For week 5's class, we went o s a talk with Alex McDowell, who talked us through his world-building experience and how he was able to predict some of the future technology. I thought that this was a very interesting talk, as I had never thought about the people who come up. With these sets. I also liked to hear about his experiences with he film world.
Alex McDowell is a production designer who is known for his work in architectural design and world-building. Alex has had major input in the film industry through his innovative ways of story and JSA design. Alex has designed for bands like The Bansees, where he started his career. thane he transitioned to film, where he became a well-known production designer working with directors like Steven Spielberg. Some of the films that he has worked on include
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory world-building
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After Alex's talk, I decided to watch minority report, which I had never watched before. I thought this movie was really good, and knowing the details from the talk helped me immerse myself in the experience, but also the sheer amount of work that is put into world-building.
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Minority Report is one of his critically acclaimed movies for the visionary of torture technology, as it influenced real-world innovations. The main things that Alex stated were the world building, you have to have empathy so that you can have an understanding of how everything in the world and without empathy, it will be hard to understand and learn. Alex emphasised that he used generation stories and knowledge of traditions to build his worlds, as they have lots of research behind them, which allows Alex to build a whole ecosystem and emotional connection with the audience.
This talk was very interesting and I learned valuable knowledge from this. One key factor that took form from this talk was that empathy is one of the most important things, and I can use this in my designs to really connect with the users.
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I really enjoyed Alex McDowell’s talk on world-building and how empathy plays a key role in designing believable futures. It was also great to get out of the studio, mix with new people, and gain inspiration from a different environment.
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