One alum behind the scenery in Hollywood
Production Designer for Iron Man 3
When brash billionaire superhero Tony Stark pursues a villain destroying his world, his armor-clad back ends up against the wall. That wall and all the other sets on Iron Man 3 were created by Bill Brzeski (theatre ’75).
As production designer for the third installment in the Marvel franchise, Brzeski is responsible for the look of this big-budget blockbuster, one of the most anticipated films this spring. Collaborating with director Shane Black, he devoted two years to this movie, deciding what the sets were going to be, their locations, and some of the major events, such as a big shipping dock sequence. Then he and his team brought it all to life, or at least Hollywood’s version of life.
“More ‘real’ a movie is, better it plays”
“All the Marvel movies are a genesis of the first movie, so you have to kind of follow along, but you can tweak it and change it,” Brzeski said. “You always want to try to upgrade them.”
In this case, that meant a product that’s a little darker visually and more realistic than its two predecessors. In fact, that realism has generated heat from movie critics, especially a scene in which a bomb blows up a Boston street.
Although the movie was finished before the Boston Marathon tragedy, he feels bad that art so closely imitated life in this instance. As he discusses it, you sense the moral dilemma for Brzeski, a 34-year veteran in the business with an extensive resume that includes The Hangover (I and II), Flipped, The Bucket List, and Matilda.
“We do all kinds of terrible things to ourselves as human beings all around the world every day all day long. That’s stuff that’s incorporated in our movies and in our storytelling. I don’t know whether the movies make the world more violent or just make us more aware of the violence.”
Iron Man 3 is a fun set
Despite the serious subject matter, he and the rest of the crew had great fun working together. To answer the question that always comes up, yes, Brzeski knows leading man Robert Downey Jr., having worked with him on two movies. Downey, who plays Stark, is a nice guy and likes to hang out with the crew, Brzeski said, whereas Gwyneth Paltrow, aka Pepper Potts, is much more private.
Talking the morning after the cast and crew screening, which he attended with his wife, Kimberly Morris Brzeski ’75, he wishes he could watch the film like other moviegoers.
“You can’t see the thing fresh. I go back a year later and say I wish we had put the camera here or why didn’t we show a bigger shot of the room. What you’re seeing isn’t what I saw. I know what really went on that day or what was in the room or what’s right behind the wall. I know where I’m standing in the room when somebody is making love to his wife in a scene.”
A Fast & Furious world traveler
His next project is a Fast & Furious sequel with Universal. Filming the high-action car adventure will take him all over the world. “I’ve been in the entertainment industry my whole life since I went to Miami. It was like a lightning bolt hit me when I was 18 years old. It was right in the CPA building, right there on the stage. I’m still doing it and still love it.”
Written by Donna Boen, University Communications and Marketing
Published May 2013
