“I like production design as a creative workflow. I always love being a participant of the storytelling team of the entire film crew. I am always going to create the world as familiar as my own life,” said Wang.
Wang has put her touch on many films, contributing to the success that they saw. Films such as Red String, Inside Linda Vista Hospital, Cartoon Book, and Dancing for You went on to see great success at many of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, allowing international audiences to see what she is capable of. Wang has an appreciation for what she does that few possess.
“For the first stage of the process, finding the correct set up is always a challenge. The directors offer an abstract overall concept, and I need to show it through each of the prop and set dressing. I will give the director a bunch of options of references. The challenge is the thrill,” she said.
All those who work with Wang see her talent immediately, which is why she is so sought-after in the industry. Marc Carlis, who worked with Wang on the film The Rabbit, The Horse, The Wolf, says that Wang has the ability to transform a set into something magical.
“The Rabbit, The Horse, The Wolf is a surreal style so there were a lot of work to do on that set, but that was no problem for Shuhe. She can still be very effective,” said Carlis. “She is a well-organized creative designer of the set. Both of these characteristics are significant for successful filmmakers.”
Wang continued to impress while working on the film Stay, an experimental shot film without dialogue, making the set even more important for the narrative of the story. The film tells the story of a policemen who died in a case while his wife delivered their baby, but he meets his wife at the last seconds of his life in his imagination. It is a karaoke version of the hit song Stay in the style of Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko. The film contains karaoke backing track with on-screen scrolling lyrics.
“Working on an experimental film is a unique experience as production designer. I felt there would be a lot of space to do my work well,” said Wang. “It was the first time I understood what the difference was between designing an experimental film and a narrative film. I really enjoyed the communication with the director while we were filming this and how it becomes a live picture from the page and visual concept.”
Stay went on to win the Accolade Global Film Competition’s Award of Excellence, the Indie Gathering International Short Film Festival’s Best Overall Micro Film Award, and was an Official Selection at the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival, California Independent Film Festival, Action on Film International Film Festival, Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival, SoCal Creative and Innovative Film Festival, and the Los Angeles CineFest.
“I was really excited to hear the good news from the festivals and the awards that Stay received. I totally believed that the film would have a lot of success in festivals while we were filming it. It deserves the awards.”
After Wang sent all her reel and visual presentation to the director Yining Yan, Yan knew that Wang was the person he needed. He felt that they were on the same page for understanding the story of the film.
“The crew knew what exactly they wanted, so the work process was really smooth. I drew the storyboard in the pre-production so we worked fast and without misunderstanding based on the work. For the art dressing part, I got enough in the budget to accomplish the original visual idea as much as possible,” Wang described.
Stay is a high contrast tone film, according to Wang, because it is an intercutting film of two different storylines. The tone needed to be really identifiable for each of them. With the color, there was a contrast but in a narrative way to form a strong connection between them.
“I set up a key prop which is connected for both them. It helps the story telling a lot,” said Wang.
This ingenuity is why Wang is considered one of the best production designers to come out of China recently. She understands how her role can help shape the entire film and transform it into something else for audiences. She is truly outstanding.