P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R , S E T D E C O R AT O R A N D A R T D I R E C T O R
responsibilities during productions?
In Scandinavia crews are quite small, so I often do different things to make the art department work run as smoothly as possible. On Lars’s films I’m always there on set or when we’re filming, and I also do standby (taking care of the look of the set, the props and so on). It’s a deal we have: he wants me there, and I love doing it.
I think having multiple duties comes with most creative jobs, simply because making ideas into reality involves such a huge amount of work.
The fact that I’ve always done different jobs in the art department has been really important for me in my career and the way I’ve grown in the industry. I think a lot of people in film specialize in one specific thing, like becoming a set decorator, an art director or a production designer, and they stick to it. I’m not like that at all. I’ve done a lot of different jobs in the art department over the years, and that’s given me an insight into how to do things differently and a perspective on how to create sets and use planning and budgeting as creative tools. I’m lucky enough to have known Lars since the beginning of his career, but I’m also pretty brave, and I’ve been smart and open enough to take on jobs where I can be challenged, learn something, and have fun. When I choose a film, I don’t look at whether I’m going to be production designer, art director or set decorator. I focus on the project itself, the director, the director of photography and the script, and of course
the people I am working with. It’s so important to be around good people.
There’s something unique that binds our careers: both of us work for men who are notorious in media, who are most comfortable working with a core group of creative women they have known and worked with for years. How important do you think it is to have a female perspective in a male-dominated creative world?
That’s a difficult question, with many different answers depending on who you are and where you are. First of all Lars Von Trier likes working with the same group of people for years, both men and women, and it’s their skills and personalities that make this teamwork so successful and enjoyable. In all kinds of businesses, I think it’s important to have both men and women involved. But I really don't care if a person I’m working with is female or male: I’m much more into the actual person, and I believe we would be nowhere without each other. But I do believe that women have a big impact on creative products, because of their visual ideas, their talent for teamwork, and the way they see things as on-going processes. I think women tend to care about process as much as product.
Is that a double-edged sword? Or maybe a blessing in disguise?
Well sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise, because
THE CIFF GAZETTE 55
Key back alley set in Nymphomaniac, constructed in Germany, where Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is found by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgaard) and the storytelling begins. Photography Christian Geisnaes, Zentropa
we women also need to step up and focus on creating instead of just supporting men’s visions. I think women bring talent, patience, power, humour, and interest in teamwork. Creative products are often more rounded if women have been involved. I think women have a talent for images and connecting to different kinds of personalities, and this gives us a broader perspective. I think it’s very important to have a female dimension in the creative world, and yet women still have a harder time getting their stuff produced. It’s still harder for women to win the trust of investors, producers and so on, which is both stupid and unfair, and it’s not good for developing the industry. We need to make the most of the talented women we have.
Do you ever think about what you might like to be doing if you weren’t in production design?
I’d have loved to be a gardener! I think the reason is kind of self-explanatory: I like working with my hands and being outdoors. I love texture, I like all the set dressing, I like finding all the key props, getting the right patina, colour and so on. I like to make things look the way I want. If I was a gardener I’d be able to make all the decisions myself and nobody would be able to say “No, that’s not what I want”. I could be my own boss. But come to think of it, I think I’d be a bit lonely: I like teamwork