AN INTERVIEW WITH DAWN BROWN

[Z. Julian Cenac]

An Interview With Dawn Brown

Interview conducted by Z. Julian Cenac, Comixfan Staff

Dawn Brown is an established set-designer and concept-artist, having worked on a diverse range of films and TV shows, from Ocean's Thirteen to Star Trek. Dawn has also given her talent to comics, gaining an Eisner nomination for two comic book projects - Little Red Hot and Ravenous. She took time from her schedule to answer a few questions on comics and design work.

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CXF: What initially drew you to comic books as a reader and then as a creator?

Dawn Brown: Probably like most people, I started reading comics when I was a little kid. Upon earning our allowances, my brother and I would walk down to the local drugstore and grab whatever comics were on the stands. Comics were 60 cents at that time. So we'd get a comic and a candy bar with our hard earned one dollar. The usual stuff from DC and Marvel, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, etc. When I was a bit older, and started writing and sketching ideas for my own stories, developing them as comics seemed a natural fit.

CXF: In what ways did working in set-design influence your comics work ... or vice-versa?

DB: I definitely think in terms of environments or sets when sketching out stories. You can always tell when people fake it - just draw in some baloney behind a talking head. It is really important to create a believable world that your characters are living in, and that world serves the characters and the story. This is our approach in feature film set design, and of course I carry it into comics.

CXF: You gained an Eisner nomination and a Xeric Foundation Grant Award. The art and narrative departed far away from standard comics - risky, but effective. What in particular made you use such a distinctive direction?

DB: Risky? Ha! I'm doing this the only way I know how. Risky, stupid, the hard way, I don't know if it's right or wrong or whatever. That doesn't matter. The most important thing is to keep growing and challenging myself as an artist and writer. As long as I can connect with the reader, it's the right direction.

CXF: Which particular issue are you most proud of making?

DB: I am proud of them all! But I suppose there's nothing like the first. And that would be Little Red Hot: Chane of Fools #1.

CXF: Looking at your website, I'd never considered the amount of detail, thought and time that has to go into the sets themselves - how much leeway do you typically get with the designs themselves?

DB: In those big fantasy and sci-fi movies, we have to design every single thing on the screen. Even if it only appears out of focus, in the background. It's all there, the worlds we create for those kinds of movies are as complete and real as the worlds we live in now. From pay phones to torch lights, it's all there. We design everything. Those kinds of movies are the most fun for the art department. As far as leeway goes, it's different with each project. The head of the art department is the production designer, and they determine how much creative control is delegated to the set designers, the concept artists, the model makers, etc.

CXF: How long does it take to normally design/build a large set for a movie?

DB: Anywhere from weeks to months, it's hard to generalize. But typically I am on a movie for 6 or 7 months. Several sets, props, furniture, etc. will be developed during that timeframe.

CXF: How does someone normally get into the field?

DB: The set design field? A lot of people come in with an architecture background, others with a theatre background. I had neither of these. I started out at the bottom, a production assistant, and figured it out as I moved along. I worked with a lot of talented and generous people who showed me the ropes.

CXF: Now, with computer graphics always improving and often extensive use of blue screens, is set designing becoming more difficult as the physical objects have to later on be integrated with all the computer graphics - presumably done by different teams?

DB: No, set design does not become more difficult, it actually becomes less challenging. And less interesting as far as I'm concerned. If it's a big blue screen set, then all I have to do is draw big blue boxes and flats. That's it. Whatever is eventually integrated will be designed by another department, namely visual effects. It's kind of a touchy area, because really, that should still be the art department's job. Real or digital, designing everything on screen that is not an actor or an effect is supposed to be the art department's responsibility. Sometimes it works that way, sometimes it doesn't.

CXF: Are there any particularly odd anecdotes you would like to share from your time working in TV and film?

DB: It's a crazy business and each day brings something odd and wonderous.

CXF: Do you see yourself making more Little Red Hot comics one day?

DB: I certainly hope so. I don't know when that opportunity will present itself. I have been concentrating so hard on movies the last couple years. I have recently switched jobs from set designer to concept artist, and I do not know when I will have a chance to jump back into comics.

CXF: Are there any other titles which you are ravenous to work on?

DB: Nice pun!

CXF: What were your experiences like with Image and Speakeasy?

DB: What can I say about Speakeasy. Hmmmm. I guess I can say that was the final nail in my coffin as far as back-end publishing deals. I will not put myself in that position ever again. Adam Fortier handled that situation very poorly, and it was disturbing that he just hopped over to Boom! as if nothing ever happened. Why would anyone in this industry ever hire him again? Why did he get a second chance while the creators were left spinning in the wind? I don't understand these things, and I have spent waaaay too much time thinking about it.
Speakeasy was not the first publisher to fail, and it is not the last. That's a risk you take when getting involved with this industry. But such moments of risk become moments of either victory or failure. They are a test of character. These defining moments reveal either one's inner strength or expose one's weaknesses. It was a really rough experience. That said, Speakeasy made Image look like Disneyland.

CXF: Do you have any advice for anyone wishing to publish their comics independently?

DB: As noted in the previous answer - beware of backend deals! No one will care about your book more than you. Publishers know this, Diamond knows this. There are lots of land mines out there that are designed to take advantage of you and your willingness to do just about anything to get your book on the shelves. So do your homework before signing anything.
That said, we are in the dawn of the digital comics evolution, and there are lots of new ways for an indie book to reach readers. Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, Kindle, webisodes, etc. I'm excited to see where indie publishing is headed.

[Berry]

I f'love Dawn Brown's Little Red Hot. Glad to hear what she's up to and that maybe somewhere down the line we may get a third mini series!