▍ Breaking Through Creative Barriers: Production Design Should 

As a seasoned industry professional, Tu Nan has worked on many impressive projects. His contributions to films and TV series, such as Legend of the Demon Cat, which won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Art Direction, and Blossoms Shanghai, which earned the Magnolia Award for Best Art Direction, showcase the critical role of art design in crafting stunning visuals, enhancing storytelling with vibrant atmospheres, and bringing narratives to life.

In his mentor class, Tu Nan elaborated on the thought process behind production design. The first layer involves building a realistic spatial foundation for the narrative. The second layer focuses on conveying clear emotions. The third layer integrates the film's narrative style to form a cohesive artistic language. Regarding the production process, Tu Nan shared many practical insights. From a filmmaking perspective, he emphasized that production design requires a comprehensive skill set. On one hand, it demands a keen and profound understanding of elements that express a particular visual style. On the other, it requires strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with other departments, ensuring the seamless execution of artistic concepts.

▍ Dancing with Light and Shadow: The Director at the Core, Team Collaboration

Many aspiring filmmakers strive to enhance the visual quality of their work. In response, Tu Nan deconstructed the term "cinematic feel." He explained that the "cinematic feel" embodies the core spirit of a film's artistic intent, and conveying it effectively is a crucial skill for directors.

In the creative process, the director, production designer, and cinematographer must work in close collaboration to achieve this expression. Tu Nan emphasized the chain of collaboration between the director, production designer, and cinematography, stating that the director serves as the core, preventing disjointed artistic and cinematographic visions. On the contrary, from a production design perspective, achieving rich visual textures requires grounding the design in reality while distilling and refining a distinctive style. For example, for emotional expression, he suggested prioritizing the emotional resonance of a space over its material conditions.

Discussing the collaboration between production design and cinematography, Tu Nan highlighted the importance of lighting and camera movement. For lighting adjustments, he stressed early coordination with the cinematographer. During the design phase, establishing a clear lighting concept for each space ensures cohesion. Additionally, he recommended discussing the reflectivity of props and materials with the cinematographer in detail. For camera movement, he drew from Blossoms Shanghai to emphasize how spatial layouts should align with camera dynamics, ensuring that the frame remains visually rich and immersive.

▍ Aesthetic Insights: Consistency and Meticulous Refinement

On the subject of individual artistic style, Tu Nan stressed the importance of aligning production design with the overall film aesthetic. "The job of a production designer is to provide the director with a setting that is qualified, precise, and aligned with the film's tone," he said, adding that "qualified" and "precise" require meticulous attention to detail—from large-scale set construction to subtle lighting adjustments.

Blossoms Shanghai left a lasting impression in the history of Chinese television aesthetics. Reflecting on its production design, Tu Nan explained that the series' design aimed not only to faithfully recreate historical reality but also to evoke an authentic emotional response, fostering a deep connection with the audience. "This is the most challenging yet fascinating aspect of production design," he noted. After the filming of Blossoms Shanghai, Tu Nan remained involved in post-production, an experience he found invaluable. Viewing the project from a post-production perspective deepened his understanding of filmmaking and refined his approach to how production design translates in later stages.

▍ Advice for Newcomers: Systematic Thinking and Creative Energy

With a blend of rationality and passionate creativity, Tu Nan redefined the perception of film production design for the participants. In an era dominated by fragmented information, he advocated for building a "fortress" of systematic thinking. Addressing young filmmakers, Tu Nan repeatedly emphasized the importance of systematic thinking and long-term creative vision. For example, he encouraged aspiring artists to develop the ability to structurally analyze a script as soon as they receive it, keeping track of the number of locations and their relationships. He believes that the prevalence of fragmented reading weakens critical thinking and, to some extent, challenges the systematic thinking required in production design. To cultivate a strong visual aesthetic, Tu Nan advised studying documentary imagery from different eras, much like veteran filmmakers. "Look for perspectives on time and life within them," he said, urging students to consider the relationship between architecture and people and to use space to frame characters' emotions.

When discussing the role of experience in production design, Tu Nan suggested adopting the mindset of a "stranger" during the early design phase—discarding preconceived notions and stepping outside one's comfort zone when selecting projects. He argued that creative inspiration flourishes when experience is temporarily set aside, while practical expertise can be reserved for planning budgets and schedules.

In an era of rapid technological advancement, Tu Nan remains committed to human creativity. When discussing the creative power of production design, Tu Nan compared it to the use of AI tools. In his view, AI-generated concept art is based on existing designs and lacks a certain level of creative energy. This raises higher demands for production design work, as he emphasized, "You need to think about what aspects of your work AI cannot replace."