How 'Asteroid City' Production Designer Creates the Worlds of Wes Anderson | Vanity Fair

Production designer Adam Stockhausen shows us how he brings sets to life for Wes Anderson's iconic films like 'The Budapest Hotel,' 'The French Dispatch' and 'Asteroid City.' How do you get the retro look and feel of the Luncheonette scene? How do you portray depth and richness in each shot? How can you make sets "float" for the insides to be seen and be as light as possible? From ample research to gather all the intricate details to physically bringing the sets to life, Adam takes us through his genius process of production design.
Asteroid City premieres June 16th
Director: Adam Lance Garcia
Director of Photography: Zach Eisen
Editor: Michael Suyeda
Guest: Adam Stockhausen
Producer: Frank Cosgriff
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Associate Producer: Rafael Vasquez
Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors
Production Coordinator: Jamal Colvin
Talent Booker: Meredith Judkins
Camera Operator: Brad Wickham
Gaffer: Niklas Moller
Audio Engineer: Sean Paulsen
Production Assistant: Amanda Broll
Art Department: Jeremy D. Myles
Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor
Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Assistant Editor: Courtney Karwal
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[@rogerdominh]

This video of Adam Stockhausen is brilliant. Please make more of these with people who are not used to be in the spotlight but deserved it as much as actors and directors.

[@ryanofottawa]

Totally agree, I'd love to see more spotlights on the art department and other production side people.

[@andysiegel725]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@walkertexasraymond]

This. Do this.

[@evanstravelchannel4905]

Yes! I completely agree!

[@cjj9950]

Yes please also make some of these with Sound Designers/Sound Editors!!

[@MattWileyArt]

I love that even the featurette on art direction is art directed.

[@SleepFan771]

Asteroid City should win an Oscar for Best Production Design. The sets were so cute and transformative

[@mellarksdandelion]

it’s gonna have competition with barbie

[@evanstravelchannel4905]

Going to see Asteroid City tomorrow! Pumped to see it!

[@SleepFan771]

@@evanstravelchannel4905 I hope you enjoy Asteroid City!

[@coreyromberg]

@@mellarksdandelionI think Barbie will win for Costume Design, but Asteroid City should win for Production Design. The production design of Barbie Land looks great, but it seems like that will only be in the intro to the movie, whereas most of the movie will take place in the real world, where there is no unique production design

[@MrVisde]

Agreed. And the way the sets were designed to be part of the story.

[@RetrogradedTunes]

I could watch this guy talk about his sets all day

[@razor0578]

I like how this video embodies Wes Anderson’s style too

[@johnbuckingham6895]

Wes Anderson's highly stylized films might not be to everyone's taste, but there's no denying the skill, craftsmanship, and complete love for theater and cinema which go into them. Thanks so much for posting this delightful and highly informative piece. Adam Stockhausen himself is a master of his element and worthy of several more videos discussing the ins and outs of film production design.

[@valk.4454]

Amazing creative minds doing amazing creative things

[@rickyrougs]

insane the level of detail that goes into movie-making

[@Durmomo0]

This was something I was thinking about the other day when I saw Asteroid City. It had the credits in the beginning and there was something I was thinking was a spoiler in them and it was very obvious and I remember thinking thats a shame...then I realized that everything was a conscious decision and it was put there on purpose (especially considering credits at the beginning of a film isnt typical these days)

[@brittnis7294]

The black and white filmed stuff actually being black and white is BLOWING MY MIND, that's so awesome

[@Toonksbell43]

Love seeing interviews with people who are real masters of their craft and not just the actors or the directors, but the other crew members that collaborate and make those films look and feel the way we see them. Fantastic i hope to see more.

[@naomm8832]

moonrise kingdom was on tv last night, just reminded me of how excited i am for asteroid city. it`s creative people like adam stockhausen who make it happen, wes andersons aesthetic and production design always is out of this world. so satisfying to look at on the big screen.

[@sera8217]

I love the detail about how even the desk setup is symmetrical and so wes anderson-y.

[@ACM327]

Asteroid City looks exactly like retro-futurist Bruce McCall paintings brought to life it’s amazing.

[@simonisenberg4516]

Absolute masters of their craft.

[@leokimvideo]

It's all beautiful and there is a level of control & thought that very much reminds me of how Kubrick worked. My gut feeling is Asteroid City is going to clean up at the Oscars.

[@joshualetzgig5534]

Lol

[@alexanderg1297]

Who cares about award shows

[@FelixHistoryandGaming]

The movie sucked tbh and I love Wes Anderson

[@steven20919]

The story sucked really hard, it was really boring to watch.

[@oneliahelene]

The Oscars hate Wes lol.

[@Durmomo0]

I could watch this all day

[@noahsabadish3812]

i love the moving walls and consideration for aspect ratio

[@gokhanersan8561]

Budapest, Dispatch, and Asteroid all looked great. Budapest felt like it had something to say, beyond looking great.

[@hay_bail1]

Love the creativity and resourcefulness behind these films!

[@chrissd08]

That was a great interview, well done!

[@derekwesterman8406]

What a great video! After seeing Asteroid City, all I could think about was “how did they create this beautiful world”…. And there you guys were, a true artist breaking down his craft

[@Durmomo0]

The thing I didnt realize until I saw another video is the roadrunner (at least at the end credits) was a puppet with people in green morph suits operating it. I would have sworn it was CGI.

[@derekwesterman8406]

@@Durmomo0 fascinating!!! Thanks for that. I’m excited to look up more Making Of videos! (And see it again to take in those landscapes)

[@Durmomo0]

@@derekwesterman8406 the video is called Miniatures and puppetry in 'Asteroid City' I have been watching a few videos about all of this the last couple of days because its pretty interesting.

[@urfriendhannah]

People knock Wes Anderson for his style, but it is so amazingly beautiful and creative. To come up with that train shot in Grand Budapest was great to see and hear about

[@The_0.5.0]

By moving the actual environment it becomes alive and thus just as crucial a character.

[@Jamesviolaofficial]

This is really cool. All those production sketches are awesome.

[@Vovvilina]

Adam endlessly realigning the loose sheets with the cutting mat is making me wish someone had introduced the crew to the amazing properties of rubber cement or a tacky Cricut mat.

[@space_1073]

Vanity Fair are legends for framing the interview footage as if it were a Wes Anderson shot haha

[@ljtinney]

This was incredible.

[@whoisdillion]

this video is a piece of art, please cherish this video, one of the best in KZbin history

[@littlecat2222]

Adam Stockhausen is truly amazing and talented!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@senshai1267]

This was a great video with a great visionary

[@heliosphan-jr3gk]

One of the best people at this job

[@viper-sh9ys]

One of my favorite movies is The Grand Budapest Hotel and I'm kicking myself. I was just in Germany last month and declined to go to Gorlitz. Loved seeing this, though. Always loved the Wes Anderson style. Awesome to take a peek inside to see how they are filmed.

[@codyeasonBGR]

VF set design team must have been so excited on this day.

[@romanspataro1688]

Wes may very well be the greatest artist of our time

[@LiamHarrand]

I love everything about this video

[@kiwikili22]

great video, nicely done! i would have loved to see how they did the part in french dispatch where the waiter walks up this big house but that’s all :)

[@karlkarlos3545]

I love how this whole interview is framed like a Wes Anderson scene.

[@eratz2]

that was great!

[@chickrepelant]

that was delightful

[@J3SSE]

It’s funny how even the sketches are symmetrical.

[@roneteus]

This should be in 4K.

[@-Alberto-Bolanos-]

This is a Masterclass------thank´s

[@adinugroho6889]

Wes been thinking all of this into details that can relate to all of his movie

[@patozols7747]

Phenomenal.

[@user-re3mz4ou4g]

Fascinating.

[@juanitafurtado8805]

Excellent! I am going to rewatch every Wes Anderson movie i can find with new eyes. Thank you.

[@hashtagPoundsign]

Wes has fun to tell stories.

[@ThatVideoGuyTom]

Grand Budapest Hotel is an amazing film

[@TheFiown]

No idea why they don't do more 'behind the scenes' or 'making of' movies as most times they would be way more intersting than the movies themselves !

[@MrVisde]

I thought that was such an interesting detail about Grand Budapest: how the interior of the hotel evolved over time during different eras. In its heyday it was baroque and full of ornamental elements. In the later years the beauty was stripped away and it was forced to become utilitarian.

[@the_resourceful]

Grand Budapest Hotel✨✨✨✨

[@chhunyi6040]

Thank you

[@BradleyFish-ln4vl]

Cool video

[@ericlewis3444]

I could listen to his pronunciation of the title French Dispatch eternally. Is that a Canadian thing?

[@DeborahFESQF-jf4gw]

💎

[@Diminish12]

Adam: this looks Bad. Wes: I love it, let's use it. 😂

[@ccan_max5285]

Interesting

[@pixelcultmedia4252]

Really? Vanity Fair couldn't put Adam's name in the title?

[@djm5k]

I doubt your average movie enthusiast knows how much effort goes into set design and construction, and what location scouts go through to find on-location places and buildings to use, as well as how much or what parts of an existing building or location can be used in shots and what parts need to be recreated in sets. It would be interesting and fun to be a location scout for a movie or television show. The average movie buff takes this aspect of a movie for granted.

[@sahibad8128]

I can’t believe this has 10k views 😭😭 WES ANDERSON FANS TURN UP!!!

[@halfhorationelson]

Amazing movie loved it

[@pointless529]

Did Wes Anderson also direct this video?

[@benhenderson8952]

17:00 that one Spongebob episode 💀

[@JoelKurzynski]

Brilliant, but how many times does he say "the thing?" 🤔

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Wes Anderson for president of the U.S.A..👍.

[@MJagger89]

Truly an exceptional achievement. I must admit the story of the movie felt flat to me. The movie felt more like a concept than a story. But it was a mighty impressive concept.

[@cecilia_mackie]

Gorgeous! Let’s connect?

[@debbyfrederickesq9486]

👍🐝🍺

[@debbyfrederickesq9486]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🟡🔴

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@cole4649]

I’m v been playing guitar with a band called mason and the gin line. Every sense they they hired me I have been obsessed with anything to do with production

[@autofocus4556]

His movies are too polished and flat now. The Royal Tenenbaums had more depth to it and looked less like a cartoon.

[@bhar1jack]

First

[@hectorg1752]

I love Wes but he hasn’t made a great movie since Isle of Dogs.

[@MrVisde]

Same! I love Wes Anderson films but he hasn’t made a great one since Asteroid City.

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Fake news.

[@awaywegrow6114]

I would love to have watched this to the end, as it's such a fascinating subject. However, I gave up after 6 minutes - there was absolutely no chance of seeing and absorbing the scenes that AS was talking about. This could have and should have been a great video but it was ruined by irritatingly brief glimpses of the subject matter. AS & his team have exceptional skills. Sadly, whoever edited this video does not. 😞

[@nomicons]

You need to wait until the movie is released before you post these. Nobody who is serious about Wes will watch this until they've seen the film.

[@muzorewi]

The worlds should not have been created.

[@we_run_the_house]

Wow! Love your page! Let’s connect?