Why Production Design Changes Everything (w/ James Price)

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.