Making of Barbie - Why Does Barbie Land Look So Good?

Barbie Behind the Scenes - a look at the making of Barbie and the inspiration behind Barbie Land, the production design decisions, and how they captured the set with cinematography.
Greta Gerwig on Making Barbie Movie ►► bit.ly/ht-ba
Barbie Production Design Moodboard ►► bit.ly/ba-mb
StudioBinder Blog ►► bit.ly/sb-bl
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Special thanks to:
Crane.tv ►► bit.ly/yt-ca
Mattel ►► bit.ly/ba-bi, bit.ly/ba-yu
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to the World of Barbie
00:52 - The Role of a Production Designer
02:50 - Chapter 1: Inspiration
05:57 - Chapter 2: Building the Sets
10:05 - Chapter 3: Capturing the Sets
13:35 - Takeaways
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BARBIE BEHIND THE SCENES
The smash hit of 2023, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, proves that high-concept comedy is alive and well. Beyond the witty script and solid performances, one of the many marvels of the film is the production design. Barbieland is the epitome of what Gerwig calls “authentic artificiality,” and in this video, we will look at the making of Barbie, where they drew inspiration from, and how they captured all of it on camera.
INSPIRATION BEHIND THE MAKING OF BARBIE
Naturally, the decades of Barbie dolls, vehicles, and dreamhouses provided much of the inspiration for Barbie Land. But Production Designer Sarah Greenwood and Set Decorator Katie Spencer went above and beyond the original Mattel IP. The quest became how to visualize Barbie’s world to feel both foreign and familiar, fake and real at the same time. Inspired by Technicolor classics like The Wizard of Oz, the decision to shoot on a soundstage helped Gerwig and her team achieve these qualities. Color palettes were made to conform with the established Barbie aesthetics with additional inspiration from musicals by Jacques Demy, like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
The architectural style was borrowed from mid-century California, specifically Palm Springs and the pool from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Weird Barbie’s house is a nod to Boo Radley’s house in To Kill a Mockingbird and the Bates house in Psycho.
MAKING OF BARBIE - BUILDING THE WORLD
The making of Barbie Land was quite a feat. First, they needed to find the perfect shade of pink. Once they did (Rosco Fluorescent pink mixed with white), they had to scour the globe to find enough of it to paint the set. No black, white, or chrome was used in the production design - until the Kens took over and completely changed the dynamics of Barbie Land.
The sky backdrop stretched 800 feet long and 50 feet high and was hand-painted. Greenwood played with perspective and built many of the props and sets 23% smaller to capture the same relationship between the Barbie dolls and their dreamhouses.
There are many reasons why Barbie is memorable, but the production design should be near the top. With a creative team spearheaded by Greta Gerwig, it should be no wonder that Barbie behind the scenes is just as interesting as the film itself.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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♬ SONGS USED:
"Dance the Night (Instrumental)" - Dua Lipa
"Pink (Instrumental)" - Lizzo
"Journey To The Real World (Instrumental)" - Tame Impala
"Sexy Smile (No Lead Vocals)" - Selamo
"All Star" - ANBR
"Beach Off" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"Overflow (Instrumental)" - The Wildcardz
"Lose These Chuckleheads" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"O Come Let Us Adore Him (Instrumental)" - Salt of the Sound
"High Rollin'" - Stefano Mastronardi
"Creation of Barbie" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"Stairway to Weird Barbie" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"1986" - Angel Salazar
"Lie in the Sun (Instrumental)" - ORKAS
"Mattel" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"Deprogramming" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
"Assembly Line Dreams" - Ostin Drais
"I’m Just Ken (Instrumental)" - Ryan Gosling
Music by Artlist ► utm.io/umJx
Music by Artgrid ► utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq
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#film-theory, #video-essay, #filmmaker

[@StudioBinder]

Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to the World of Barbie 00:52 - The Role of a Production Designer 02:50 - Chapter 1: Inspiration 05:57 - Chapter 2: Building the Sets 10:05 - Chapter 3: Capturing the Sets 13:35 - Takeaways

[@CaesiusX]

10:17 Wow, *Rodrigo Prieto* (the Director of Photography) really knows his stuff! I was particularly blown away by his solution at 12:04, to make sure the color pink didn't reflect off of everything and cause the people to look somewhat magenta. 😯 Simply brilliant! _Thank you _*_StudioBinder!_* 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@StudioBinder]

Pro-tips from the best!

[@CraigGood]

Similar to what was done on Dune, where they used "sand screens" instead of green screen, and stone-colored fabrics out of shot for the interiors. You get the right color spill. Very smart.

[@tturnquest1]

I loved Barbiie since it came out. It's visually stunning from a production design stand point. And it's playfully delight in its tone. It's offically on of my favorite movies of 2023.

[@StudioBinder]

👍👍

[@Th3s]

I love how studiobinder is able to respect the production and set design that made barbie more hypnotizing. Barbie has its flaws ofcourse but the ability to study what it did do exquistly well is a show of how amazing this youtube channel's analytical skills are

[@kmoneygroot]

Hi Mr Misix. 😂

[@StudioBinder]

Hope it helps!

[@akabaneaki]

That lighting technique is BRILLIANT! I didnt think of it this way to use grey so the lights wouldnt be harsh and wouldnt cast a black shadow at all. They absolutely showed us ITS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A CGI AND COLORFUL movie.

[@oliversvoice4383]

This is one of the most vibrant, and fun looking, films I’ve seen; it’s also the best adaptation I’ve seen, which I don’t say lightly because Across The Spider-Verse came out the same year. Thank you for your in-depth breakdown, it makes me appreciate the production even more than I did prior.

[@StudioBinder]

That's the goal! :)

[@filmreviewer117]

I had a friend work on making some of the props and it made me so jealous that they got to be on the real set as every time I see it I just want to go and explore.

[@StudioBinder]

Exploring Barbieland!

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

Watching Barbie was like the joy of eating a pink starburst, but for the eyes!!

[@StudioBinder]

❤❤

[@zam6877]

Wow...just wow... The R&D for the design, scales, and colors... The ways to find and fix problems What a brilliant team!

[@StudioBinder]

Lots to learn!

[@Mr_Kenneth]

Barbie's framing, pacing and editing is a two hour masterclass of film-making and production design. Pure candy coated joy.

[@codyeasonBGR]

Nice the Narrator is back in the game. Such fun videos. You guys make the best videos

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@LycanVisuals]

Frankly I went in with many questions with how Greta was going to pull this off and left satisfied. 1.4 freaking billion dollars, well done 🥂

[@StudioBinder]

🙌🙌

[@murtadharidha1565]

the production design deserves an Oscar for this work.

[@justacat869]

Love these behind the scenes videos! Please keep making more 😊

[@StudioBinder]

More on the way!

[@helllohi2098]

Amazing video , it really helps to appreciate the huge efforts that goes behind making even simple things in filmmaking, kudos to Studio binder. Can we have BTS of Oppenheimer as well

[@outdoorsinontario3037]

My god! I want to work on sets like that! It would be so much fun!!, it takes so much work, but the end result is justified for sure! Fun video too, studiobinder

[@StudioBinder]

Makes the long days worth it I'm sure :)

[@solertia33]

Barbie Land will go down as one of the best sets constructed in film. The craftsmanship on display is incredible, especially considering how reliant studio films have become CGI.

[@StudioBinder]

Filmmakers should definitely be looking into the techniques

[@magdapalma]

Cool. To know how they thought to create the images, building beautiful shots, is amazing. Thank you guys for this video.

[@15Candles]

Considering that this movie came from the same studio that made the Harry Potter movies which the movies were shot at the Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden and the success of the franchise led WB to give Harry Potter it's own studio tour in Leavesden, I hope they can do the same for Barbie as the movie was filmed there too. Come on WB, you gave Harry Potter a studio tour, Barbie should definitely get one too 🤗

[@StudioBinder]

There's a good chance!

[@tonatiuhaguilar1860]

Thank you Studiobinder ❤

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@devnarayanchandrachoriya1444]

Another great and knowledgeable video from Studio binder

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

Thank you for posting this wonderful video!

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@mcneilbelle]

Awsome video I wish you guy would have included the aspect ratio they used !!

[@itwasme2435]

Really well done. I need to watch it now =)

[@vismaykedilaya1318]

This is where I'd put my production design... if I had the budget

[@StudioBinder]

Fortunately not all films need a life sized version of Barbieland 😅

[@alejandrovargasaguilar6180]

Hearing studiobinder saying i am kenough, just makes me happy. Can you do a video specific about production designers? I know you talk several bases here but i will love to go deeper. To know what they do, what team they have, how to do a project and several details it affects a project. I want to know all of it.

[@faresjabaly791]

Seeing the first pictures for the movie, I had my fears on how the movie will be like, admitting to the fact that if the movie is weak, nothing can improve it, production design or visual effects, but that fact drive me away from admiring the work of the art department, and the amount of work in this movie, I'll keep wishing for the chance to to enter this amazing world of Art Department.

[@StudioBinder]

That's what our video is for ;)

[@user-ft5kw6ob2o]

Fantastic video! Please continue to make more videos that are appropriate for younger audiences.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@coltekr]

Great video! I love this channel’s dedication! Barbie’s set design is definitely magnificent for sure. The story is divisive depending on the viewer’s background and gender. But Barbie’s message isn’t really about girl power or femininity against masculinity. I view it as a film similar to the narrative of Pinocchio, a plastic toy doll learning to becoming a real human kind of story. But you’ll have to pay close attention and view it till the end. Just see it with a open mind, it’s not as bad as some reviewers said.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@Garcelle1987]

You’re right. The film is divisive but it tended to be folks who are just really closed minded who had an issue. Right wingers, both men and women incessantly complained about the film. And even KZbin and social media feminists were also hyper-critical because they felt the movie’s feminism was too ‘surface’ level 😏 Regardless of that though, what is great is in spite of all the unwarranted critiques the film is loved by the masses. And became not only the biggest movie of 2023. But it is also one of the most successful movies of all time 🙌☕️

[@mishukx]

Awesome

[@StudioBinder]

🙏🙏

[@murathankucuk2720]

can you guys make a Video about how they shot some scenes in The dark knight

[@StudioBinder]

You should watch our interrogation video, we break down the scene in it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5i5q4qCjbqUerc

[@amadeusmalonje6948]

Goated film

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@Henry_Swanson]

Disney Star wars seems to want to build as few props as possible to put in the volume and films these empty sets with no furniture or extras. Barbie out here building and filming miniatures to CG into the background.

[@StudioBinder]

🙌🙌

[@its_brrtbrrt]

wow

[@anweshalder]

If film making : studio binder :: acting: ?

[@anweshalder]

I'm asking if we have studio binder for learning about film making what would be the equivalent for the same in case of acting

[@StudioBinder]

also us, check out last week's video! haha kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXvchZVvZdOYgdU

[@TheCematrixX]

Because they didn't use a green curtain 24/7 xD

[@StudioBinder]

🙌🙌

[@bollywoodfightactionreacti9189]

Nice 😂

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@maheshwaranp3946]

9:33 "much less visually appealing" they said 😂

[@Jimbo1221]

I'm curious how the movie would be different if it were in black and white lol

[@igorsauchuk7724]

Another easthetic looking lesson how to make beautiful films

[@StudioBinder]

🔥🔥

[@sagasvensson8920]

I enjoyed this video more than the film honestly. Love your channel, keep up the great work.

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@sergioortiz8219]

7:54 All that attention to detail and they set up the chessboard wrong 🤦‍♂

[@pepperminttree]

wasnt a huge fan of the movie but the costumes and production design/ sets were undeniably amazing

[@StudioBinder]

Definitely a lot of useful techniques for filmmakers!

[@thisissaurav_]

On the wishlist DIRECTOR'S CHAIR : ASGHAR FARHADI

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@sharkk2016]

As a movie enthusiast and aspiring filmmaker with some knowledge with international cinema, I would give the movie a score of 10/10, with 7 of those points going to the cinematography, production design, props, etc. The remainder is reserved for acting and other things. This film is overrated too

[@StudioBinder]

Interesting, you gave the film a 10/10 but also feel it's overrated?

[@itzMBO]

8:48 pure bullocks, I am a VFX artist and actually worked on the movie and I can tell you're there's way more CGI than you think

[@jairomurillo4645]

give us the tea!!!!

[@Schmidtelpunkt]

@@jairomurillo4645 In every shot with ropes, which in those open houses should be quite a bunch. I would not be surprised if there were more background elements and also touch ups of the set.

[@itzMBO]

@@Schmidtelpunkt crowd, the car's windshield, the mountain background which was painted is also often replaced digitally, some of the houses too, the grass, flowers and list goes on and on

[@StudioBinder]

Not pure bollocks, we're still saying VFX was used in that shot

[@itzMBO]

"one of the few times" implies there was not much VFX done on the entire movie@@StudioBinder

[@leokimvideo]

This film had a lot of Wes Anderson style of set ups going on. Maybe thats why it was such a mega hit

[@stevelanemusic4463]

Great job, yet again SB..! What a drag it is to see people wearing masks on the set, trying to have fun. So stupid... The absolute best way to control people is through fear. This is a perfect example.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@zahinarfa2463]

This movie is a masterpiece!! The story is about Women, Feminism. Loved this🙌🙌 Great is one of the best directors of all time👏👏

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@zahinarfa2463]

@@StudioBinder 😁😁

[@PhilUKNet]

As an old man - and also because I have read lots of negative comments about the film's feminist agenda - this is not a movie I would rush out to see, but Studio Binder describes the production details in a fascinating way. Your analysis of movie making details is unparalleled.

[@mqua4610]

I had no interest in seeing this movie also until I saw this video! Amazing craftsmanship and production compels me to check this movie out even though I have no desire to write or produce something like this ever! I’m a big fan of all art done well!

[@MadameCorgi]

Barbie's feminism is pretty basic. What exactly about it do you disagree with?

[@StudioBinder]

All we care about :)

[@kimyoonmisurnamefirst7061]

The feminism Barbie asks for is equality between the sexes. And the people that put it down has the media literacy of a 2 year old. Do you have media literacy better than a 2 year old? You'd likely enjoy it--I've seen some men that really enjoyed it and understood the messaging easily.

[@mqua4610]

@@kimyoonmisurnamefirst7061 I didn’t see the Barbie movie but I can agree that if Barbie asks for equality between the sexes then I’m all for that feminism! Movies with intelligent and decisive females are relatively new, coming to us only since Trinity went into the Matrix-with the exception years ago when Joan Crawford did Mildred Pierce. These women are strongly received in our movie culture now. Finally, scripts can come to the big box offices with these strong female characters and these movies or series can be appreciated by both sexes!

[@reegannash1832]

Umm...has the voice over guy been replaced by AI?

[@Chill_Mode_JD]

🩷🩷🩷

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@joeson7700]

Fans asked " Failed to teach & encouraged YOUTH about personal HYGIENE and inevitably PREVENT Toxic SHOCK Syndrome ! "

[@youfollow_]

great behind the scenes , i never watched the barbie movie (Will Not)! Oppenhiemer is Phenomenal

[@sitebstudios]

Won’t watch it? Weird.

[@Ona-zc3dp]

Why Not?

[@Th3s]

okay???

[@youfollow_]

@@sitebstudios never interested in this , just want to see how it was done plus the movie have too many meanings.

[@AimaCox-Zucker]

@@Ona-zc3dp Woke-Barbie hurt his widdle feewings 💗💗

[@honigtau.bunsenbrenner]

It's a terrible BS movie.

[@Anana315]

It’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen honestly 😢 I was very disappointed

[@MrDrProfessorPurple]

grow up, dude. Stop getting your feelings hurt by a literal movie.

[@Anana315]

@@MrDrProfessorPurple I don’t know if you’re talking to OP or me but either way… we’re literally just sharing our opinions. Nobody’s hurt here lol

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@ajdc88]

movies that won't age well

[@StudioBinder]

Time will tell!

[@satyajitbanerjee7953]

I like how Studiobinder breaks down the expensive production design of the biggest meaningless propaganda scam a$$#ole in the history of cinema

[@zp4824]

Looks good, makes no sense. Typical new HOLLYWOOD.

[@ghadlydevastated2067]

Bruh it's Barbie. It's a toy. "You can be what you want to be." It doesnt need human's meaning of 'sense' because it's literally made for a child's imagination. And the film reflects that.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@jusbeinac]

this movie just copied black panther.

[@skitzochik]

i think the sets are flat & ugly, these people were TRIPPIN...pukey pink...not barbie pink at all to me ..its just flat pink,no shine or depth or sparkle. its kinda gross

[@StudioBinder]

Was it just the color you didn't like? What made the design ugly?

[@helllohi2098]

Amazing video , it really helps to appreciate the huge efforts that goes behind making even simple things in filmmaking, kudos to Studio binder. Can we have BTS of Oppenheimer as well

[@abhinavzeol]

🩷

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!