Whether it's for a single song or an entire musical short film, Music Artists will sometimes try to create an entire cinematic universe for their Music Videos. Over the past decade, there are few artists that have done this more effectively and creatively than The Weeknd. For his highly anticipated new album, After Hours, he entrusted Director Anton Tammi with carrying out this unique vision across multiple music videos. In regards to the themes, symbols and wardrobe, many have discussed certain film references, which include Casino, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Uncut Gems, The Mask, Joker and many more, but there hasn't been definitive confirmation, which only adds to the mystique for the world they created. Additionally, the selected locations and architectural spaces are all incredible and make this world feel more tangible for the audience. 

In an exclusive interview with Interiors, we spoke with Miranda Lorenz, who is the Production Designer for "Heartless", "After Hours" and "In Your Eyes" and Adam William Wilson, who is the Production Designer for “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

“Heartless” by The Weeknd (Production Designer: Miranda Lorenz)

 INT: First off, we were curious how the opportunity to do the Music Video, “Heartless” by The Weeknd, came about? What was it about it that made you want to work on it?

I previously had the pleasure to work with Director, Anton Tammi, on the music video “Graveyard” for Halsey, which was a career-defining experience and one where Anton and I found that we speak a similar visual language. A few months later, he gave me call on my drive home from set -  both of us were on the run working on a million different things - and he quickly pitched me his next project. He couldn’t tell me yet who it was for, but the concept made my head start spinning. In a good way. Surreal, Psychedelic, Trippy, Las Vegas, were the words he used. I immediately went home and started pulling references from some of my favorite films and pieces of art. I had been dying to create a world that felt grounded, but as you peer deeper beneath the surface, you realize something is not right. This was that opportunity. 

INT: The Music Video features iconic Las Vegas locations, such as the Plaza Hotel and Fremont Street. How did you approach the Production Design for this video and what drew you to these incredible locations in Downtown Las Vegas?

ML: I have always been inspired by the design of Downtown Las Vegas. There’s something so hectic, confusing, bright and old school about it, all while being an iconic world where some of my favorite directors and artists have explored previously. When we started to source locations, Anton and I really wanted to create a surreal version of these iconic locations. Our own world for Abel to play in. We wanted to let the surreal bleed into every scene. We constantly asked ourselves, how can we take this to the next level. How can we confuse the eye. How can we make people question what is reality and what is in their head. 

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd (Production Designer: Adam William Wilson)

INT: First off, we were curious how the opportunity to do the Music Video, “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, came about? What was it about it that made you want to work on it?

AWW: The Weeknd video came my way through my agent at Iconic Talent Agency. I had done a few videos with The Weeknd a few years back so I was glad to have the opportunity to do another. The script was cool and I was excited to work with Director Anton Tammi, as well as Director of Photography, Oliver Millar. I also loved the song, I've done many music videos in the past and anytime you have a really good song, it's going to be a fun job, and most likely a great video. 

INT: The Music Video tracks The Weeknd driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and features some amazing locations (2nd Street Tunnel, Grand Avenue, etc.). What was the process like selecting these outdoor spots for the video?

AWW: Usually as a production designer, I will be brought on the job before the locations are chosen, but in this case Anton had done his research with the help of a location scout and had already made most of his decisions on locations.  The tunnel location is a pretty famous shooting location in Downtown Los Angeles, the tile on the tunnel reflects light and which gives it a unique look at all times of day, but it looks especially good at night.  The other exterior locations were chosen for a few different reasons. One reason was access to available light: red is a theme in the video and we chose locations that were close to our unit that had lots of existing red light.  

INT: The one interior location in the video is the Cicada Club, a vintage nightclub in Downtown Los Angeles. What drew you and your team to this particular location for the video?

AWW: Our reference for the club location was the club in the film The Mask (1994).  We didn’t  want to match the film exactly, but that was a good reference for the feel of the club. There is a playfulness to that film with a dark undertone. Anton took that idea even further in the "Blinding Lights" video.  

The Cicada Club was the perfect location for this. The club is located in the first two floors of the Oviatt Building in Downtown Los Angeles. This building is a 1928 Art Deco on the National Register of Historic Places. What I loved about the interior of this club is that it looks beautiful when empty.  In the video, Abel stumbles upon an empty nightclub, where he is enchanted by a woman rehearsing alone on a stage.  The Cicada Club has deep red carpeted floors, dark stained wood with built in Art Deco lighting, gold trimmings everywhere and an incredible gold reflective ceiling. As a designer, you couldn't ask for a better base for our set decoration.  We augmented the space with gold place settings, large palms and ferns, a circular stage with deep red sequin curtains, and many practical lights and neons.  This was a fun job and I was happy to be a part of it. 

“After Hours” by The Weeknd (Production Designer: Miranda Lorenz)

INT: “After Hours”, the 3rd Music Video to be released, is absolutely incredible. The video, which tracks The Weeknd from his performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to the 7th Street/Metro Station in Los Angeles, almost feels like the opening sequence for a Film. What was the process like designing this Music Video? How did you and your team approach it?

ML: “After Hours” was meant to feel more grounded than ‘Heartless’. Anton and I wanted to embrace classic cinema while at the same time elevating the backdrop of Los Angeles through a sense of mystery. To that end, I focused on emphasizing the emptiness of the space, eliminating any signage, adding in wind and trash - which aided in an eerie vibe. Logistically, the shoot was incredibly interesting as we couldn’t shut down the metro station, so every set up had to be done fast, concise and in the nick of time. There was not much room for playing around. Anton and I had everything planned out to a T, even down to the amount of trash we wanted to have in the corner and the intensity of the wind. 

Overall the process working with Anton on creating this visual journey of unexpected twists and turns was an exciting challenge. It’s one thing to create a world from scratch, every nut bolt and shade of paint - and there’s a great beauty in that. It’s another to have to mold a location from the present world into one that exists in our cinematic world. 

INT: “Heartless” and “After Hours” are different songs with different music video treatments but somehow go together so perfectly. As a Production Designer, how challenging was it to give each one its own aesthetic but also make them feel unified? 

The challenge we set out to achieve was not to keep it the same nor different from one another. To create a sense of unity for the videos, we kept reminding ourselves to create our own twist on reality at every step, all while exploring different homages to classic cinema tropes. We had extensive visual mood boards and references we used and kept going back to throughout the process, which is a testament to the incredible vision that Anton had for adapting The Weeknd’s new music to the screen. Each video was not thought of as its own video but more an extension of the interesting world Anton created. Quite honestly, it was all fluid - an endlessly wild ride. Would do it all again.

“In Your Eyes” by The Weeknd (Production Designer: Miranda Lorenz)

INT: How did you approach the Production Design and the architectural spaces featured in the video “In Your Eyes”?

ML: "In Your Eyes" was the stunning culmination of Anton's astute vision. It truly was a beautiful harmony between all departments. For the design, we wanted to create a mysterious feeling of horror, which was particularly fun for me. To that end, we designed an underground nightclub ("After Hours") where my goal was to transport viewers to the underbelly of a warehouse, where you get that fleeting feeling of that very time your two close friends set up a table and some speakers and you have no idea if the walls are black or white. The changing lights are the beating heart of the club. The nightclub visually was important, as it emotionally serves as both the confusing and mysterious space which allowed our lead to gain the upper hand in the chase and ultimately cut off Abel’s head, as well as a space with a glimmer of playfulness, where she finally gets to celebrate her escape. 

Miranda Lorenz is a Production Designer and has worked on various Films and Music Videos. You can visit her Website to see more of her work. 

Adam William Wilson is a Production Designer and has worked on various Films, Commercials and Music Videos. You can visit his Website to see more of his work.