Shona Heath and James Price
JP: The answer is yes, but for the right project. We’d have to find the right project and I’m not sure what that is. Maybe another Yorgos one, it may be somebody else that comes to us. Because we have very different sensibilities and some of the films that interest me would not necessarily interest Shona, and vice versa.
SH: It’s the project that will make it right. It’s not for everything at all, you know? I hope there would be something we can.
JP: Yeah, and that means it’ll be a really special project too. I was thinking about it the other day, it’s like a super band when they go off and do their own thing and they come back and do an album.
SH: The Greatest Hits!
AS: Or the sequel to Poor Things.
SH: Oh, my God, can you imagine?
AS: And Shona are you planning on focusing more on production design projects or continuing more in the fashion world?
SH: I don’t know. I do all sorts of things. At the moment I’m doing some ceramics. Some concepting work for a film. I don’t have the experience James has for production design so I need a slightly different set-up. So who knows! But I like all sorts of different projects. I like small things, I like huge things. I’m actually really happy to be at my studio doing work that isn’t at the moment a film.
AS: James, how does your previous work as an art director compare to your work as a production designer? Would you ever go back?
JP: No. Not now, no way. I mean for a start, you’ve got to second guess some designer. I didn’t really ever think that designing would be that much better than art directing but I realize now art directing is a horrendous job. It’s so stressful, it’s thankless. I liked running and assembling a team but I can still help with that as a designer. I’m able to help the art director out because I have a good knowledge and a bit of perspective on that. I don’t agree to stuff that I know that we can’t achieve.
There are maybe one or two designers I’d go back and help out if they really needed it. But I’ve been away from it for too long now to ever be able to just shut my mouth. I always had trouble with that back in the old days and I think it’d be impossible now! No is the short answer.
AS: Regarding the crews that you both hire, what are the characteristics that you look for?
SH: An open mind and a willingness to get a hold of anything, whether it’s a cup of tea or designing a house, or researching. Just somebody who will literally have a go at anything and enjoy that. Because everybody has to do everything. That’s really important.
JP: You try to find people that live in a similar reality to you. And then hopefully you’ll all pull in the same direction. I used to read quite a bit about sports teams and the management of sports teams that are successful. You can definitely translate that into running an art department. You need a team with different skill sets that complement one another. You can’t have a team of quarterbacks, to use an American term.