DIASPORA (2020) – Production Design
CONTENT COPYRIGHT EAGLE VISION FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION
Arriving in Winnipeg's North End in search of a better life, young Ukrainian immigrant Eva finds a city filled with rundown, outdated establishments and a disproportionate number of other immigrants all too in search for a new life, all desperately holding onto their language and cultural, creating a neighborhood of miscommunication, apathy and growing alienation. | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10637160/
Diaspora was my first foray into Production Design, and while challenging, it also was a natural fit. Coming from a place of understanding and respecting Deco Dawson's core vision and conveying that vision to the crew was key to the successful design of the film.
The film's documentary-like character granted us flexibility to portray the neighbourhood as-it-is as much as possible, however, there is no such thing as an as-is set. The main challenges in creating Eva's world in Diaspora, therefore, are in augmenting the existing locations in a way that feels authentic to the place, all the while under intense time pressure and with a small crew and limited resources.
We had to contend with an incredible number of sets every day, over 85 locations in 15 shoot days; we had to hustle from one set to the next to prepare for the shooting crew. Having a small crew meant everyone had to step-up and fulfil multiple roles; I relied upon the experience of my department heads and there was also plenty of opportunity for training the newest of our crew members.
The Art Department worked hard to modify the locations in subtle and convincing ways to remain true to the documentary style. We had to ensure the world conveyed the weight of Eva's story and in so doing, accentuate her struggle. We made efforts to change or remove many English signs, or anything too modern or too welcoming that distracted from Deco Dawson and Andrew Forbes' symmetrically composed, weathered and desaturated frames.
Bringing the Ukrainian Voice Book Store / Trident Press to fruition was an extraordinary experience for both the crew and those who knew the original storefront before it was shuttered and taken over by a pawn shop years ago. The set came together through a collaboration between the crew, employees of the pawn shop and members of the Ukrainian community who generously shared their authentic furniture, books and artwork. Once the set was finalized, it was clear that we had achieved something special — which was confirmed by the emotional response of Ukrainian community members familiar with the historic bookstore.
