Spotlight Production Design

Although it may not seem like it, the production design by Art Director Stephen H Carter of Spotlight was beautifully thought out.

Put simply it was the story and its telling that was important; the design needed to support that by disappearing into the background. It was done so well.

The tones of the entire movie were kept the same throughout. Colours were muted in both costumes and sets, and sometimes one blended into another. When Mark Ruffalo's, Mike Rezendes, meets Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci) early on in the film, his rumpled shirt almost matches his surroundings.

Of note was a scene with a choir in a church...

Taken from a still of the trailer

Everything has been thought about here. Red is such a strong colour but it is handled beautifully. The curtains and flowers are deep shades of the colour, while the children in the choir and even a high number of the congregation are wearing burgundies. Everything has been done to avoid distracting the eye. No colour jarred throughout the whole film. Perfect.

On a side note, Stanley Tucci's wig was superb. It was so well done that you could even see where touches of his scalp seemed to peep through in what was slightly thinning hair. Brilliant.