Life & Work with Hinako Geiger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hinako Geiger.

Hi Hinako, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From a young age, I have always been interested in fashion and the entertainment industry. Growing up in a biracial family, I had access to American and Japanese fashion, entertainment, and art. I had always known I wanted to have a job in the creative industry and be able to work on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, America, and Japan. Having been raised in the diverse city of Los Angeles, I was surrounded by many sources and schools to pursue a dream in art. In my junior year of high school, I found out about the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Downtown LA. I decided to attend there for college in hopes of learning about fashion styling and eventually becoming a fashion stylist.

At FIDM, I quickly learned fashion styling was not the path I wanted to pursue. My classes were very diverse skill wise and by taking these different classes, I found out about production design for film and entertainment which I found more intriguing. After completing my associate’s degree in Visual Communications, I shifted my major to Entertainment Set Design and Decoration for my third and fourth years. In this major, I was taught not only the practicals of the industry such as budgeting, designing, and collaborating with the other departments in the film but also how to bring designs and ideas to life from scripts or writing. During my time at school and after school, I had working opportunities as Art Director on short films that made it to film fests such as the horror comedy “Boo Hag or Shadow Man” which has been part of the official selection of the 2021 International Horror Fest as well as the 30th Anniversary Pan African Film Festival.

Alright, 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?
So far, the road has not been as smooth as I had imagined. The Covid-19 Pandemic started at the end of my sophomore year of college, making my junior and senior years all online and remote. This caused learning new skills and the ins and outs of the industry difficult. Because of the pandemic and the strict filming rules, my classmates and I could not find internships and opportunities to gain experience in the field compared to our peers who graduated a year or two before us. However, because of the pandemic, the community and people I had the opportunity to meet and work with have been more tight-knit and supportive since we are all struggling together. Interestingly, I believe the pandemic has made a stronger support system to help each other to get through the bumpy roads.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work in the art department for entertainment sets including films, music videos, and commercials. Since I only have roughly three years of experience, I try to pick up different roles in the art department to learn as many skills and information as possible. These roles include Production Designer (PD), Art Director, Prop Master, Set Dresser, and Set Designer as well as production assistant roles. Although I like to think of myself as an all-rounder in the department, my strengths are in set design. Many people confuse Set Designer as the person in charge of the overall look of the set however, this is the job of the Production Designer. The Set Designer’s job is to draft the floor plans and elevations of the sets based on the PD’s designs. My diverse upbringing in Japanese culture and American culture has helped shape my views and mindset to be more open-minded and I believe this ultimately made me able to think outside of the box. As a creative I think it’s difficult to escape from the idea/box you have put your mind into, on the contrary, I try to keep myself open to all options and possibilities in case of last-minute changes or in the event something just isn’t working out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: hina.geiger

Image Credits
Priten Vora