Production Design Showcase 2022

Meet the 2022 AFI Conservatory Production Design Graduates

The AFI Conservatory presents a showcase of the extraordinary talent’s of this year’s Production Design class. Click on a fellow headshot to see their bio and contact information and examples of their work.

Mehdi Bennani

https://mbennanidesign.com/ | Bennani.mehdi14@gmail.com| 310.428.4589

Mehdi Bennani studied at the University of Southern California and received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He then studied Production Design for his master’s degree at the American Film Institute, where he designed his first thesis film END OF DAY, and co-designed his second, IN WONDERLAND. Prior to and during the AFI program, he worked on multiple BIPOC and diversity short films, some of which have been selected to screen in numerous festivals including Cannes.

Skills
Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Rhino, Sketchup, Vectorworks, Podium, Twinmotion, Lightroom;
Set Design, Hand Drafting, Graphic Design, Model Making, Set Construction, Set Decoration, Visual Research,
Concept Drawing, Fluent in French, Fluent in Moroccan Arabic

Mehdi Bennani

Daniel Berkman

https://danielberkmandesign.com/ | Daniel.jacob.berkman@gmail.com| 510.499.5730

Daniel Berkman is a graduate of the UCLA Design Media Arts program and an expert in graphic design. He worked as the in-house graphic designer at Biscuit Filmworks and has contributed to art departments for shows such as Hulu’s QUICKDRAW and events such as Seth Rogen’s HILARITY FOR CHARITY for Netflix. Berkman has also worked with a myriad of film production companies designing treatments for commercials and films for a diverse array of directors. He followed his love for film to the AFI Conservatory, where he will be graduating in 2022 with an MFA in Production Design.

Skills
Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, SketchUp, Podium, Layout, Vectorworks, Rhino, Twinmotion: Graphic Design, Visual Research, Hand Drafting, Digital Drafting, Model Making, Perspective Drawing, Set Design, Set Construction, Set Decoration

Daniel Berkman

Georgina Gutierrez

http://georginagutierrez.com/ | gina_gtz92@hotmail.com| 915.203.9935

Georgina Gutierrez is from El Paso, Texas, just on the other side of the border with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. She has an architectural background that includes an Associate of Science in Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Architecture and more recently a Master of Architecture from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She has always been interested in film and has always been involved in the practice as a spectator. Today she has the opportunity to become part of this world, following her passion to tell stories through design. Film can make you feel emotions, such as happiness, anger, and sadness, and she wants to be able to contribute with a design that will achieve making people connect with feelings.

Skills
Adobe Suite, AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit, Sketchup, Vray, Vectorworks, Twinmotions, Podium, Microsoft Office; Hand Drafting, Perspective Drawing, Carpentry and Scenic Paint, Architecture Background and Project Manager

Georgina Gutierrez

Faith Ivory

https://www.faithivory.com/ | faithivory17@gmail.com| 801.718.5446

Faith Ivory is passionate about production design, color, and toast. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, she attended Brigham Young University, where she majored in advertising with an emphasis in art direction and a minor in graphic design. As a student, she was awarded the Young One’s Portfolio Winner from the One Show, 3 Bronze Art Director Club Cubes, an ADDYs National Best of Show, and a Student ADDYs National Best of Show. After completing her undergraduate degree, she moved to Los Angeles to work as an Art Director for a global advertising firm, MullenLowe. While there, she spent three years working on set with prominent photographers, including names like Gentl & Hyers. She worked on large accounts, including Whole Foods and Facebook Marketplace. She has recently worked as a production designer, art director, and art department member on short films, commercials and music videos in and around Los Angeles.

Skills
Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, Sketch-Up, Vector Works, Rhino, Presentation Building, Keynote; Spreadsheets, Graphic Design, Set Design, Illustration, Visual Research, Hand Drafting, Flat Building, Painting, Wood Working, Set Dressing, Styling, Wardrobe, Scheduling, Project Management, Collaborating with Vendors and Art Dept, Relationship with Prop Houses, Roller Skating, Thrifting, Great Phone Voice

Faith Ivory

Yibo Kou

http://www.yibokou.com/ | yibokou94@gmail.com| 213.589.5056

Yibo Kou has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. After practicing in architectural design for a few years, he attended the film program at California College of the Arts. He continues his passion for filmmaking and design at the MFA Production Design program at the AFI Conservatory and will be graduating in 2022. During his years in California, he designed and art directed over 20 films. The most recent film he designed, PAY IT, has been nominated for best horror at LA Shorts International Film Festival.

Skills
AutoCAD, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Sketchup, Layout, Vectorworks, Cinema4D, Rhino, V-ray, 3Ds Max, Procreate; Hand Drafting, Model Making, Digital Modeling, Perspective Drawing, Graphic Design, Set Design, Set Construction, Set Decoration, Visual Research

Yibo Kou

EJ “Yijie” Li

https://www.yijieli.net/ | ej_yijie_li@outlook.com| 401.523.2967

Yijie “EJ” Li, from China, graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Industrial Design in 2019 and is now based in Los Angeles. He has production designed and art directed multiple award-winning short films. His work, LA CASA DE LA ABUELA, was screened at FIRST, one of the most influential film festivals in China, and the film was also nominated for Best Production Design at Indie Short Fest. He was also in the RISD ROVER team designing and building a NASA Mars Rover for two years and won the Second Prize in 2019 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. He worked as the Product Commercial Production Designer in XiaoMi Inc. for three XiaoMi commercials in 2017.

Skills
Rhinoceros 7, SketchUp, Vectorworks, Twinmotion, Autodesk MAYA, Solidworks, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, Obe Premier, Final Cut Pro; Carpentry (Hand/Machining), Metalworking (Hand/ Machining), CNC, 3D Printing, Vacuum Forming, Ceramics Modeling and Glazing, Glass Blowing and Cold Treatment, Multi-Material Mold Making

EJ “Yijie” Li

Ziwei ‘Zoe’ Ouyang

zouyang@afi.edu| 347.322.0588

Ziwei “Zoe” Ouyang graduated from Pratt Institute in 2019 majoring in interior design. While at Pratt, she did interior design for commercial spaces including hotels, restaurants and smaller projects such as residential spaces and Airbnbs. She is currently a Production Design Fellow at the American Film Institute and has worked on 15 short films.

Skills
AutoCAD, InDesign, Premiere, Illustrator, Aftereffect, Layout, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Podium, Rhino, 3D Max, SketchUp, Vectorworks; Hand Drafting, Graphic Design, 3d Modelmaking, Perspective Drawing, Set Construction, Set Design, Visual Research.

Ziwei ‘Zoe’ Ouyang

Cyrum Aytana Ramirez

https://www.cyrumdeco.com/ | ramirez.cyrum@gmail.com| 818.943.3096

Cyrum Aytana Ramirez, originally from Cancun, Mexico, began her career in Vancouver, Canada, where she studied visual arts and design. She earned a BFA in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy and an MFA from the AFI Conservatory. Based in Los Angeles, Ramirez is a student member of the Set Decorators Society of America and has been the production designer for short films, a feature film, commercials and music videos. Her work has been part of multiple film festivals, including Telluride and most recently the Academy Awards®.

Skills
SketchUp, Photoshop, Illustrator, Twinmotion, Rhino, Premier, AutoCAD, Vectorworks, LayOut, Maya, Final Draft, Davinci Resolve; Set Decoration, Set Dresser, Buyer, Visual Research, Hand Drafting, Fluent in Spanish and English.

Cyrum Aytana Ramirez

Brian Spadafora

https://spadafora.studio/ | bspadafo@gmail.com | 941.380.0888

After completing his undergraduate degree in Studio Art at Wake Forest University, Brian Spadafora studied sculpture at the Accademia di Belli Arti di Firenze as part of his core curriculum for a graduate degree in Italian Language & Culture at Middlebury College. After an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, Spadafora acted as the production designer for a short film at the London Film School. More recently, Brian assisted in the fabrication of large-scale public artworks under the direction of the Florida based sculptor Mark Aeling.

Skills
Vectorworks, Sketch-Up, Podium, Procreate and Rhino; Traditional/Digital Sketching, Storyboarding, Oil
Painting, Hand-Drafting, Set Construction, Metal Working/Fabrication, MIG welding, Sculpture, Mold Making, Woodcarving

Brian Spadafora

Abbie Vance

https://abbievance.com/ | abbie@abbievance.com| 323.696.5299

Abbie Vance has eight years of experience in the art department for film and television. Raised in rural Montana, her passion and love for all aspects of the art department has taken her into the roles of production designer, art director, property master and more. After achieving a BA in Media Arts Production Design and a Theater Design minor from Utah’s Brigham Young University, her professional film credits so far include art director for THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (Dir. Jim Cummings, Des. Charlie Textor) and propmaster for NINE DAYS (Dir. Edson Oda, Des. Dan Hermansen). Her commercial production design clients include Team Liquid and Entrata, and her speculative personal work includes concepts for Steven Soderbergh’s THE KNICK and Disney’s JOHN CARTER. She is passionate about seeking a life full of learning and telling big stories that inspire even bigger feelings.

Skills
Rhino, Vectorworks, Sketchup, Hand Drafting, Twinmotion, Podium, Photoshop, Illustrator; Digital Painting, Conceptualization & Rendering, Department Leadership, Scheduling and Logistics, Asset Management, Budgeting, Location Surveying, Research, Continuity Management, Clearance Tracking, Hardware/Window/Door Schedules, Tech Packs, Work Notes, Pitching, Deckbuilding, Set Design, Set Decorating, Model-making, Set Construction, Buying, Graphic Design, Prop Fabrications, Casting and Moldmaking, Scenic Painting, Illustration

Abbie Vance

Ye “Yara” Wang

https://yarawang.com/ | yewang9181@gmail.com| 912.344.8498

Ye “Yara” Wang is a 2022 Production Design Fellow at AFI. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, with a BFA degree in production design and art direction. Mastering the skills for genre film design, she has built worlds for over 20 short films ranging from Chinese period pieces to American science fiction. Now she is in the ADG’s Production Design Initiative program.

Skills
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, SketchUp, LayOut, VRay, Vectorworks, Rhino, Epic Twinmotion, Procreate for iPad, Office365; Modelmaking, Handdrafting, Perspective drawing, Set construction, Illustration, Set decoration, Set Design, Propmaking, Visual research, Graphic design, Character design

Ye “Yara” Wang

Patricia Witt

https://www.pgwitt.com/ | patriciagracewitt@gmail.com| 708.790.7382

Patricia Witt is a Chicago native and graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a BFA in Communication Design. After graduation she pursued graphic design and worked for Foote, Cone & Belding, a global advertising agency, in their Chicago and New Zealand offices. Patricia recently finished production on her AFI thesis film, GORDITX, which won $15,000 from the Bridges/Larson Foundation at the AFI inaugural pitch event. Her latest short film, LADLE, was selected for the 2022 LA Shorts International Film Festival. Based in Los Angeles, she is interested in production design, set design and graphics for film and TV.

Skills
InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, SketchUp, Podium, Vectorworks, Twinmotion; Graphic Design & Typography, Hand Drafting, Perspective Drawing, Illustration, Set Construction & Set Decoration

Patricia Witt

We’re back! After three years away due to the pandemic, AFI’s Production Design Showcase returns featuring work from the final year of the Class of 2022. And what a year it was! Production Designer Eve Stewart said, “I believe that if you’re a designer you can design anything – from a kettle to an opera.” This class has done just that: from a bombed-out Dresden set to fantasy sea-castles to the surface of alien planets, you’ll see a little bit of everything at this year’s Showcase. I’m so proud of the hard work that our graduating Production Design Fellows have put in during their two years at AFI, and I can’t wait for you to get to know them all a little bit better.

So tonight, enjoy some food, have a drink, and take some time to explore the exhibited work of our 12 talented Production Design Fellows. Thank you for coming and supporting the important and collaborative role of the Production Designer in cinematic storytelling.

Joseph T. Garrity
Discipline Head, Production Design

Production Design Showcase 2022

Meet the 2022 AFI Conservatory Production Design Graduates

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