My first role as production designer was for the film Nightingales. The film is about a girl (Ivy) who cannot fall asleep and seeks comfort by watching asmr videos to do so. In ASMR videos on the internet, the hand is genuinely present, belonging to a person behind the screen. However, the female protagonist cannot see this person, and this real individual provides comfort not only for her.

Possibly due to the limited human imagination in extending emotions beyond the physical body, she cannot find satisfaction within the screen. For her, it only goes as far as a cyber experience, thus leading her to imagine the presence of a tangible hand or voice.

It’s a 5 minutes film and the character is in a situation of loneliness and isolation, turning then into a feeling of comfort and connection as she finds herself talking to the voice on the video. The construction of the character was also crucial to the creation of the set and his room. From a production design point of view the tea together with the cup are pivotal objects in the film’s theme. The idea comes from creating a reassuring space for the protagonist, her room is her world.