What is your job?

As the production designer, it's my job to tell the story in three dimensions. In other words, the concept of the film comes from the script first and foremost. Then the director's feeling and vision is relayed to me. I hold that vision in my head and then attempt to tell the story three dimensionally....

Chris felt it was necessary to tell an Indian story in an Indian way. In other words, this is not Victor Mature in Indian makeup of movies of the past. This is about Wes Studi wearing a suit in the proper context. This is about telling a story of the Navajos in very meager settings and in very elaborate settings. ... The idea behind that is that within the overall Navajo Nation there is ... a large assortment and variety of settings. It's not a stereotype. It's not the Indian on the horse all the time. It's driving modern cars. It's having a certain modernity mixed with an ancient culture. Chris himself being a Native person, myself being a Native person, we have the sensitivity to know that there is a wide spectrum within the Navajo Nation. That was most important to Chris.

How did that work on this production? What were your responsibilities?

On this particular production, like any production that deals with a different culture, a different time, a different setting, first and foremost, what is paramount to the production is learning about that culture. It's necessary to know the ins and outs of the Navajo Nation, what the culture means in various settings, what these ceremonies are all about, what a hogan is, what it means, how it's situated, the rights and wrongs, the licenses that we can take. The first step is learning about the culture as much as possible so that at the drop of a hat, if the production needs to take a different turn, we know what the boundaries are. We know how to interpret it, me and the rest of my team -- prop person, set decorator, carpenters, and painters -- and locations know which way to go, which way to turn.

Where are you from?

I'm from Los Angeles. I was born and raised in Glendale, California. My tribe is the Acjachemen people of the San Juan Capistrano area, also known as Juane–os. They were the people who were indentured by the Spaniards to build the Mission San Juan Capistrano. I am a 19th-generation Californian. But the other part of my family is from Spain, and also from right here in Arizona, from Hayden, Arizona. As a matter of fact, my cousin just a few years back was the mayor of Hayden. So in some respect, doing this film in Arizona is a little bit like coming home. In many respects, my influence comes into the movie through how I feel about a particular set. If Chris, the director, wants something in a particular fashion, I will have an input, and we will discuss it. Sometimes I'm rather adamant about certain things. There are certain things that I think should be in the film or shouldn't be in the film, but it's important to discuss it. Ultimately, the final vision is Chris's.

What made the biggest impression on you while working on this project?

Working with Chris has been a big plus. Chris is a really good spirit, and he's very smart. He's very level-headed. He knows where he wants go.... Chris and I have tried to work together on the last few projects. For whatever reason, the timing never seemed to work out. Secondly, I think working with the Navajo Nation has been a real plus. It's something that I really truly enjoyed. I love learning about other cultures. I love learning about other people. I love the challenge of trying to portray it properly, with dignity and respect. Thirdly, what has been such a plus is to be here in Arizona in this beautiful environment. Those three things bring a certain sort of concentric spirituality to [the movie] that on the surface may not appear to be there, but is truly the subtext of this entire project. It's been truly enjoyable from that standpoint. It's been a lot of fun. It's hard. We're moving fast. We wish we had more time. But within that challenge, I think everybody has risen to the occasion, because this film is ... about a culture. It's about dispelling stereotype. And it's also, in many respects, about having fun.

Can you tell us about researching the Navajo culture?

I read Tony Hillerman's book, and I read the script. There's a lot of Navajo culture integrated into both works. Then after that, it's quite literally books -- getting books, reading them, looking at pictures, finding the commonality within those photographs, starting to notice color palettes, [finding] any commonality that we can bring to the eventual movie, then coming here to Arizona. One of the first things I did was go to Window Rock, which this movie is loosely based on. I interviewed a number of police officers, drove around the town for a couple of days, tried to meet as many people as I could, went to as many local restaurants, went to the flea market, whatever I could to sort of soak in [the culture].... I think from the cultural standpoint, one of the things that's so impressive as well as very ingratiating is the fact that the Navajo Nation is so intact, and so strong in [its] intactness. The fact that there are so many of them living in the area where they have lived for the majority of their history is impressive. It's actually quite wonderful.

What was your favorite set on this project?

One of the most interesting characters that I've found is Wilson Sam. The character reminds me a lot of my own grandfather, who I very much revered and respected. ... That's the thing about movies: You tend to fall in love with a script and a certain production, and you're trying to get on that production. Within that, there are certain characters that you sort of fall in love with as well. Wilson Sam is, to me, that character. He's very sage. He's very grandfatherly ... and he's full of advice. As a result, his sets -- meaning his ceremonial hogan and his house -- are probably my favorite sets. ... You can say a lot with very little in these spaces. It's very challenging, but it's something that I really like. I really do respect Wilson Sam and the relationship between Wilson Sam and Jim Chee. These may not be the biggest sets, but they're certainly my favorite.

How did you find locations?

Our scouting started with our location manager, Alan Benoit, who has a rather huge knowledge of the state of Arizona. He brought me here initially, and it seemed to fit. There was a feeling of BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] architecture, a real contrast from new architecture to the more humble, older architecture surrounding it in the town. Chris liked it. We were able to get the proper feeling for it by actually utilizing the [local] Boys' and Girls' Club. They were very helpful in allowing us to use a lot of their existing decorations, a lot of their existing accessories -- Ping-Pong tables, pool tables, as well as a lot of the things that were already on the wall. We also hired kids from the Gila River Reservation, where the rec center is, to manufacture things for us. Then we pulled all of that into this brand-new space. We painted the place. We put up an Indian mural so that there were interesting things going on in the background to give it as much texture as we could without it feeling over the top.

How did you evoke Navajo culture without resorting to stereotype?

Oftentimes, in the physical expression of a movie, there are symbols and expressions of what you are trying to portray. One thing that we are quite sensitive to, given the number of Native people on this crew, the director included, is not to be too stereotypical. [We wanted] to be able to tell the story to show that the Navajos are not people just simply living out in the desert, but they actually live in towns. ... There are professional people within the Navajo Nation. There are people from the Navajo Nation that have gone away from the Nation to pursue other careers. It's important to understand that there is a stereotype certainly, and that there is a way to tell the story properly without hitting [people] over the head with that stereotype. For instance, there is a situation where there are three people who are killed in the movie who have headbands. There is a drawing on the wall in Lonnie Mack's apartment that has the decoration on each of their headbands. The idea was to make each person individual by way of that symbolism. One of the things [I] suggested was to use an arrowhead. Well, when you think of an arrowhead, naturally you think of Indians. And while that probably would work, it's also hitting you over the head a little bit. So we tried to steer away from those things and make them a little bit subtler, but yet still be able to tell the story succinctly, immediately. When the viewer watches it, they get what they're looking at.

Did you get involved with costumes, too?

No. That's our costume designer, Alexis Scott. However, I do chime in on the wardrobe. I have my own feelings about it. ... The wardrobe, of course, is a visual, so it does cross my spectrum from time to time. Alexis is a real solid partner in telling the story visually.

Have you worked on other films with Indian themes?

I guess you could say this is the first Indian movie I've ever worked on. ... I was going to do Skins last year, but the timing didn't work out. ... It's nice to see Indian faces on the crew and know that there is an Indian film community out there. It's growing. So I feel very lucky to be able to be working with so many Natives on this particular project.

How did you break into this business?

By training, I'm a landscape architect. While I was [working] many years ago, I discovered theater. I began to design sets for theater at night and [working as] an architect during the day. It got to the point where one sort of overtook the other. I worked in television commercials for a while. Eventually, a particular director, a woman whose student film I had designed about two years prior, called me out of the blue and said that she was now an executive on a Warner Brothers television show. To repay the debt for designing her student film, she offered me a PA [production assistant] position in the art department. So I had to make the decision: Is this the point where I jump off and go toward the film industry, or do I stay [designing] and do it as an aside whenever I can? I decided to make the commitment. ... I shut the doors, closed my business, and started working as a PA for $320 a week. Eventually I worked up to being a set designer, ... then art director, and then production designer.

What was your favorite moment on this project?

I'm not saying that production design is the end-all. It's a lot of fun, and it certainly incorporates a lot of what I was trained for as a landscape architect. But it is the truth, as Walt Whitman said, that you should live the life that you imagined. At this particular point in my life, I can't imagine doing anything else. I really truly love it. I have trouble being on a project that is not interesting to me. I get bored silly, and I actually get a little resentful that I'm spending so much of my time on a project that is boring. This project is the opposite. I love this project. ... Last night, on this particular set, on the hogan, we ran out of lights. We had some problems with delivery of some materials. We were all there finishing it while the sun was going down, getting muddy and getting dirty. But man, it was great. It was really wonderful. When it was all said and done, it was dark. The stars were out; the Milky Way was bright. And we were sitting near Wilson Sam's ceremonial hogan. The only thing that was missing was a chant. If we had had the chant, certainly we would have been in Navajo heaven.

What was your biggest challenge on this project, the hardest moment?

I think the biggest challenge on a smaller film is budget. You want to give as much as you can to the story visually, and every time you make an advancement and you think you're going to go somewhere, you sit down with your budget and you go over it. And you wonder, "All right -- can I do this? I might not be able to do this." You take a chance sometimes. You're on budget -- great. You're over budget, then you've got to make it up somewhere it. Budget is always the most difficult part of it.

Once you've decided what you're going to do, how does all the work get done?

Credit is due is to all the people who work with me in set decorating -- the swing gang, the set dressers. It is their talent, their eye, and their patience that put the finer things on the set. It is our construction crew that builds these things. It is the location department that finds the locations. And certainly, it is the painter who paints it and ages it and takes it to the appropriate level. It's all of those people who work with me. The art director, as well, Marcia [Calosio]. Without her, I certainly couldn't do any of this. And so, you are just the sum total of the people who you work with. And I have some of the best. I'm very fortunate.