Meet Sadra Tehrani | Production Designer & Concept Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sadra Tehrani and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sadra, what do you attribute your success to?
I see myself as an initiator, and I believe this trait contributes a lot to my success. I pursue the things I love even if doing so feels less secure, or difficult to achieve. Some people consider impulsiveness and planning to be pure opposites, but I find them to be traits that inform one another. I believe having a big-picture plan greatly increases my chances of acting upon the right impulses. It’s sort of like wayfinding in a hike. You know you want to get to the mountain ridge, so you pay attention to the slope, the rock formations and plant types to figure out if you’re headed the right way. That said, I value having a solid plan but not necessarily binding myself to it. In today’s fast-paced culture I think it’s important to be flexible and adjustable, and to be able to craft opportunities from limitations. A project I set designed – Voyeur: Windows of Toulouse-Lautrec – which was the recipient of a Broadway World Scenic Design award and was also featured in the New York Times, happened during the pandemic with limited resources. It was my first scenic design project that happened outside of school, and I had to multitask as a designer, decorator, prop maker and sketch artist. Job after job I learned how important it is to not only be able to plan ahead and organize, but also think on my toes, teach myself to improvise and problem solve because nothing ever goes exactly how you expect it to. That’s why I find it critical to facilitate relationships with my collaborators and keep our communication thorough and constant, as it informs collective decision-making and synergizes brainstorming together to get past (unexpected) obstacles.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think of myself as a world-maker: I’m intrigued when things – spaces, objects, characters – come together to create something bigger than their sum. I’m primarily a Production Designer; In this role I’m involved with making big-picture decisions about the look and design of a film that directly impact the feeling it communicates. These decisions not only involve the spaces, the decoration, the finishes and props, but most importantly, how they come together to communicate a unified vision for the world in which the characters of the story live in. I also enjoy doing Concept Art, and the freedom in ideation and visualizing the first sparks of how a specific piece should feel. One thing that I believe sets me apart in this respect is that I treat each story in a personal way which I explore through sketching. As Bong Joon Ho once said, “The most personal is the most creative”. I like to bring my own touch to the world of the piece through sketches that express blocking, light and atmosphere. Creating worlds is an imaginative process and is born out of an emotional response to a story. I find it important however to ground my emotional responses to a piece in careful and curated research. It’s crucial for me to have an extensive (and as much first-hand as possible) knowledge of the material I’m working on.

Getting here was a journey with a lot of twists and turns. My interest in Production Design began when I first saw the original Blade Runner. On the spot, I was captivated by the aura of the places – the futuristic city above the streets, the decayed alleyways and abandoned buildings. What I remembered most vividly afterwards, was not a specific act, or face; not even a place, but the overall enduring quality and feel of the whole film. Following this fascination, I watched anything I could find about the process of the set and production design of the film – from the earliest concept sketches to the giant Tyrell headquarters scale model, which I got to see at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens.

My passion for the creation of imaginary places and visual storytelling goes back earlier, to my childhood. When I was 6, I did a series of writings titled “The Boy Who …” accompanied by illustrations I did myself. These stories entailed a boy’s adventures in different places and times. The municipal branch of Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – a national institution – ended up acquiring the whole series of about 20 books, all of which were foldouts. This is the first instance – one that I can remember – where I clearly desired to tell a story through visual and literal means and have control over its mood and theme. Later in high school, I became passionate about architecture, and how places and atmospheres would evoke feelings and emotions inside us. At that time, drawing real and imaginary environments became my hobby. During my undergraduate studies, architectural design studios were the main playground for me to explore and investigate my personal notion of spaces. Iran has many fascinating architectural sites that are mind-blowing spatial storytelling devices, both in the macro scale and in their details. I was, and continually am inspired by these spatial narratives. In my design process, I utilized storyboards and sequential drawings in space layouts and analyses of studio projects. These very same skills are now in my arsenal of tools when visualizing a screenplay.

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?
I have a knack for bakeries and pastry shops in New York City, so first off, I’d take them to Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery and have them try the delicious fruit Napoleon. Afterwards we could perhaps catch a Fellini film at FilmForum. Then we can try my other favorite place nearby in the East Village, Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe. If the weather is good, I find the bike ride to the Rockaways to be very therapeutic. As a jazz fan, I like checking out Dizzy’s Jazz Club by Columbus Circle in the evening. A walk in Central Park at dusk followed by Persian dinner at Ravagh is definitely a great way to wrap up the day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Firstly, my parents. I can’t thank them enough for trusting me and for their emotional support throughout the years of my education and immigration – through the difficulties of not being able to travel back home for a long while. I remember how, as a child, they got me a tape recorder for my birthday. I would make up stories and record myself telling them. They let me express my creativity with drawing and music and supported me in all my decisions along my creative path.

Next would be my advisor from my studies at Penn State, Don Kunze. He’s supported me in every possible way along my many transitions from architecture to film. He’s a wonderfully generous human being with an abundant library of knowledge about culture, philosophy, architecture and film – and who openhandedly shares all of those. He’s also a brilliant jazz dancer and an amazing travel buddy.

And last but not least, my friends and faculty at NYU Tisch who have blessed me with their knowledge, kindness and presence. These human connections are my most valuable takeaway from my years at the school, one I’ll keep for life.

Website: https://www.sadratehrani.com/

Instagram: sadra__t

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadra-tehrani/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11896378/

Image Credits
Headshot Photo by Maria Baranova.
1: Spaceship Sketch for “Alien”
2: “Montag’s Epiphany” – Concept Sketch for “Fahrenheit 451”
3: Claudia – Dir Erin Nene-Lee Ramirez, DOP Geoffrey Taylor
4: “Burning” – Concept Sketch for “Fahrenheit 451”
5: “Faber’s Hideout” – Concept Sketch for “Fahrenheit 451”
6: Photo by Marianne Gould
7: Bluebird – Dir Sara Crow, DOP Nona Catusanu-Popp
8: “Death’s Arrival” – Sketch for “Mask of the Red Death”