Designing Indie Horror: The Production Design of 'Obsession'

GG Hawkins speaks with production designer Vivian Gray about building the visual world of Obsession, from Southern Gothic references and texture-heavy interiors to practical blood gags and micro-budget problem-solving. They discuss what a production designer actually does, how Gray collaborated with the director, cinematographer, costume designer, and art team, and why color, texture, aging, and window treatments can make a major difference on an indie horror film.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Vivian Gray discuss...

•
What a production designer does and how the role shapes the visual world of a film

•
How Vivian Gray landed the job on Obsession through a recommendation and visual pitch deck

•
Building the film’s Southern Gothic and Midwestern Gothic-inspired visual language

•
Why production designers should come onto a project as early as possible

•
Collaborating with cinematography, costumes, props, set decoration, lighting, and graphic design

•
How a small indie crew used hands-on collaboration to make the film’s world feel cohesive

•
Designing horror environments through texture, color, maximalism, and unease

•
Practical lessons from blood gags, aging props, window treatments, and set dressing

•
The highest-impact production design choices for micro-budget filmmakers

•
Vivian’s advice for aspiring production designers

Memorable Quotes:

•
“My job basically is I'm in charge of the visual design of the film and the visual world.”

•
“Because they have nothing to shoot until there's something to shoot, right?”

•
“Everything has to have a texture.”

•
“I think it is color and texture. It's going to make the biggest impacts in your film, from my experience.”

Guests:

•
Vivian Gray (imdb.com/name/nm10392263)

Resources:

•
Obsession on IMDb (imdb.com/title/tt37287335)

•
Universal Studios Prop House & Drapery (universalstudioslot.com/property-and-drapery)

•
The Hand Prop Room (hpr.com)

Find No Film School everywhere:

•
On the Web:No Film School (nofilmschool.com)

•
Facebook:No Film School on Facebook (facebook.com/nofilmschool)

•
Twitter:No Film School on Twitter (twitter.com/nofilmschool)

•
YouTube:No Film School on YouTube (youtube.com/user/nofilmschool)

•
Instagram:No Film School on Instagram (instagram.com/nofilmschool)

•
📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices