When it comes to unique and conversation-starting films, Momentum Pictures knows how to pick them. Last year, the subsidiary of Entertainment One acquired Aubrey Plaza’s Black Bear after a successful Sundance premiere. The film went on to be nominated for over 14 awards including a Hollywood Critics Association award for Best Independent Film. This year it was Elle Callahan’s Witch Hunt, after the film was praised by SXSW critics for its take on immigration and timely themes of subjugation. In case you aren’t familiar with the film, it takes place in a modern America where witches are real and witchcraft is illegal, a sheltered teenager must face her own demons and prejudices as she helps two young witches avoid law enforcement and cross the southern border to asylum in Mexico.
We wanted to hear from one of the film’s creatives, so we spoke with Witch Hunt production designer Holly Trotta (Phobias). Below she gives us a behind the scenes glimpse at the making of the horror/thriller.
What set sticks out most to you from Witch Hunt? Why?
There are a couple sets that resonate the most with me. We shot at a handful of locations during the filming, but Claire’s home is where I spent a lot of time carefully designing from scratch. The interior walls sets where the witches hid, the dining room and living room, were the most memorable. This is due to the fact I really enjoy the process of creating from a blank slate. You have the most creative freedom from this point. The house at Big Sky Ranch, where we shot those scenes, was entirely empty. So, my team and I were able to curate what went in the house, which gave us the ability to pick and choose all the details you saw on camera.
Behind the walls, where the witches hid, was another set that stuck out for me. Those sets were entirely fabricated as well and gave the illusion of being much larger than they actually were. I’m always fascinated by how the story is knitted together through the editing process to play visual tricks on the eye.
Variety described Witch Hunt as a mix between The Handmaid’s Tale and The Craft. Do you agree with this comparison?
I would agree the storyline touches upon similar concepts and themes in both The Handmaid’s Tale and The Craft. Although Witch Hunt has its own spin, it does speak to some political and social allegories in the suppression of women’s rights, particularly around witchcraft. It also contains commentary pertaining to current events. This is similar, yet different, from The Handmaid’s Tale where women’s rights were entirely striped away, denying them of their basic human rights. I think this form of media is an interesting way to touch upon more serious subject matter in a more light-hearted way.
Like The Craft, Witch Hunt’s theme involved a group of teens and the discovery of their powers. The original Craft is still a favorite of mine, but the new remake speaks to a younger generation, who would also enjoy Witch Hunt.
What is one of the first things you do when you start a film like Witch Hunt? Do you put together a look book?
I start all my projects in a similar fashion, with LOTS of research. I spend a great deal of time in research mode, preparing my presentations with numerous visuals. This helps steer my team in the right direction when they come on onboard. I have an obsession for details so am looking from the big picture down to the smallest things, simultaneously, in relation to each other.
I worked a lot with Elle Callahan, the director, even before preproduction, on the overall look and feel for the film. We bounced ideas back and forth with each other. It’s beneficial when a director has images they have been inspired by. This helps us stay in sync with each other from pre-production into filming. These beginning stages of research are a launching point for me. From there, I can expand the picture to make sure the look and feel are consistent throughout the film.
Yes, the Look Book is essential for me. Being such a visual person, it’s a place to go back and reference when anyone has questions or is unsure of a direction. I keep building and adding to the book as we start sourcing to make sure we are aligned with my initial ideas and research. I can start to see the “world” being built through all the individual elements coming together. It’s incredible when you can paint the picture in your mind. There’s a light bulb moment for me early on when I can see it so clearly. Once this happens, the Look Book is more of a visual resource for the other department heads to reference.
Where did you get your inspiration for Witch Hunt?
Annabelle Creation was an inspiration Elle had initially referenced, so I started there. We wanted to use a similar color palette embracing earth tones, yellows, and greens. Then I branched off, researching vintage photographs, watching old Westerns, and looking into the history of Salem and the culture surrounding the city back when witchcraft was predominate.
How was your experience different on Witch Hunt, than your previous films?
From a production standpoint, Witch Hunt was different because production was much more contained, which made everything more streamlined. On Phobias we had so many company moves. My department was flipping sets every day. Art Department is lucky when most of the film takes places in one “compound” in a sense. This usually isn’t the case on many films. This made it easier for my department to plan, coordinate and execute in a timelier fashion. Being able to communicate directly to your team and production leaves less room for miscommunication. As a result, one can receive the information faster and more directly. When you’re working on a smaller micro budget film this is essential. You don’t have as large of a department as you normally would on a bigger budget film. As a result, the communication within a smaller group must be streamlined.
Stylistically Witch Hunt was different from the other two films I had previously designed, mainly in color palette and in subject matter. Every film I’ve worked on has its own style and through time, you begin to develop your own unique distinctive style and discover what type of work you truly love. I can work on any genre really, but my favorite is the more stylistic genre-based films. You get to play more when you’re recreating a certain time period from the past. There’s a beauty in fashioning a world that doesn’t exist anymore in reality yet feels somewhat familiar and real for everyone observing it.
You have worked with Defiant Studios, the studio behind Witch Hunt, a few times now. They have become known for embracing a model that is built around small-budget genre films from emerging talent. Has this model allowed you to be more creative and take risks you wouldn’t have been allowed to with bigger budget projects?
I’m the type of designer that is always taking risks regardless of how large or small the budget is. I hate playing it safe. That gets boring. I am always looking for ways to push my boundaries, which plays a role in how I approach designing a project. Working with Defiant Studio is a launching point for me into bigger budget films. I have so many ideas. However, those ideas, most of the time, can only be executed when the idea and budget align. Some of the challenges I have faced are not enough budget to execute the idea to its fullest potential; so, there must be a compromise. On the flip side, with smaller budget films, you can play and experiment with different methods of execution to find out what does and doesn’t work. You carry that knowledge with you onto bigger budget projects.
You were also the production designer of the anthology horror Phobias, which actress Camilla Belle (When A Stranger Calls) directed one of the segments. What was it like working with her? Because she is so used to being in front of the camera, did she have a different viewpoint on the direction for the production design?
Camilla Belle was lovely to work with. I always think it’s interesting when someone switches from being in front of the camera to behind, into the director’s shoes. Camilla had detailed knowledge of the backstory of her characters. This is important when developing the environments these characters live in. It’s essential for me to dive into that backstory. Even though you may not pick up these details on camera, it still helps in developing their world within the bigger picture. It does play an intricate part in the design. These details can include what goes into their home, what the characters like to eat, or how they need to dress. There’s always a reason why I’m incorporating certain elements into the film, which further helps in fleshing out the set. Since Camilla had so much knowledge in acting, she was able to articulate to me in detail the importance of certain moments she wanted to capture and why. That inherently affected the direction from a production design standpoint.
There were five directors of Phobias. Did each of them have input on your work? How did you keep a cohesive look?
Each director had their own story and style they wanted to tell the story in. I worked closely with each while keeping in mind the importance of consistency in tone throughout the film. This is facilitated by having one production designer through the length of the project. Joe Sill, the director on the Robophobia segment, introduced me to Defiant Studios and in the end played a part in bringing me onto the project. Joe and I have worked together many times before, so we were very familiar with how each other likes to work, which made it easy in designing his segment. He loves blue, greens and anything gritty.
This complimented Jess Varley’s segment which was much cleaner and polished. Maritte Go’s segment was gritty in a stylistic sense. Chris Hoffman’s was cleaner and more suburban. Camilla Belle’s was a bit more worn and designed with warmer tones. So, the production had a bit of push-pull from one esthetic to the next. I made sure each segment was unique, but similar in tone, to keep the big picture cohesive. As we bounced from one segment to the next, each felt unique, yet shared similarities with the others.
It was nice to work with many directors at once. It kept me constantly thinking about how one segment’s look would affect the other. I think that’s what keeps one engaged.
According to IMDB, your next project is Rise. Can you talk about your work on this film?
Rise is currently in post-production. We shot the feature a while back before COVID and due to its touchy subject matter, I believe it’s still being shopped around for distribution. Maritte Go, director of the film, shared the script with me shortly after we shot Phobias. I loved the story she was trying to tell. It was completely different than any other work I had previously done, and I had not seen anything else like it produced before. I was immediately excited to jump on board.
The script was based around true events involving the Boko Haram terrorist organization in Nigeria and the story surrounding a young princess who allows herself to be captured to save her abducted sister as they attempt to escape to freedom from the terrorist camp.
We shot segments at Blue Cloud movie ranch and additional segments in Ghana. I really enjoyed working with Maritte on this film. She brought so much to the table and inspired me to push my boundaries in achieving a believable look and feel for the locations we recreated here in Los Angeles. I really hope the film will eventually be released. The story is edgy and intense; it needs to be shared with the world. It brings light to a controversial radical group with ties to corruption and the conflicts the Nigerian people have with them.
You have worked a lot in horror. Is there another genre you would like to work in, that you haven’t gotten a chance to yet?
I have worked a lot in horror; it’s a great place for me. I tend to gravitate towards period pieces that are dark, and edgy. There’s something about them that excites me. You get to be extremely creative in establishing the look and feel that plays a heavy role in the film. Besides continuing to work in horror, I would love to work on sci-fi fantasy, psychological thrillers, and crime mysteries. I’m passionate about all of them. I find ideas flow easier when you work from a place of passion.
