Y Crazy Mind

The devil’s in the details. While this is most certainly appropriate in regards to the complexity hidden in many things, it’s derived from a German proverb which actually translates to “God is in the detail.” Benevolent and malevolent, these forces coexist in many great things. Production designer Andrea Leigh has built an extremely successful career on taking care of the details which makes the extraordinary seem natural, even intuitive. Manifesting this is often extremely demanding and requires someone of great talent, creativity, and problem solving skills…all while keeping a cool head in the face of stressful situations and deadlines. It’s almost impossible to categorize the wide spectrum of productions Andrea has worked on; the most appropriate would be “acclaimed.” An MMVA (Much Music Video Awards) nominated music video for Thugli, a Vimeo Staff Pick winning commercial for Birkenstock, Samsung’s highly stylized commercial with legendary footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović, Reebok’s la...

When watching the 2019 film Animals, it’s nearly impossible to not become overwhelmed by the emotional situation of the main characters. The life of a child soldier is painful enough but the situation which the young female protagonist finds herself in is excruciating. The presentation is exactly what the filmmakers intended, fueled prominently and manifested masterfully by the film’s production designer Dara Zhao. The PD confirms that when approached with the idea by Director/Writer/Producer Chen-wen Lo, she understood it to be a film she had to help create because of its importance. Artists in front of and behind the camera are a sensitive group who care deeply; those who are talented like Zhao can move the hearts and minds of the public with films like Animals. An essential ingredient for great art is passion. While the passion of the actors on the screen is clearly evident, those like Zhao who contribute this ingredient behind the scenes is palpable throughout the entire p...

Yuanyuan Xu was 10 years old when she discovered her love for the arts. At the time, it was a hobby, her favorite pastime when she wasn’t in school. She never imagined that she could pursue her passion as a career. However, as a teenager, she saw the film Raise the Red Lantern , directed by Zhang Yimou, and she began to wonder about the impact she could have on the film industry, using her innate artistic talents to create whole new worlds. She remembers being taken away by the production design, thinking about it days after first watching the film. That was when she decided that she was meant to be a production designer and has never looked back. Now, Xu is a celebrated production designer, both in China and abroad. She took home awards for her work in the films La Pieta , Stain, Man on Heels , and most recently Dead Not Dead, Dead . She is known for her distinctive eye and her ability to encapsulate the key elements of a story through the production design, and she loves eve...