In this episode of In Love with the Process, filmmaker Mike Pecci sits down with Academy Award–nominated VFX supervisor Michael Ralla to discuss his work on Sinners, collaborating with director Ryan Coogler, and what a VFX supervisor actually does on a major film. The conversation explores how music and rhythm influence visual storytelling, including Michael’s background as a drummer and a surprising connection to Metallica through the film’s score. The episode also dives into a provocative theory about why movies projected on film may hold audience attention longer than digital projection, and how that idea could impact the future of cinema.

Joining Mike is Academy Award winning production designer James Price, whose breathtaking work on Poor Things earned him an Oscar for creating one of the most imaginative and emotionally immersive film worlds in recent memory.

Together they break down what a production designer actually does on a movie, how James collaborates closely with directors and cinematographers, and why production design quietly shapes every emotion you feel on screen. This is the department that turns a script into a living, breathing universe.

James walks through his creative process from building miniatures and custom sets, to why he often insists on constructing ceilings for realism and lighting control, to how he creates detailed mood books the moment he reads a script. These collections of images, sketches, textures, and thematic references guide the entire visual language of a film.