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Crafting Cinematic Worlds: Annie Atkins on Iconic Film Design, Creative Storytelling, and Letters From the North Pole

61 min • 25 september 2024

Margo is joined by Annie Atkins, a graphic designer and legendary prop maker for film and television. She is known for her work with Wes Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel, which won the Academy Award for Best Production Design at the 87th Academy Awards. Since then, she has worked again with Wes Anderson on Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch as well as on Steven Speilberg's West Side Story and Bridge of Spies. Annie’s first book, Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps, was published in 2020 by Phaidon. In her first children's book, Letters From The North Pole, five children from all around the world write to Santa Claus with ideas for Christmas gifts and are amazed when he writes back! Through five letters from Santa that children can pull out and read, the hidden world of the North Pole is revealed, from how reindeer can sleep standing up to what snacks Santa would like left out on Christmas Eve, and how he gets round the world so quickly. This is a nostalgic and festive tale, reminiscent of the classic The Jolly Postman and Annie's iconic work on such films as The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Margo and Annie discuss:

How Annie’s upbringing in a creative household influenced her decision to pursue graphic design and the pivotal moments that led her into the film industry
Her impressive portfolio working on films and specific challenges and joys she encountered while working with distinctive styles of directors
Hand-lettering vs. digital design
Film prop details and some of the various intricate props she crafted
Learning through mistakes, how using a 50-star flag instead of a 48-star flag in Bridge of Spies taught her to ensure historical accuracy
Personal Projects vs. Commissioned Work
What the job of a graphic designer on a film set typically involves and how it contributes to the overall storytelling in a movie
Her captivating and interactive new children's book, Letters from the North Pole