We recently connected with Shirley You and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shirley, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

I believe virtual production is one of the most transformative trends shaping the future of the film industry. Technologies like LED volume and real-time rendering with green screen are not just affecting how we make a movie — they’re redefining how we think about designing space, light, and narrative.

As a production designer, this shift brings both exciting opportunities and some real concerns. On one hand, virtual production offers an incredible level of control. We can create impossible locations with the help of Unreal Engine to create virtual background to create visually stunning, immersive worlds with a much smaller budget. It’s a dream for visual storytelling, but at the same time, it challenges our traditional workflows. There’s less reliance on physical sets, and sometimes that tactile texture can be hard to replicate. We’re also seeing a need for closer collaboration with VFX teams earlier in the process, which changes the timeline and demands more technical fluency from production designers.

I’ve had the opportunity to explore this while working on a virtual production short film called (IM)Perfect Us. The story takes place inside a video game, so it demanded a game-like aesthetic—something that traditional sets alone couldn’t fully capture with low budget. One of the most memorable sets was a medieval tavern. In the physical space, we only put in two tables and a few chairs. The rest—rows of distant tables, a few wine barrels at the corner, a shadowy bar in the background—was entirely virtual, displayed on the LED volume behind the actors. From the camera’s perspective, the space felt immersive and full, even though we had minimal physical elements.

This trend opens exciting opportunities for creativity, scale, and flexibility, but it also comes with challenges. Virtual production requires new workflows, earlier collaboration with VFX and Unreal artists, and a more tech-savvy mindset from designers. But rather than replacing traditional design, I see it as an expansion of our toolkit—a way to blur the line between physical and digital worlds while still holding onto the craft of visual storytelling.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Shirley You, and I’m a production designer and art director originally from Guangzhou, China. I’m currently earning my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Production Design from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 2025. Before that, I completed my undergraduate studies in Film & Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz—a time that deeply shaped my understanding of visual storytelling and sparked my commitment to design as a narrative craft.

After graduation from UC Santa Cruz, I began my professional journey at Guangdong Television Station for one year, where I contributed to a wide range of documentary programs and commercials. Working in nonfiction taught me how to ground design in reality, and how to create meaning with limited resources. These skills continue to inform my work today. Since moving into narrative filmmaking and starting my academic life at USC, I’ve designed and art directed a number of short films, including (IM)Perfect Us, Indulge Me, Model M!nority, and Mezzo.

As a production designer, I’m especially drawn to projects that explore emotion through musical or spiritual elements. I believe that production design is more than creating beautiful visuals, but it’s about constructing a space that breathes with the character’s inner world, where color, rhythm, and texture become vessels for feeling. I aim to translate intangible human experiences into physical space.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the moment when a space I’ve imagined becomes real, and actors step into it as if it has always existed. There’s a quiet kind of pride in that invisibility. Some good production design often goes unnoticed, not because it’s forgettable, but because it feels real.

I remember a funny moment from an underground music venue set I designed. We were shooting a scene in other area, while I dressed the venue tables with props—cheese balls, half-drunk soda cans, paper napkins. A few crew members walked in, and without a second thought, they started eating the cheese balls on the table. They genuinely thought these items was part of the original location. I had to gently tell them, “Wait, those are props!”

Their surprised reaction was one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. That moment stuck with me because it captured what I love most about production design: the power to make fiction feel real. To convince someone, even for a moment, that they’ve stepped into an authentic world—that’s the magic. That’s the reward.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

In both the film industry and the public eye, production design is frequently underestimated. When people watch a visually stunning film, they’ll often say “the cinematography is amazing” or “the director has such vision.” And while those roles are of course vital, the world that feels immersive and real was designed by a production designer.

I enjoyed designing movie sets to ensure that these locations feel authentic, as if they’ve always existed in that universe. When we do our job well, the world feels so natural that people forget it was designed. That’s the paradox of good production design: it disappears into the story.

Despite the lack of widespread recognition, I find deep fulfillment in this work. I don’t need people to notice every detail. As long as the world holds the story and makes people feel, that’s more than enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shirleyyou.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirleyyou_?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==