Pick of the Week: The Work of Catherine Hardwicke
My pick of the week is not just a film but a remarkable writer, director, and production designer by the name of Catherine Hardwicke. I watched Lords of Dogtown this week, and the name seemed familiar. I looked up her name and soon saw why.
Many people are not familiar with the role of the production designer. He or she works with the director and producers to determine the overall atmosphere, look, and feel of the finished film. From these choices, the sets, props, lighting, and anything else that would influence the final product are all decided upon. It’s a role that isn’t so well known but absolutely crucial to the outcome of the film.
Hardwicke started in the business as a production designer and worked her way up the ladder. Her first credits are on the underrated 1988 Tim Robbins and John Cusack cult hit Tapeheads, and on the Keenan Ivory Wayons blaxploitation parody I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka the same year. Later she did two westerns, Posse and Tombstone in 1993, the same year she did the hilarious and bizarre Freaked with Alex Winter. In 1995, she worked on the post apocalyptic and cartoony (who can forget Ice T dressed as a mutant kangaroo?) Tank Girl (who can forget Lori Petty? Except Hollywood?). After Richard Linklater’s SubUrbia, Hardwicke took a turn at the big budget films Three Kings and Vanilla Sky.
Three Kings changed the way a lot of films look. The style of the CSI franchise can be seen here in Hardwicke’s breakthrough job. Its use of color and strange special effects pushed the movie from watchable army heist to a movie worth multiple viewings.
There was a lot wrong with Vanilla Sky, mostly its script that was entirely derivative of Philip K. Dick’s novel Ubik. I was never able to see the original film, maybe that was better. But what I did love about it was the look, it kept me watching and I really wanted to find more about the film I liked.