Meet Andrés Domit del Valle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrés Domit del Valle.

Hi Andrés, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started as a kid. I always wanted to be a creative. I never knew how and was afraid to pursue it. But I have memories of wanting to draw my brother’s faces as street cartoonists do. I was really into cartoons like the Rugrats, the Fairy Godparents, and Sponge Bob. I even imagined drawing and voicing my own cartoons. I believe that watching cartoons awakened my passion for performance and creating. Up until today, I still watch cartoons, but also live-action films, tv shows, comedy, fantasy, and sci-fi movies. My career story starts in Mexico City, where, due to insecurities and social pressure, I started studying engineering. Two months in, to the disappointment of my father, I dropped out. I then decided to follow my gut and pursue something creative. I wanted to go into acting but was too insecure for it, and product design sounded more serious, again, social pressure. So I applied to an art school in NYC and luckily I got in. I finished my product design degree at Parsons, but I did not want to be at a desk designing on a computer all day for a boss.

So I looked for alternatives. I developed a passion for design thinking (problem-solving through design) and for education. An American school in Chile was looking for recent grads who wanted to learn to become teachers, and so I applied and got in. When I got to Chile, I was teaching a rhino 3D design class when they asked me if I was interested in teaching a Film class. As I created the curriculum for the class, I discovered production design. I had never heard of it before and was not really aware of it. I had helped on designs for theater plays that I acted in, so it raised a high interest. It made me realize it’s where I can combine my passions for creating and performance. Soon after, I applied to the American Film Institute, and they gave me a chance to join their Production Design MFA. Today, I am a month away from building the set for my thesis and graduating after that. I can confidently say that production design is what I was born to do, and what I will be doing for the rest of my life. Hoping that I get to practice my hobby for acting from time to time!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a rocky road in many senses but also a very gratifying road of self-exploration and learning. Firstly, me myself and I, is the hardest obstacle to overcome. Motivating myself and believing in myself are really hard things for me. Secondly, my family. I love them so much and know I have all of their support, but they can also be my biggest critics. Family is everything, and having them back my work and my creativity is hard to get, but very important for me. And finally, society. Being an artist and making money out of it is very tough, on top of that, fulfilling the expectations of a successful and happy life in the capitalistic world that we live in, super hard! To me, the best way to navigate these is by learning and getting to know myself better!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a film production designer. We are in charge of giving life to the visuals in the script by designing the worlds that will be filmed. Every element like the colors, shapes, and decorations are intentionally designed by the art department to support the story, lead by the production designer. Throughout my time at AFI, I realized that I am very good at the construction of sets and specialty props. So my specialty is construction and prop fabrication, and if you ever need a specific prop designed, I’m your person! I am most proud of the work I have done and the path I have followed to get to where I am today.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Production design for film is in a very interesting moment right now. Technology is rapidly flowing into the creation of sets, with digital art departments being an essential part of film crews. AI also poses a certain potential to help designers create more efficient ideas rapidly. There might be some fear around these AI tools, but I feel that the best thing to do as creatives is to learn the most. Try to learn as much as possible about the tools and how we could use them to our advantage.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @andresdomit
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andr%C3%A9s-domit-del-valle-10b2a4a7/ 

Image Credits
Pink Kitchen – Jello – DP./Dir. Peter “Mack” McCollough Mad Scientist Lab B&W – Dir. Pablo Guillen, DP. Hannah Platzer Drawing by me