We had the good fortune of connecting with Riya Vaidya and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Riya, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
Actually, it’s music that helps me function on a daily basis, so I’d quote a million different favorite lyrics if I could! But if I had to choose one that’s described most of my life so far, it’d be Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield- “Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten”
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since the beginning of time, I’ve had this inner knowing that I was meant to be an artist, believe it or not, since I was three years old, and much of my life has been about exploring what kind of artist I want to be. Growing up between New Delhi, California, and Bangalore (my adopted hometown), I was consistently inclined towards the arts- dance, music, craft, painting, and reading & writing, and was also interested in science & technology. TV & Film as a medium has also been an integral part of my life since I was little, and I’ve always experienced it in a highly immersive & visceral way. With a wildly imaginative brain, varied interests and a love for storytelling, it’s no surprise that my journey to becoming a production designer for film happened quite organically.
While in college as an Industrial Design major, the existence of the job & idea of becoming a production designer for theater & film found me, and stuck in my mind. In 2019, I volunteered at a music festival to design art installations, which cemented the fact that production design was it for me. I loved the atmosphere of collaboration & sharing ideas, planning & building an experience for an audience, and a little bit of controlled chaos. Before finally taking the leap to join film school in LA, I briefly worked as a graphic designer and a costume styling assistant.
A production designer essentially creates the world & environment you see on the screen. We imbue the physical space with emotions and personality to build the mood & universe of the story, using colors, textures, furniture, set decoration, in conjunction with the director, costume designer, cinematographer, and the Art Department. The creation of a film is like solving a fun puzzle- making sure that every piece works to fit the larger context, and a delicate balance between time, budget, logistics, managing expectations, and the creative vision.
Personally, creating films & art is a discovery of the meaning of life, and forming connections to understand the people around me better. Art imitates life, and life imitates art, and sometimes blurs with it in magical and strange ways. The immense power of thoughts, emotions, words, and any act of creation is a statement, and has the ability to reflect, transform & heal the world. That’s an important responsibility as a human, filmmaker, and artist- to have integrity, be authentic, honest, and think beyond yourself. Pure intentions, combined with strong intuition, empathy, constant learning, and working with passionate & supportive people is what I aspire to on every project. I’m selective about who I work with, and gravitate towards stories with universal human emotions, that blend genres, and explore the gray areas & colorful spectrum that make life.
It truly takes a giant village to design a production, and I’ve been lucky in always being surrounded by the right people with good energy; it’s a real blessing.
Being adaptable & having the ability to constantly zoom in & out works in my favor, and being a jack-of-all-trades is an asset, while also knowing that the more you know, the more there is to know. Living and creating is but a riddle, an art, and a game of connect-the-dots!
Artistic & personal growth takes time, practice, persistence, vulnerability, and a healthy mix of stubbornness and flexibility. It also helps to know yourself really well, in order to create and reinvent yourself, and to be a good collaborator. Of course, it hasn’t all been a cakewalk, but I’m excited about paving a fun & flexible path for myself and for others, that allows for freedom in every way, and involves experimenting and learning, whether it pertains to art, designing films, music videos, theatre, concerts, or any other dreams I have in the future!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Number one for me is Griffith Observatory (my favorite place in all of LA, and I don’t think any other place can take its spot), so every friend that’s visited me so far, we’ve started with coffee & some lavender chocolate chip scones from The Trails Cafe, followed by a hike up to the observatory. A beach day HAS to be on the agenda – a quiet, peaceful beach in Malibu would be my choice. Porto’s Bakery is one place I’d take them to for a good meal (and their très leches is the best!).
Grand Central Market & Tatsu Ramen are two other places I’d take them to for food.
An art museum or two, and any event involving music & dance would definitely find its way onto our itinerary. I’ve also been on a quest to find the best burger in LA so when I do find it, that’ll be on the list too!
We’d end the week with a road trip & explore a national park or forest in the vicinity!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m eternally grateful for everyone who’s helped me evolve as a person and as a creative; I’ve always been lucky enough to be surrounded by high-spirited people who encourage, complement and keep me balanced and grounded.
There’s many people to thank for propelling me to where I am in life— some of my biggest cheerleaders, starting with my parents, for always supporting my seemingly “wild” dreams and decisions, my little but infinitely wiser sister Risha, my high school besties- Rhea, Sheethal, Sriram, & Shreyaa, my college friends & fellow filmmakers/designers Manali Shukla, Vaishali Pandey, Dyuti Ravisankar, & Smahi Singh.
I would also love to give a heartfelt shout-out to one of my mentors, stylist Nidhi Rajain, who appeared in my life & took me under her wing, exactly when I needed her ♡
This past year in LA has been one of the most incredible and transformative years of my life, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the talented filmmakers & friends I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, learning & collaborating with during my time at the American Film Institute. To say I’m excited for where next year takes me would be an understatement; the best is yet to come!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartsypotahto/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riyavaidya
Other: Email: rvaidya@afi.edu AFI Thesis Film website: deadgirl.net The random soundtrack to my life for the past several months: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/32ib9CfMWvz9C6G0GkJugI?si=9e18b6a7ec9c4649