People Behind the Scenes: Arv Grewal on Resident Evil: Afterlife – Part I

Films like Aliens, Lord Of The Rings, Avatar and a few others have always kept us holding on to the edge of our seats with anticipation, Read More">with its series of events and situations that would follow on screen that we literally binge on to get our fix and satisfaction. There are movies with grand scenesRead More

Films like Aliens, Lord Of The Rings, Avatar and a few others have always kept us holding on to the edge of our seats with anticipation, with its series of events and situations that would follow on screen that we literally binge on to get our fix and satisfaction. There are movies with grand scenes and even grander sets that make every shot look complete if not picturesque, but did you know that the people behind the scenes who narrate these visuals for us to see, work around the clock keeping the audiences perspective in mind? The visual content is enhanced thanks to the Production designers and Art directors.

In this exclusive series, we introduce to you the 'People behind the Scenes'. Bollywood Hungama brings to you an unrestrictive chat session with Production design extraordinaire, Arv Grewal from Hollywood's latest 3d extravaganza Resident Evil: Afterlife.

What was your first project as a production designer? I had worked on over 20 films before I had a chance to be a Production Designer. I worked my way up in the Art Department from Production Assistant to Assistant Art Director to Art Director, Read More">over a few years. I was very happy being anRead More

What was your first project as a production designer?
I had worked on over 20 films before I had a chance to be a Production Designer. I worked my way up in the Art Department from Production Assistant to Assistant Art Director to Art Director, over a few years. I was very happy being an Art Director and one of the best jobs I had was art directing Zack Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead. A few years later the line producer from that film asked me if I would be interested in designing the latest George Romero movie. It was a dream come true but unfortunately George didn't want anyone associated with the remake, as he wasn't involved with it in any way, other than the minor fact that created the entire genre and Dawn of the Dead was the most successful example of it. I understood and had given up on the possibility of this job. After two weeks I got a call from the line producer again late on a Friday. He set up a meeting with George. It ended up being a very cordial meeting. Moments after I left the meeting I got the call from the line producer that I had the job. It was my first try at a production design job and it was on George A. Romero's Land of the Dead.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of interview with Arv where he talks about RE: Afterlife

So how did you get your break in films? After, another three months of searching, Read More">I was offered a job as a production assistant in the art department of a small independent. I ended up drawing all the sets for the film as well as helping with the construction and paint on those sets. IRead More

So how did you get your break in films?
After, another three months of searching, I was offered a job as a production assistant in the art department of a small independent. I ended up drawing all the sets for the film as well as helping with the construction and paint on those sets. I also worked with the props and special effects departments, on set. My big special effects effort was recreating falling snow outside of a window, by flying potato flakes off a twelve foot platform; did I mention it was a very low budget feature, but it was great fun and I was living the dream.

Out of all the departments in film what inspired you to take up production design?
I always ended up taking small courses in film; whether they are about Bergman or American films of the 70's. Before I went to study architecture for a term in Rome, I took a course on Italian Cinema. My favourite place in the library to study Structures and Materials or Calculus was in the film section where I would end up reading critiques by Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris or the articles in Cahiers du Cinema. It dawned on me that somehow film was going to be in my future. It wasn't until I had a degree in architecture, and a few years of practical design and building behind me, that I gained the confidence to say, I could make a contribution behind the camera.

Hi Arv, tell us something about your background I was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) and lived there, on Nepean Sea Road, until I was 10. Then I spent a couple of years in Punjab, while my father was establishing himself in Canada, shortly thereafter, Read More">I immigrated with the rest of my family to Toronto.Read More

Hi Arv, tell us something about your background
I was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) and lived there, on Nepean Sea Road, until I was 10. Then I spent a couple of years in Punjab, while my father was establishing himself in Canada, shortly thereafter, I immigrated with the rest of my family to Toronto. I studied at the New Model Infant School in Mumbai. I studied architecture at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

How did you foray into films?
After university, I had a small, extremely small, architectural practice. I had a few projects, but as the recession of the early 90's hit, all my work dried up. My (soon to be) wife, who was also an architect, saw her medium sized firm dwindle down to the point where it was just her and the principal architect left working. We decided it was time for a change in our lives. We got married, took all the money we had and went away for a three month trip. We decided to follow our dreams; mine had always been to work in film and hers was to open up a business of her own (which she very successfully did, a short year later). When we returned to Toronto, I started to pound the pavement looking for a job in film or television; there were a great deal of TV movies being made at the time.

Read More">Arvind Grewal has done a plethora of films before he joined forces with Paul Anderson for Resident Evil: Afterlife. Arv who hails from an architectural background has donned many roles in filmmaking in art and production. He has also worked with the likes of George Romero and Zack Snyder. Arv was responsible for the overallRead More

Arvind Grewal has done a plethora of films before he joined forces with Paul Anderson for Resident Evil: Afterlife. Arv who hails from an architectural background has donned many roles in filmmaking in art and production. He has also worked with the likes of George Romero and Zack Snyder. Arv was responsible for the overall look of Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Production designers by far have one of the key creative roles in creating motion pictures that is essential in the filmmaking process. This phase in film production determines the overall look of a music video, advertisement or movie. The production designer collaborates with the director and the director of photography regarding the visualization of the film in regard to the script or story.