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Kristi Zea

March 14, 2023

Kristina Gwyn Zea (born October 24, 1948) is an American production designer, costume designer, art director, director and producer in film and television. Born and educated in New York City, she discovered she had a talent for design while working as a stylist for a commercial photographer. Her career in production design blossomed in the 1980s and 1990s as she worked on numerous films for several directors—including Alan Parker, James L. Brooks, Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese, across a wide selection of genres, including period, contemporary, drama, and horror.[1] She has also directed several HBO films.

Kristi Zea
Born
Kristina Gwyn Zea

(1948-10-24) October 24, 1948 (age 74)
New York City, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A. English literature, Columbia University School of General Studies, 1974
Occupation(s)Production designer, costume designer, art director, film and television director, producer.
Years active1978–present
SpouseMichael Kuhling (divorced)
ChildrenNorma Kuhling

Early life and education

Kristina Gwyn Zea was born on October 24, 1948, in New York City.[2] Her father was James Gwyn Zea; her mother, Alice Joy Zea (née Karl), was a list broker.[3] She has one sister, Marni Zea Clippinger.[3] She grew up in the Stuyvesant Town residential development in Manhattan.[4]

Zea attended the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan.[5] She then studied at Middlebury College in Vermont for two years before transferring to the Columbia University School of General Studies, where she earned her B.A. in English literature.[6][4] While she intended to become a journalist, as an undergraduate student she supported herself working as a stylist for a commercial photographer and found she had a talent for it. She continued on this job for four years after graduation.[7]

Career

Costume and production design

Zea was hired by Woody Allen as the design coordinator for his 1978 film Interiors.[8] She designed costumes for three Alan Parker films, Fame (1980), Shoot the Moon (1982), and Birdy (1984), and also worked as art director for Parker's Angel Heart (1987).She first worked with Martin Scorsese as production designer for his segment of New York Stories[9] She worked for James L. Brooks as costume designer on Terms of Endearment (1983), associate producer on Broadcast News (1987), and producer on As Good As It Gets (1997).[7] She also designed "outrageous" costumes for the 1986 stage production of The Balcony, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, at the American Repertory Theater.[10]

One of the most important things a production designer can do is to imbue the sets with as much character as you can. It's about providing a container in which the story can thrive, without banging it over the audience's head.

–Kristi Zea, 2018[1]

Zea's career in film production design blossomed in the late 1980s and 1990s with her creation of a variety of innovative sets. These include Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob (1988), in which she designed "wonderfully tacky" sets including a Florida hotel room dominated by "the color turquoise to demonstrate the mob's lavish and cheesy taste in décor",[11][12] Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas (1990), and Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), and Beloved (1998).[7] For The Silence of the Lambs, Zea created visual imagery for sets for which no description existed in the novel or screenplay. For example, the script tersely described the room in which the police officers found their fallen comrades as "a snapshot from hell"; Zea created the look and the contents.[13] She similarly invented the look of Dr. Lecter's dungeon-like room with its unusual paraphernalia, and Demme used this visual imagery "to pace the film in the absence of words".[14] Demme told The New York Times: "Neither of us had much of a stomach for the images of 'Lambs' – but it would have hurt to have someone with a taste for gore. Kristi's sensitivity made it possible for a lot of people to watch the film".[9] In 2004 she worked for Demme again on The Manchurian Candidate.[4]

Zea's production design for Revolutionary Road (2008), for which she received an Oscar nomination, entailed the dismantling, reconstruction and redecoration of two houses in Darien, Connecticut. For the home of the Wheelers, Zea put in a different kitchen and used "simple and spare" wall treatments and furnishings to depict the couple's hesitancy to adapt to suburban life. The homeowners were paid in "the low six figures" for the breaking apart and rebuilding of their homes, as well as use of a beach house in Rowayton throughout the production.[15][16]

As producer

Zea served as associate producer for the 1986 film Lucas. She also served as associate producer and second unit director on Philadelphia (1993).[7] She co-produced As Good as It Gets (1997) with James L. Brooks and Bridget Johnson.[8] She also produced and production designed The Joneses (2009) starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny.

As director

Zea directed a 1990 music video for Laurie Anderson,[17] and a 1991 half-hour HBO television film, A Domestic Dilemma, produced by Jonathan Demme.[5][9] She produced and directed her first documentary film, Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and later screened on PBS' American Masters.[18][19] In 2018, she directed Notes from the Field for HBO.[1] starring Anna Deavere Smith.

Other activities

Zea was a faculty member of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts from 2005 to 2008.[20]

Accolades

Zea has received two Academy Award nominations. She was nominated in the category of Best Art Direction for Revolutionary Road (2008), and in the category of Best Picture for As Good as It Gets (1997), which she co-produced.[8][4] In 2007 she was nominated for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film for her work on The Departed (2006).[21] In 1999 she was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for Best Art Direction for Beloved (1998).[22] In 2004 she received a Muse Award from the New York Women in Film & Television.[23]

Personal life

Zea and her former husband, Michael Kuhling, an architect, have one daughter, Norma Kuhling.[4] Since 2004,[4] Zea has resided in Valley Cottage, New York, in a home she redecorated with an eclectic selection of items, including props from The Silence of the Lambs, Sleepers, and The Departed.[24]

Zea presents films and moderates discussion panels for the Rivertown Film Festival.[1]

Credits

Costume design

Production design

A Tree a Rock A Cloud (2017)

Television Production Design Credits:

Wonderland (2000) The Leftovers (2014) American Odyssey (2015) New Amsterdam (NBC Universal) (2018-2020)

Sources:[4][7][22][20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Stanton, Christopher (August 4, 2018). "Making Her Own Lane: Catching Up with Kristi Zea". Nyack News & Views. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Jerry Roberts (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 641. ISBN 9780810863781.
  3. ^ a b "Zea, Alice Joy". The New York Times. May 9, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Marsh, Steven P. (July 7, 2015). "Kristi Zea talks Rockland, new project". The Journal News. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Bethany 1991, p. 20.
  6. ^ "2011 Commencement Address: Kristi Zea". Manchester Community College. May 26, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Kristi Zea". Turner Classic Movies. 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Kagan 2012, p. 364.
  9. ^ a b c Linfield, Susan (August 18, 1991). "TELEVISION; An Eye for Detail and a Film of Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Plotkins 2005, p. 60.
  11. ^ Monaco 1992, p. 540.
  12. ^ LoBrutto 2002, p. 149.
  13. ^ Heisner 2004, p. 159.
  14. ^ Heisner 2004, p. 31.
  15. ^ "Not Luck, 'Just Kismet'". Hartford Courant. p. H1 – via Newspapers.com. 
  16. ^ "Not Luck, 'Just Kismet'". Hartford Courant. p. H5 – via Newspapers.com. 
  17. ^ "Music Video World". 45spaces.com. 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  18. ^ Weinreich, Regina (April 24, 2016). "Everybody Knows . . . Elizabeth Murray Premieres at Tribeca: A Talk With Director Kristi Zea". HuffPost. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "NYC-ARTS Profile: Kristi Zea speaks about Elizabeth Murray". NYC Arts. September 6, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Academy Award Nominee To Deliver Commencement Address at MCC (press release)". Manchester Community College. May 24, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  21. ^ "Winners & Nominees". Art Directors Guild. 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Zea, Kristi 1948–". Encyclopedia.com. 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  23. ^ "Celebrity Circuit". CBS News. 2005. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Cooper 2018.

Sources

  • Bethany, Marilyn (July 15, 1991). "Designing Woman". New York.
  • Cooper, Katherine (July 6, 2018). "Here's How One of Hollywood's Most Prominent Production Designers Decorated Her Own Home in Upstate New York". Architectural Digest.
  • Heisner, Beverly (2004). Production Design in the Contemporary American Film: A Critical Study of 23 Movies and Their Designers. McFarland. ISBN 9780786418657.
  • Kagan, Jeremy Paul (2012). Directors Close Up 2: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America, 2006-2012. Vol. 2. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810883918.
  • LoBrutto, Vincent (2002). The Filmmaker's Guide to Production Design. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781621535874.
  • Monaco, James (1992). The Movie Guide. Perigee Books. ISBN 9780399517808.
  • Plotkins, Marilyn (2005). The American Repertory Theatre Reference Book: The Brustein Years. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313289132.

External links

  • Kristi Zea at IMDb
  • "Kristi Zea – Women In Film Grantee at Tribeca 2016" (video)

March 14, 2023
kristi, kristina, gwyn, born, october, 1948, american, production, designer, costume, designer, director, director, producer, film, television, born, educated, york, city, discovered, talent, design, while, working, stylist, commercial, photographer, career, p. Kristina Gwyn Zea born October 24 1948 is an American production designer costume designer art director director and producer in film and television Born and educated in New York City she discovered she had a talent for design while working as a stylist for a commercial photographer Her career in production design blossomed in the 1980s and 1990s as she worked on numerous films for several directors including Alan Parker James L Brooks Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese across a wide selection of genres including period contemporary drama and horror 1 She has also directed several HBO films Kristi ZeaBornKristina Gwyn Zea 1948 10 24 October 24 1948 age 74 New York City United StatesNationalityAmericanEducationB A English literature Columbia University School of General Studies 1974Occupation s Production designer costume designer art director film and television director producer Years active1978 presentSpouseMichael Kuhling divorced ChildrenNorma Kuhling Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Costume and production design 2 2 As producer 2 3 As director 2 4 Other activities 3 Accolades 4 Personal life 5 Credits 5 1 Costume design 5 2 Production design 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksEarly life and education EditKristina Gwyn Zea was born on October 24 1948 in New York City 2 Her father was James Gwyn Zea her mother Alice Joy Zea nee Karl was a list broker 3 She has one sister Marni Zea Clippinger 3 She grew up in the Stuyvesant Town residential development in Manhattan 4 Zea attended the High School of Music amp Art in Manhattan 5 She then studied at Middlebury College in Vermont for two years before transferring to the Columbia University School of General Studies where she earned her B A in English literature 6 4 While she intended to become a journalist as an undergraduate student she supported herself working as a stylist for a commercial photographer and found she had a talent for it She continued on this job for four years after graduation 7 Career EditCostume and production design Edit Zea was hired by Woody Allen as the design coordinator for his 1978 film Interiors 8 She designed costumes for three Alan Parker films Fame 1980 Shoot the Moon 1982 and Birdy 1984 and also worked as art director for Parker s Angel Heart 1987 She first worked with Martin Scorsese as production designer for his segment of New York Stories 9 She worked for James L Brooks as costume designer on Terms of Endearment 1983 associate producer on Broadcast News 1987 and producer on As Good As It Gets 1997 7 She also designed outrageous costumes for the 1986 stage production of The Balcony directed by JoAnne Akalaitis at the American Repertory Theater 10 One of the most important things a production designer can do is to imbue the sets with as much character as you can It s about providing a container in which the story can thrive without banging it over the audience s head Kristi Zea 2018 1 Zea s career in film production design blossomed in the late 1980s and 1990s with her creation of a variety of innovative sets These include Jonathan Demme s Married to the Mob 1988 in which she designed wonderfully tacky sets including a Florida hotel room dominated by the color turquoise to demonstrate the mob s lavish and cheesy taste in decor 11 12 Martin Scorsese s GoodFellas 1990 and Demme s The Silence of the Lambs 1991 Philadelphia 1993 and Beloved 1998 7 For The Silence of the Lambs Zea created visual imagery for sets for which no description existed in the novel or screenplay For example the script tersely described the room in which the police officers found their fallen comrades as a snapshot from hell Zea created the look and the contents 13 She similarly invented the look of Dr Lecter s dungeon like room with its unusual paraphernalia and Demme used this visual imagery to pace the film in the absence of words 14 Demme told The New York Times Neither of us had much of a stomach for the images of Lambs but it would have hurt to have someone with a taste for gore Kristi s sensitivity made it possible for a lot of people to watch the film 9 In 2004 she worked for Demme again on The Manchurian Candidate 4 Zea s production design for Revolutionary Road 2008 for which she received an Oscar nomination entailed the dismantling reconstruction and redecoration of two houses in Darien Connecticut For the home of the Wheelers Zea put in a different kitchen and used simple and spare wall treatments and furnishings to depict the couple s hesitancy to adapt to suburban life The homeowners were paid in the low six figures for the breaking apart and rebuilding of their homes as well as use of a beach house in Rowayton throughout the production 15 16 As producer Edit Zea served as associate producer for the 1986 film Lucas She also served as associate producer and second unit director on Philadelphia 1993 7 She co produced As Good as It Gets 1997 with James L Brooks and Bridget Johnson 8 She also produced and production designed The Joneses 2009 starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny As director Edit Zea directed a 1990 music video for Laurie Anderson 17 and a 1991 half hour HBO television film A Domestic Dilemma produced by Jonathan Demme 5 9 She produced and directed her first documentary film Everybody Knows Elizabeth Murray which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and later screened on PBS American Masters 18 19 In 2018 she directed Notes from the Field for HBO 1 starring Anna Deavere Smith Other activities Edit Zea was a faculty member of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts from 2005 to 2008 20 Accolades EditZea has received two Academy Award nominations She was nominated in the category of Best Art Direction for Revolutionary Road 2008 and in the category of Best Picture for As Good as It Gets 1997 which she co produced 8 4 In 2007 she was nominated for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film for her work on The Departed 2006 21 In 1999 she was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for Best Art Direction for Beloved 1998 22 In 2004 she received a Muse Award from the New York Women in Film amp Television 23 Personal life EditZea and her former husband Michael Kuhling an architect have one daughter Norma Kuhling 4 Since 2004 4 Zea has resided in Valley Cottage New York in a home she redecorated with an eclectic selection of items including props from The Silence of the Lambs Sleepers and The Departed 24 Zea presents films and moderates discussion panels for the Rivertown Film Festival 1 Credits EditCostume design Edit Fame 1980 Endless Love 1981 Shoot the Moon 1982 Exposed 1983 Terms of Endearment 1983 The Little Drummer Girl 1984 Birdy 1984 Silverado 1985 Production design Edit Lucas 1986 Angel Heart 1987 Married to the Mob 1988 Miss Firecracker 1989 GoodFellas 1990 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 The Super 1991 Lorenzo s Oil 1992 Philadelphia 1993 The War 1994 Sleepers 1996 Beloved 1998 The Family Man 2000 Changing Lanes 2002 Red Dragon 2002 The Manchurian Candidate 2004 The Departed 2006 The Brave One 2007 Revolutionary Road 2008 Confessions of a Shopaholic 2009 The Joneses 2009 Wall Street Money Never Sleeps 2010 Tower Heist 2011 Black Nativity 2013 The Intern 2015 American Odyssey 2015 TV series The Comedian 2016 A Tree a Rock A Cloud 2017 Television Production Design Credits Wonderland 2000 The Leftovers 2014 American Odyssey 2015 New Amsterdam NBC Universal 2018 2020 Sources 4 7 22 20 References Edit a b c d Stanton Christopher August 4 2018 Making Her Own Lane Catching Up with Kristi Zea Nyack News amp Views Retrieved March 3 2020 Jerry Roberts 2009 Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors Scarecrow Press p 641 ISBN 9780810863781 a b Zea Alice Joy The New York Times May 9 2010 Retrieved March 3 2020 a b c d e f g Marsh Steven P July 7 2015 Kristi Zea talks Rockland new project The Journal News Retrieved March 3 2020 a b Bethany 1991 p 20 2011 Commencement Address Kristi Zea Manchester Community College May 26 2011 Retrieved March 3 2020 a b c d e Kristi Zea Turner Classic Movies 2020 Retrieved March 3 2020 a b c Kagan 2012 p 364 a b c Linfield Susan August 18 1991 TELEVISION An Eye for Detail and a Film of Her Own The New York Times Retrieved March 3 2020 Plotkins 2005 p 60 Monaco 1992 p 540 LoBrutto 2002 p 149 Heisner 2004 p 159 Heisner 2004 p 31 Not Luck Just Kismet Hartford Courant p H1 via Newspapers com Not Luck Just Kismet Hartford Courant p H5 via Newspapers com Music Video World 45spaces com 2020 Retrieved March 3 2020 Weinreich Regina April 24 2016 Everybody Knows Elizabeth Murray Premieres at Tribeca A Talk With Director Kristi Zea HuffPost Retrieved March 3 2020 NYC ARTS Profile Kristi Zea speaks about Elizabeth Murray NYC Arts September 6 2018 Retrieved March 3 2020 a b Academy Award Nominee To Deliver Commencement Address at MCC press release Manchester Community College May 24 2011 Retrieved March 3 2020 Winners amp Nominees Art Directors Guild 2007 Retrieved March 3 2020 a b Zea Kristi 1948 Encyclopedia com 2019 Retrieved March 3 2020 Celebrity Circuit CBS News 2005 Retrieved March 3 2020 Cooper 2018 Sources EditBethany Marilyn July 15 1991 Designing Woman New York Cooper Katherine July 6 2018 Here s How One of Hollywood s Most Prominent Production Designers Decorated Her Own Home in Upstate New York Architectural Digest Heisner Beverly 2004 Production Design in the Contemporary American Film A Critical Study of 23 Movies and Their Designers McFarland ISBN 9780786418657 Kagan Jeremy Paul 2012 Directors Close Up 2 Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America 2006 2012 Vol 2 Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 9780810883918 LoBrutto Vincent 2002 The Filmmaker s Guide to Production Design Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781621535874 Monaco James 1992 The Movie Guide Perigee Books ISBN 9780399517808 Plotkins Marilyn 2005 The American Repertory Theatre Reference Book The Brustein Years Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 9780313289132 External links EditKristi Zea at IMDb Kristi Zea Women In Film Grantee at Tribeca 2016 video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kristi Zea amp oldid 1136334567, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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