Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Catherine Bradford.
Emma, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Sacramento, CA where I was lucky to have two creative mentors at a very young age – Lynn Malmberg (Production Designer) and Mike Malmberg (Cinematographer). They took me under their collective wing and brought me on to various film sets when I was in middle school. Fast forward to high school where I was the producer and the face *cringe* of my high school’s broadcast news program – KBFT. I made countless short films, music videos, news spots, montages, and animations under the banner of this extracurricular which launched me into USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. At USC, I honed my love for design and learned how to take my skills to the next level – designing and building large scale sets, creating various forms of stop motion animation, and working alongside other creative talented peers.
My senior year at USC, I designed two thesis projects and a feature film. These projects ranged wildly in content as well as aesthetic: from “The Fringes”, a short thesis film set in a dystopian future, to “Boob Sweat” a coming of age story set in 1976, to “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, a feature-length holiday dramedy. Working on such a wide variety of films gave me the experience I needed to hone my personal style as a designer.
Graduating with two strong visual shorts and a feature under my belt I stumbled into the freelance world ready to work. In the year since graduation, I have worked as a designer, art director, set dresser, and prop fabricator on a variety of feature films, music videos, commercials, stop motion animations and short films. I also spent some time at Warner Brothers working as an Art PA on the Kominsky Method and I art directed the editorial photoshoot for Taylor Swift’s newest album, Lover. But perhaps my favorite thing I have done since graduating is conceptualizing and building large scale interactive art installations.
I designed my first installation piece, Metamorphoun, for the interactive art show Cerebella in Downtown LA (read more about this piece below) in May 2019. Since then, I have helped build two interactive puppet experiences with my close friend and creative genius Sarah Lew. I also painted murals and fabricated props for The Foodie Space, a pop up museum in Pasadena featuring larger than life food themed exhibits. These projects have introduced me to the creatively fulfilling world of installation art. And I am excited to build my portfolio in this new field.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I look back at the road I’ve traveled down I feel mostly gratitude. I was lucky that I had parents who supported my desire to pursue a creative career from a young age. Grateful that I was given the opportunity to attend one of the best film schools in the world. But no one can properly prepare you for the harsh reality of working freelance as a young woman in the art department.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of a freelance career, most jobs you take will not be the jobs you had imagined when you entered into this field. They are physically taxing, creatively unfulfilling, unfathomable hours, and the pay is atrocious. But you take these jobs because you need to build your portfolio, you’re searching for connections, and you don’t have very many options. Not to mention the fact that everyone around you is convincing you that this is normal, that you have to “pay your dues” in order to “climb the ladder”. The most important piece of advice I can give a young woman starting out in this industry is to know your worth and stay true to your artistic vision. Make a list of your priorities and stick to that list. Do not compromise, and know when to say no.
In order to enjoy the work you do, you have to know when and where to draw the line. Half the fun of working freelance is that you get to be your own boss. You can create your own schedule or choose not to have one at all. Personally, that makes it really easy to fall into workaholic mode. I once went 43 days straight on-set without blinking an eye. And when I came up for air, I looked around and realized I had no social life and my personal art had fallen to the wayside. I started to resent the work I once loved doing. That is when I started to say no.
Saying no freed me. It helped me maintain a personal life and it gave me the time to work on my own art. It reminded me that I was the boss. And it quickly opened the door to other jobs that offered better pay and more creative freedom; allowing me to say yes to the work I actually wanted to be doing. I had an epiphany: if I continue to undervalue my work, so will everyone else. The only way to really climb the ladder is to believe in your vision and value yourself at the rate you deserve; don’t settle for any less.
And of course, I would be remise if I did not comment on the blatant sexism that I constantly encounter. When I dock an art truck at a prop house I can almost guarantee I am the only woman in the loading dock and sometimes the only woman in the entire prop house. As you can imagine, this elicits a certain level of attention from the male-dominated population of shoppers, buyers, and movers. Some men are genuine when they offer help, some men are condescending. As a young woman working in the art department you have to be strong, physically and mentally. My worth is not determined by others. Their words are merely a reflection of themselves, not an actual insult of my capabilities. And this mindset is what helps me stay zen in a sea of men telling me I’m not strong enough or tough enough or man enough to drive a truck or carry a dresser. Those men and their ignorant slights and microaggressions are insignificant footnotes on my epic path to the top.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In general, I would say my signature move is to incorporate as many plants and flowers as humanly possible into a space. I believe nature (as cliché as this may sound) is the single most beautiful thing this world has to offer, which is why most of my art is an attempt to recreate or reframe the way we consume natural phenomenon. My most successful attempt at achieving this synergy between art and nature is my interactive installation piece, Metamorphoun. Metamorphoun is the greek origin of the word metamorphosis which literally means: the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form. The artwork itself was a giant translucent cocoon that the viewer could step inside of. They were then encouraged to crawl through a glowing green tunnel that emerged into a magical floral forest adorned with origami butterflies, wisteria, real and fake foliage, lights, grapes, and a comfy sparkly floor where the viewer was encouraged to lay down and look up into the engulfing natural atmosphere. For me, the piece reflects the transitional periods of life – from the maternal womb into the world, from college to adulthood, from work to retirement. It encourages the viewer to reflect on the change they desire to experience – no matter what stage of life they are in. My goal in creating the piece was to paint a picture of the wonder that awaits you if you are willing to step outside your comfort zone.
That being said, natural elements are not always enchanting and beautiful, and neither is the experience of stepping out of your comfort zone. When I’m designing a set it is important to me to have a deep understanding of the character who is inhabiting the space: their history, their headspace, their greatest hopes and deepest fears. I often use foliage to create a stressful or anxiety inducing environment. Using dead plants, thorns, vines, etc. I enjoy creating a sort of wicked space, devout of any natural mystic charm. Either way, if you are hiring me to design a film, build an interactive art piece, or paint your house, you can pretty much guarantee there will be nature-inspired elements at play.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
We definitely still have a long way to go before we reach equality in this business, but thanks to the Me Too Movement and a growing discussion regarding the female gaze more and more stories are focusing on women, and the struggles and triumphs we face as a gender.
One of the main questions I ask myself before I sign on to a project or start to conceptualize an idea is WHY NOW? And I think a lot of studios, independent filmmakers, museum donors, and installation artists are asking themselves the same question. We are in the midst of a shift in narrative. No one wants to watch the single straight white male complete the hero’s journey anymore. It’s time for women to step into the spotlight. Any story we want to tell about our bodies, our minds, our experiences is incredibly important right now as we attempt to level the playing field. As women, we have a duty to one another to hire each other, purchase each other’s art, listen to each other’s music, share each other’s stories and support each other in our endeavors. In 2020 I think women are particularly well positioned to tell our stories, to make our art, and to speak our truth.
We are at a pivotal moment in art history. In the face of a country so torn, so opposing, one thing we all have in common is our shared love of entertainment. It is up to us as artists living and working in Hollywood to shine a light on the human condition and remind people that we really aren’t all that different at the end of the day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emmacbradford.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_emmab/
Image Credit:
Kuba Soltysiak, Ian Patrick Cato, Noël Dombroski
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