Meet Laura Vargas | Production Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Vargas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Since I was little, movies, music and art in general have been my safe space, a source of fascination and learning, and most importantly, a way in which I understand my own life and experiences. A career in arts, however, was not something I had considered originally. In my very conservative upbringing, art was not really considered fundamental in our core education, so there was little information about creative centered professions outside of the traditional ones. We were instead encouraged to go for the conventional, stable careers, meaning artistic and creative ones were considered risky, not useful, almost contrarian choices My choice then was architecture, where I could use and develop my creative skills, while designing functional spaces that could better the life of people, in different scales and contexts. I fell in love with it. Still, in my final year of architecture school, I felt something was missing from those designing skills that I was learning, and that was their storytelling qualities.
I found that the reason why the movies and art as a whole fascinated and moved me so much from an early age, is because they showed and taught me different cultures and realities from mine, and I enjoyed that immersion, especially from films. And I found that the mix of my visual and spatial skills, with my lifelong passion for film, led to finding production design, a natural transition for my career. Seeing how I can apply all my skills in the function of a story, researching and designing different styles, periods, realities, is fascinating…but most importantly, it’s so much fun. I absolutely believe in storytelling and arts as powerful tools not only for entertaining people but for changing their perspectives, for creating empathy. And that is the reason why I pursued production design.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is production design. I design the sets and environments where scenes from movies, TV, commercials, music videos and theater happen. I’m in charge of everything you see in that space: from the architecture, paint, finishes, light fixtures, to furniture, decorations and props. Depending on the scale of the project this varies, sometimes a set needs to be designed and built from zero, sometimes it’s more a matter of adapting an existing location through set dec and props. The main goal of p.d. is set the tone and the overall aesthetic of a story, and in the best of cases, elevate and complement it.

I arrived at production design after wanting to expand from my original career, which is architecture, and wanting to be part of all those amazing stories in film and tv that I have enjoyed so much since my childhood. I believe coming from a background in architecture is a big strength I have: I have an understanding of space and their role in human experiences, how scale can be used to generate emotions, how materials and interior design can give character. Overseeing construction sites, managing clients, drafting and designing new spaces, gave me an understanding of how fundamental every single role in an architectural project is and the importance of maintaining a balance by keeping a respectful, professional environment where everyone feels appreciated. And these are things that I apply while working on film sets as well.

The first step I took when I first decided that production design was what I wanted to do, was planning a way to study it in a country and a school whose film industry was strong and where I could learn while building a good network of professionals to work with: that pointed me to SCAD, in Savannah, GA. I want to say, though, that I know in order to work in the film industry you don’t necessarily need to study for it and can grow and learn different roles over time. However, for us foreign people, coming here to study is a way that ensures you are going to be connected with industry professionals from the start, and that allows you opportunities to get work permits and eventually, working visas. And I knew that staying here to grow my career was my goal.

Talking about visas, I consider myself very lucky in that regard. When I started working as a professional after graduating SCAD, covid had already started and there were several months where the film industry had totally stopped – along with the rest of the world-. I was fortunate enough to find big projects to work on when everything started to slowly open up, which allowed me to fulfill all requirements for an O1 visa. That of course required an immense effort, calling, emailing, introducing myself to as many people as I could, doing everything I could to work, especially on big projects, during the most challenging of times, and thankfully it worked. That period of time always reminds me of what I’m capable of and keeps me very grateful to be working in what I love.

Now, it’s certainly busier, I moved from Savannah to NY, and I’ve had a lot of luck working on very special projects. I’ve enjoyed working with Latinxs and BIPOC directors and writers; I’ve found that their stories resonate a lot with me, with my own culture, and the bigger purpose I have, which is to change people’s perspectives through my work. There’s also a genre that I’ve been wanting to work more on, which is sci-fi. I had the opportunity to design a sci-fi, post climate change short film, and work along with friends on it back in 2020. I discovered the beauty in these kinds of stories which opened my mind to many others. What I love about this genre, especially when the sci-fi aspect of it is not the main focus of the story but rather the context, is that some of it makes you experience a reality that feels more and more near us every time. Questions such as how the earth would look after humanity has actually solved climate change, what does everyday life would look like with A.I or robots all around us, how would a love story be like in a world that never had global warming, etc, interest me a lot. It excites me for all the possibilities and creativity that can come from that, the potential for world building.

There are many lessons that I have learned so far along the way, but I think there are three that I carry always with me: 1) Treat every project and job seriously and as if it is the most important project there is, no matter how small or big. That means treating everyone professionally, even if you don’t agree with how some things are managed, even if not everything is ideal. You never know the wonderful connections and even friends that can come out from projects and the people that will be calling you back to work again. 2) Tell people what you want to do, what your interests are, what kind of projects you want to be designing. It usually leads to interesting conversations and in the best of cases, those conversations can eventually point you to people that are wanting to do the same and are looking for collaborators. 3) Don’t forget to have fun! Working in the film industry, with all its ups and downs, is one of the coolest things, and designing sets for a living still feels like a dream to me. And I’ve been fortunate enough that I also have fun while doing it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in NY, but I also work in Atlanta from time to time and have visited friends there. I love Ponce City Market, specifically an Indian restaurant called Botiwalla. Fantastic food. Rock Steady is a very cool spot for awesome music and drinks!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, for their unconditional support and love, even when at first they didn’t fully understand what exactly I was changing my career for. And for opening their minds and hearts to art and seeing others stories and perspectives, which is ultimately, the reason why I do this.

All the wonderful and kind colleagues turned friends I’ve met in the film industry, both from my home country, Colombia, and from the U.S., from whom I’ve learned so much, have given me amazing opportunities, and have encouraged me to reach as high as I can.

Jay, for being the most generous and loving person there is, whose support and encouragement are absolutely fundamental, who inspires me to be better everyday.

Website: https://www.lauravargasrc.com/

Instagram: @lauraproductiondesign