Alex Peña on Production Design as Narrative Architecture

Mexican filmmaker Alex Peña, trained as an architect with a Master's in Production Design from NYU Tisch, discusses his transition from architecture to cinematic production design. He emphasizes that while architecture serves a specific user and must adhere to structural norms, production design creates spaces for the camera to serve a story, often building impossible worlds like desert planets or dystopian cities. Sets are ephemeral, constructed in hours or months, allowing precision and freedom from permanence. Peña's work on films like 'Anima' and 'Chronovisor' uses spatial design to reflect character psychology—e.g., a cluttered apartment in 'Chronovisor' visualizes obsession and isolation. He critiques the homogenized aesthetic of streaming platforms, advocating for unique, practical techniques combined with new technologies. Collaboration with directors and cinematographers is key, but authorship emerges in conceptualization and consistent visual style, as seen in his cold, sterile, and dark worlds.