Seeking Authenticity: ‘Method’ Production Design in Narrative Screen Practice

In contemporary narrative filmmaking, emerging technologies such as virtual production and generative artificial intelligence are impacting production workflows. Yet one central element of the practice remains unchanged: filmmakers seek to create relatable characters who are situated within believable dramatic scenarios. When achieved, narrative authenticity supports audience immersion, which in turn affects the work’s impact. Characters are constructed through a complex matrix of meaning expressed on screen by actors and contributed to by writers, directors, costume designers, production designers, cinematographers, editors, composers and sound designers. Over the last century, the Method technique has been a widely recognised practice used by many actors to find authenticity in their performances. Like actors, production designers rely on developing an understanding of a character’s inner life as a path to designing authentic fictional worlds. Is there an implicit approach in production design practice that aligns with the Method approach used in performance? Are there similarities between the way a production designer prepares a character’s environment and the way an actor prepares to perform in it? And once created, does the design itself perform authenticity? If so, can making this practice more explicit assist with the development and broader understanding of how designers contribute to screen works? As a way of elucidating the comparatively less visible contribution of the production designer, this article compares selected Method techniques used by actors with those used by production designers in seeking authentic characterisations. By placing these practices in dialogue, this article proposes production design as a form of performative practice that implicitly draws on a Method approach to effectively solve the design problem in narrative screen practice.