Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Ingram.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It’s kind of a funny story: I was like most young girls and wanted to be an actress and at 18, I landed a specialty background role as a cheerleader on Friday Night Lights. The person who booked me told me it was because I was small and Asian and that all of the other women on the cheer squad were real cheerleaders, you know, just to add to my already intimidated state! Being someone who is incapable of following a dance routine, it didn’t take long to realize that I fit in more with the members of the crew than my fellow cheerleaders. That sparked an interest in film school and eventually I enrolled in a program. While in school, I started designing fellow students’ and grad students’ films. Then, after graduating, one of my professors, Ya’ke Smith, offered me my first real job on his short film, Dawn.
After that, his producer brought me onto his next project, and then work just took off. We didn’t study Production Design at our school so I started off by reading articles and books, watching interviews with award-winning designers as well as listening to design-related podcasts, developing my own style along the way. One thing led to another and eventually moving to LA was the next step. Now I am an LA-based production designer excited to be striving and thriving at a time when women and people of color have more exposure than ever before. My work mostly revolves around stories with powerful messages supporting equality or exposing the darker elements of our society, as well as collaborating with directors who support female-driven storytelling.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has definitely had its ups and downs, random sharp turns, and a few speed bumps along the way – fortunately no u-turns. While I’m sure the ideal path is straight and gradually inclining, reaching higher levels, I have found that those random turns and new directions oftentimes lead to learning valuable life lessons. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? The biggest struggles would be getting over having to prove myself to others and fighting for my voice to be heard as a young woman in a male-dominated industry. I also had to learn to separate myself from my work because I was dangerously attached to it. Once that happened, there was no longer a need to be externally validated for my abilities and it also helped me to not take things so personally when dealing with power dynamics at work.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a freelance production designer working in commercial, narrative film and television. My job is to cultivate and craft the physical world of the film (or commercial). Designers create the visual universe that exists within the film and collaborate with other departments in order to maintain a cohesive look in the director’s vision. My process ultimately revolves around the script. I like to get to intimately know the characters, understand them and what motivates them, as well as their journey and how it applies the themes of the story. Once I’m fully informed on the story, color theory and shape psychology help to apply certain rules or guidelines for each character and location. Then, I like to find specific elements to incorporate into the sets that reflect the themes. As a fan of raw realism, I like to find theme-related elements that can be incorporated in a way that is still grounded in reality. At the moment, I’m most proud of a feature film called Light From Light which premiered at Sundance this year and has received outstanding reviews; a short musical film called Marriage Material which is currently in consideration for a live-action short Oscar and is also being developed as a series at Quibi; and a Netflix sketch series called Astronomy Club which is set to release on Dec. 6.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, I’m really excited for a few potential projects that are lined up for 2020 with some amazing filmmakers I have been fortunate to connect with. I feel incredibly grateful to have collaborated with so many truly inspiring filmmakers and have recently felt inspired to tell some stories of my own. Maybe one day, I’ll get to follow in Catherine Hardwicke and Reed Morano’s footsteps and shift into directing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brittanyingram.com
- Instagram: instragram.com/briteration
Image Credit:
Kat Alyst, Van Ditthavong, Ursula Barker, Courtney P. Ware, Chris Schwartzy
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