision and communicate it to my department while also offering up my particular

inspiration.

What traits do you need to make it in the industry?

The ability to communicate is essential. I have to be able to articulate my thoughts and

ideas to a team of people that range from carpenters to prop makers, draftspersons,

painters, greens people... as well as the cinematographer, costume designer, producers

and director. We will all be in constant conversation as we make our way through the film.

I also think it is important to have tenacity and drive. The days are long and film making

can be arduous and exhausting. It is my nature to always push to make the sets the very

best they can be. And I think it is important to have a sense of humour and also a sense of

calm. It is essential to love the job!

Did you have any work experience before your first big break?

Working as a theatre designer gave me practical experience with construction and set

decoration as well as design practice. I created sets for some of the great characters in

dramatic literature - Hamlet, Hedda Gabler, Ranevskaya from The Cherry Orchard etc. I

think my theatre work has absolutely influenced my film work. I love creating the

character’s worlds. I did do work experience in an art department when I was 15 and I did

paint garden gnomes for a feature film many years before I started designing but other

than that all my experience has been on the job - and I have made plenty of mistakes. It

has been a steep learning curve!

Who/ what films inspired you?

Oh there are far too many to list! But I do remember watching Sally Potter’s Orlando and

thinking “oh, this is what cinema can be”. And Jane Campion’s The Piano.

How would you describe the process of being a production designer?

The process is essentially the creation and communication of ideas so that the ideas can

be transferred to the screen. That is a simplistic answer. The process takes many months

from the reading of the script and initial conversations through to designs and costing,

construction and finishing and then finally the filming.

Side question - Is Yorgos Lanthimos as nice as he seems?

YES!