The Oscar buzz is building up in the office this week. The stars, the glamour, the dresses! From a design point of view we were really curious to see which films were nominated for best Art Direction.

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

So… we were absolutely thrilled to snag an exclusive interview with Dave Warren, the Oscar nominated Art Director of The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. Nominated for its incredible dream-like sets, the film is quite literally a visual feast.

In between jetting from Rome to LA (it’s a glamourous life) we caught up with Dave about the inspiration behind the art direction of the film.

Best of luck for Sunday!

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

What was your biggest inspiration for the set design of the film?

Terry: It always begins and ends with Terry – he is the fount of all reference and the first point for the ideas. Some of the ideas he has are so outlandish and random that you can only look at them in the context of Terry’s movie-making.

How important is drawing to you vs. computer animation? Do you always start by sketching?

Yes, always. I still think the flow of eye to hand gives you a better first instinct for proportion and depth. A wise art director once told me that the first instinctive sketch you make of an idea will usually be your best. I think that the computer gives you polish and flexibility – but sometimes options, or ‘choice’ can be self-defeating, they merely extend the process – have the confidence to stand by an idea at the inception.

Image credit: early sketch by Dave Warren

What were the main challenges you faced?

Always quantity and time. A great film adage is that you have the factors of Cheap, Good, and Fast. You can only ever have two of these – never three! On Parnassus we had to struggle through being Fast, and Cheap – but then to stay Good as well, that is where the work is.

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

How much of the design was planned beforehand and how much did you get to create / imagine from scratch?

Terry had made an enormous package of work and references himself, and with Imery Watson. I followed through this stuff to begin with – some hadn’t been conceived yet, some of it just needed expanding and augmenting, other sequences were added later in the shoot. Without Terry’s work we would have been dead in the water from the start, but even then, the artistic workload was enormous, not just conceptual demands but practical art direction as well, where you eat away time just communicating with the other departments. We had to split it somewhat. Anastasia Masaro, the Canadian designer, took care of the shoot and builds in Canada. We had Daniel Auber concept three Imaginarium sequences for us too, which eased the workload.

Image credit: early sketch by Dave Warren

How closely did you work with Terry Gilliam?

I would say very closely – but you would have to ask him actually. I was on Parnassus longer than any film before or since, so I must have done something right. He draws, and I draw, so we automatically reach for the paper to solve any problem- I think that helped create the working relationship.

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

Which part of the film are you most proud of?

Well, the Wagon – as a piece of art direction, it came together beautifully – but that is down to a team of craftspeople around it. I always have a soft spot for the monastery exterior – it was a great miniature. The monastery also was a set which was cracked in one sketch.

Who are your design icons?

Ha! After Terry…. the first two designers I worked for are masters of their art: Dante Ferretti, and the late John Box. They are so different in approach but I learnt so much from them. If I could go back in time it would be to meet Michael Powell, Alfred Junge…. John Bryan, film makers from a simpler time- but they had the same basic challenges we have today- How to make a frame look great for a price.

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

How are you feeling about the Oscars on Sunday?

Luckily I  have been too busy to be worried, skeptical, elated, awestruck or anything else. I’ll probably be working on the plane…..

What is the design of your own home like?

Unfinished….. with a lot of books about the place, and a lot of wood. I find metal too cold to sit on.

Image credit: Liam Daniels copy right Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

We’ve been so inspired by the incredible set designs that we’ve created our own Buy The Looks inspired by the film. View the looks below

View this Buy The Look

View this Buy The Look

For more information on the film, please see the support site.