David Schlesinger is a set decorator currently based in New York. He has worked on a multitude of TV shows and movies including John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, The Equalizer 2, and most recently, Knives Out. David graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in art history and minors in photography and classical civilization. When David isn’t running around on set, he spends his time playing chess. Both David and his son are avid chess players and his son has won many tournaments. Newel Props has greatly enjoyed working with David throughout the years and we look forward to continuing to help bring his visions to life on future productions. Get to know David, as well as his experience working on Knives Out, in our two-part interview below.
Knives Out
Set Decorator: David Schlesinger
David Schlesinger on Decorating Knives Out
Q.
What was the biggest challenge in decorating Knives Out?
A.
Rian Johnson, the film’s director, wanted density in decor. We wanted a house full of objects that told the story of Harlan Thrombey. My fear was all of those objects would just become visual noise. The challenge was to have the objects become part of the narrative and not become visual mud. I focused on objects with scale and color that would set them apart from the background. We wanted every object to tell a story and specifically relate to one of Harlan’s books.
Q.
Can you tell us about your inspiration for decorating Knives Out?
A.
The movie Sleuth played a big part of our look. I also researched writers and their environments. I have a large library of visual reference, and at the start of every job, I pour through it looking for inspiration. Rian specifically asked David Crank (production designer) and I to look at where the concept for the automaton came from.
Q.
How were your initial plans different from the final product?
A.
The end product was very much as planned. We had a nicely-paced project, which allowed for time to figure things out. On other jobs, that does not usually happen, and the fast, frenetic pace of putting sets together often results in happy accidents.
Q.
What is your favorite room/set?
A.
Marta’s Apartment and The Guard Shack.
Q.
Did you collaborate or discuss your design ideas with other set decorators?
A.
No, not really. When you are working on a film project, there is a sense of tunnel vision, and there is really very little time to talk to people not directly on your project.
Q.
What three adjectives would you use to describe the design of Knives Out?
A.
Quirky, Telling, Beautiful.
Q.
How did you go about sourcing furniture? Did you run into any obstacles doing so?
A.
I got into my car and drove to Newel Props. Shopping in person is so much better. We shot in the Boston area, and there are wonderful resources in Massachusetts. All kidding aside, Newel Props provided many of the items used on Knives Out, and I am so thankful to have them as a resource. I think we had 4 or 5 truckloads of things from Newel Props.
In terms of obstacles and challenges in sourcing, the automatons in the movie were a big project to find, but in the end, I stumbled upon a local collector and it all came together.
A Few Newel Props Items Featured in Knives Out
Get to Know David Schlesinger!
Q.
What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?
A.
I had just got into the car in the parking lot of Fairway in Brooklyn and was checking my phone messages. I muttered out loud “Oh my god…” and kind of clutched my heart. My wife asked if I was having a heart attack or if someone had died. I said, “No, Jeannine Oppewall just called and wants me to do a job with her.”
Q.
If you had one more hour in the day what would you do with it?
A.
Play chess.
Q.
Best way to take a rest/decompress?
A.
Play chess! On Knives Out, I had a chess board set up in my office, and when things got intense, Jimmy Luc, our coordinator, and I would play to blow off steam.
Q.
If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be?
A.
My daughter, Charlotte. I would love to see the world as she does.
Q.
Best compliment you’ve ever received?
A.
I think it was earlier today when C. Robert Holloway, the first production designer I worked for, posted on Facebook in response to my Art Director Guild Awards nomination, “Tis the season for absolutely deserved awards and congratulations. So proud of you, David.”
Q.
How did you get started in this field?
A.
When I was seven years old, my second grade class made a film as a class project. It was about a magical flying carpet. I was the art director. The rate was terrible, and we only had juice boxes for craft service, but I learned a lot. Years later, I graduated from college with a degree in art history and minors in photography and classical civilization. I had totally forgotten about my early days in the film industry and had no idea what I wanted to do. I loved art history, and my professors were encouraging to pursue the field. A PhD was not in my future. Not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up, friends kept suggesting film. I was actively involved in photography, and there was a lot of buzz about film-making happening at LSU, where I went to school. Steven Soderbergh has just made Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and it was in the air. I sorta remember going to a meeting at LSU for people interested in working on Sex, Lies, and Videotape…I think I did…anyhow…I graduated and was unsure of what to do next. I applied to the USC graduate program in film, and did not get in. I thought I would try to get a job on a movie and reapply. The first job I went after was Everybody’s All American. Somehow, I found the producer’s phone number, called him up, and asked if I could be the still photographer. He politely said no.
I took a job at a camera store in New Orleans. One afternoon, the production office coordinator for the movie Miller’s Crossing (it shot in New Orleans) called, asking for a good price on Polaroid film. Back in the day, movies used Polaroids for continuity photos. She needed many cases of it and wanted a deal. I told her, “I will give you a great price, and you will be the hero, but I will also likely be fired, so I want a job.” I sold to them below cost, and she arranged for me to meet with the DP, Barry Sonnenfeld, to be the camera PA. He hired me! Perfect, but a week before I started, they called to say the had to give that job to a political hire, but I could be the special effects PA. So, that was my first, and to this day, best job in the film industry. I learned from that gig one of my most important lessons: always have options and more than one way to solve a problem. My next job was in set dressing, and from then on, I stayed in the department. I had found the place I belonged. Recently, I learned my grandmother’s first cousin was Stanley Fleisher. Stanley was a supervising art director for Warner Brothers in the golden years of Hollywood. I guess it’s in my blood
Q.
What was the first project you worked on?
A.
The Cohen Brothers’ movie Miller’s Crossing. The first film I decorated was an early HBO movie with Dennis Hopper called Doublecrossed. I was the leadperson/assistant set decorator at the start of Doublecrossed. We were dressing the set a few days before we started shooting, and I noticed an animated conversation between the designer (C. Robert Holloway) and set decorator. A lot of hand waving, clearly yelling, drama, and storming off. The decorator had either been fired or quit, and the next thing I knew, I was the set decorator. Not really something I had ever planned on doing…but, there I was.
Q.
What’s the best thing about shopping in person?
A.
I don’t get these young kids, who sit on their computers and shop. I have to do it in person. I see so many things that inspire me and lead down paths I would never pursue, if just sitting at a desk. Another key is relationships…plus lunch is almost always better away from your desk.
(David Schlesinger shopping at Newel Props)
Q.
How do you define beauty?
A.
My wife. The smartest person I know, whose unique vision of the world inspires me.
Q.
Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
A.
Considering I have a teenage son, this is an interesting question. Be sincere and honest and don’t get caught up in all the hoopla and drama. Less video games, more chess.
Q.
Describe your childhood bedroom?
A.
About the same time, I was art directing my fist movie in second grade, my mom consulted an interior decorator. I remember searching a book of fabrics she had and insisting on purple drapes with a matching bedspread.