Production Designers François Audouy (Ford v Ferrari, Logan), Phillip Barker (Guest of Honour, Star Trek Discovery), Craig Lathrop (The Lighthouse, The Witch), and Zosia Mackenzie (Castle in the Ground) got together to share stories about their career struggles and triumphs, the increasing use of VR and drones in production design previsualisation, and the many tools a production designer uses—from personal possessions to expensive lenses.

The four production designers took time out of their busy TIFF 2019 schedule to speak with The Filmmakers host Johanna Schneller as the world-builders behind everything from The Lighthouse’s watchtower—which Craig Lathrop built from scratch on volcanic rock in Nova Scotia—to the myriad vintage cars produced and restored to populate an iconic 1960s racetrack in Ford v Ferrari designed by Francois Audouy.

I was able to catch up with some of the production designers after the panel finished and it became very clear to me how each one of them truly love their craft and have the utmost respect for one another. You guys are going to love Ford v Ferrari which I had the opportunity to see during the Toronto International Film Festival this year. We will have a full interview on Art Departmental with many of these panelists in the months to come.

Until then, what was your biggest take away from the DGC Ontario Meet the Makers Production Design Panel? I’d love to know your thoughts on this in the comments below.