Creating Worlds

When the mysterious, hidden city of Wakanda was revealed in the Black Panther, it left the audience in astonishment and wonder. Who was the creator of this new land? Hannah Beachler. Beachler has been changing the game with her unique production designs. She started her career with a film named, Fruitvale Station and has worked on others since then, such as Creed and Moonlight. She also helped bring Beyonce's "Lemonade" to life.  

Beachler began her career as a set dresser and set decorator, when one day a director told her that she should pursue production design which inspired her to explore this as a career. However, this was not without its own challenges. Beachler found it difficult to be a women an industry that lacked female representation but let her work speak for itself. As she develops a design, Beachler puts a lot of research into it, she finds images, understands the plot line, and begins to conceptualize her vision. she collaborates with other members of the crew, the decorators, props people, and directors. She explores the technicalities of where the shootings will take place, how the budgeting will support he film, and the sequences in which the film will be shot.

When working on Wakanda, Beachler wanted to represent Pan-Africa so that many different African cultures could be represented in the country. It took her months to come up with each detail of this new world. There is deep meaning for everything that Beachler includes in her designs. For example, in Black Panther, there is a throne room that is in a cave of a snowy mountain. In this room, Beachler chose to use birch logs because birch grows in the cold, northern areas, it also symbolizes wisdom and truth. She also mentions that they chose to sharpen the ends of the birch logs so as to represent the weaponizing of truth. 

Despite restrictions placed on her scope of creativity, such as a low budget, she manages to find innovative ways to incorporate elements that would add to the story line. In her work on the movie, Moonlight, Beachler took the low budget and fed it to the plot. Throughout the film, items disappear from the main character's home. The mother in the film has a drug problem and the vanishing items depict the mother selling the items to support her addiction. 

Beachler emphasizes the importance of understanding all the aspects of an industry that one wants to work in. She had experience in multiple fields within the film industry before she began production design. She also advises up and coming individuals to seize any opportunities that may present themselves. Beachler took advantage of the connections that she made during her time working her other jobs. She found a mentor, Wynn Thomas, and worked with other talented individuals on projects that resonated with her. 

As Beachler moves forward in her creative endeavors, she is inspired by Afro-futurism. Just as it did in her creation of Wakanda, Beachler wants Pan-African cultures to influence and cultivate her future works as well. She would like to focus on futures that can be created instead of focusing on the past which has failed us. Beachler provides the perfect example of innovation and past influences coming together. She uses the rich culture of Africa and creates something unique by introducing modern day ideas to those concepts.

Sources: 

1. https://www.fastcompany.com/40574931/hannah-beachler-black-panther-wakanda-most-creative-people-2018

2. https://liftoff.network/interview-industry-hannah-beachler-production-designer-moonlight/