Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Schaeffer.
Hi Paige, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Drawing, painting, and sculpting have always been a part of my everyday life since a very young age. At any chance I got to make something with my hands I would do so. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs where I was constantly encouraged by my family to follow this path into arts and design. I first studied architecture in college as I was fascinated by how architects use different forms of art and technology to create environments that can impact us as individuals. As I dove further into architecture, I realized I was losing a lot of the freedom that helped shape my identity as an artist. I missed being able to make intuitive decisions and to tell meaningful stories through visual language.
Coming from the Midwest, careers in filmmaking are barely mentioned. It took a little while to find, but once a professor mentioned production design to me, it was a very clear answer to the confusion I had felt about my career path. I found production design to be a beautiful mix of all of the goals I had for my art – I could create highly immersive settings that bring emotional value and connection to viewers, as well as help people resonate with stories that are beyond themselves. After a few gigs, I quickly discovered the stunning power of collaboration in the art department and in filmmaking itself. There truly is no better feeling in the world than creating entirely new worlds with other like-minded people. Once I realized this level of creative fulfillment, I knew I finally found my place. I now have my masters in production design from the American Film Institute and have lived in Los Angeles for the past three years, pursuing my career in the art department.
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?
There definitely have been a fair share of struggles along the way – one of which was coming to the decision to uproot my life and move to Los Angeles to pursue this career. I think most artists run into a similar mindset of questioning themselves and their decision to follow a career in the arts – “Is this worth it? Is this what I should really be doing with my life?” The film industry is such a grueling place, and most of us have to move very far away from home to a place that has no existing support system. I am very blessed to have my big family at home rooting for me, but a day doesn’t go by that I do not notice this sacrifice.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Right now, I am a freelance production designer and art director in Los Angeles. I have been very fortunate to production design short films, commercials, music videos and online mini-series, but I have also enjoyed roles in set decoration and prop fabrication. I tend to be drawn to surreal, very textured atmospheres, which stems from my desire to connect humankind through an alternate world than our own. This mindset helps me to generate the most distinct and vibrant worlds for the characters to live in. When I think of my favorite sets to design, the more experimental the better. I love meeting other filmmakers, musicians and artists who have odd ideas they want to explore together. From designing a film set in a fantastical arcade to designing sets that help bring makeup artist Shy Elizabeth’s beautiful ideas to life – I enjoy every second.
The best part of my job is creating sets that people can connect with and in return, they feel safe enough to put themselves deeper into the stories the other filmmakers and I work so hard to tell. It is a very rewarding feeling to see the details I put into a set shine through and tell a story even on their own. One of those instances recently has been the nomination of my thesis film at the 43rd College Television Awards presented by the Emmys Television Academy. The film ‘We Met at Camp’ is a queer coming-of-age story, and I am so proud I got to be a part of a film that gives a refreshing representation to the discovery process that happens for young queer people.
Recently I was also able to collaborate with two talented artists and friends – musician Samfire and director/producer Lara Marks – who gave me entire creative freedom on my designs for our music video, “Possible Stranger”. I was inspired by the lyrics to combine the imagery of Los Angeles and tarot cards into a set that would give the effect of Samfire being a life size tarot card from certain angles. Just this past week I found out this project had won best production design at the Athens International Monthly Film Festival and the Eastern European Monthly Film Festival. I also had the privilege of designing the album cover for Samfire’s new album, which was a lot of fun combining elements from the set into a 2D format.
Outside of production design, I still love to work on my own personal art practices. Currently, I am working on a project that combines experimental animation with some of my poetry work. I loved the idea of being able to turn my own drawings and paintings into moving images which brought me to many different forms of animation. One of my biggest goals for 2024 is to bring a lot more of these personal projects out of hiding and into the world!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I would say my main piece of advice is to find at least one fellow filmmaker that has a similar reason behind their drive to be in this industry. Once you discover your “why”, you must constantly remind yourself of that, and it helps a lot when you have another person fighting that fight with you. Since the film industry can be so hard to navigate, I have found that this atmosphere can create a very supportive connection between those in the art department. The unique stresses of our jobs establish this genuine camaraderie between the team, which honestly is the best part about being in the art department. And to just deeply believe in yourself!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
paigeschaefferdesign.com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/paige.s_design/
