Skip to main content

World Builder: Production Designer K.K. Barrett Teams with Kid Koala

Nufonia Banner
Support Provided By
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.

At first glance, there's nothing iconic or remarkable about the Los Angeles created by production designer K.K. Barrett. And it's by his own design. However, look again, and the complex environments the award-winning world builder has created for commercials and feature films crackle and pop with smart visual clues.

"I tend to be a minimalist," explains Barrett, when asked to describe his personal style. "Less decor, more impact. Whether it be in music, movies or art, ideas should have an emotional impact. Of course my house is a mad man's lair. Piles of books, musical instruments, props from movies. You know what they say, to get to know a person, look in their closet or their medicine cabinet."

A perfect example of his subtle mastery is filmmaker Spike Jonze's movie "Her," where Barrett's futuristic L.A. habitat borrows heavily from Shanghai's elevated walkways. Here, no one wears jeans or sneakers, no ad graphics infiltrate, and cars are absent. By pairing design-like panels of colored Plexiglas with a skylight, instead of shooting against traditionally painted walls, the warm glow of the office scenes change with the position of the sun. In Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are," the iconic children's story is depicted sans jungle, opting for stark, burned forests and sweeping sand dunes, so the Wild Things would have proper dimension. "Simple shapes, complex ideas" is Barrett's mantra. Yet, this is the same man behind the lush, over the top, candy-colored vignettes of Sophia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette."

"Where The Wild Things Are" directed by Spike Jonze with production design by K. K. Barrett. | Image: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
"Where The Wild Things Are" directed by Spike Jonze with production design by K. K. Barrett. | Image: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

While the good-natured Barrett likes to say he's only been taking the art of production design seriously for the last 15 years, he steps into the director's role for his current project, "Nufonia Must Fall," Canadian DJ/producer Kid Koala's live-action graphic novel. The intricate, high tech theater piece plays UCLA's Royce Hall on January 29. It's a sprawling, black-and-white love story between a girl and a robot, played out in front of three cameras featuring a cast of tiny puppets and 12 revolving, dramatically pre-lit sets. The miniature protagonists are deliberately expressionless, so that the audience can project their own emotions into the story, helped by the fact there is no dialogue, only music and sound effects performed by Kid Koala and the Afiara Quartet. The audience experiences the "live film" via a large screen, or can take a quick look down to peek in on the puppeteers.

"I always like a new adventure, to do what's unexpected of me," demurs Barrett recently via phone. "It was an opportunity to develop some filmic ideas over a number of performances. As for live stage direction, it's something as a musician you inadvertently do every night."

However, this wasn't the first time Barrett has dabbled in live theater. He collaborated with Karen O on the visual depiction of her then-secret album, "Stop the Virgens" in 2011. The resulting eight performances included a cast of 40 dancing girls and other behind-the-scenes music makers, Money Mark and Nick Zinner.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Production Designer K.K. Barrett attends the 86th Academy Awards nominees luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 10, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. | Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Production Designer K.K. Barrett attends the 86th Academy Awards nominees luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 10, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. | Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

A career in the film industry was a natural progression for him, as Barrett, part of L.A.'s punk rock royalty, got his start as drummer for the Screamers, the only Masque club band that set out to make videos instead of records.

"I'm kind of getting back to music with 'Nufonia Must Fall.' Although, everything I've done in my life has been related. To entertain and to be mysterious, is exactly what the Screamers were about," says Barrett when pressed for punk anecdotes. "Although we were very much part of the punk scene, we were much more of an arty band. We settled our angst with pretension and were contrary in that we only wanted to make videos, but way before MTV. We were enough ahead of our time that now people can catch up via YouTube."

Between all his fantastically elaborate projects, Barrett continues to paint, play music and write. He still finds inspiration locally despite traveling the world.

"Los Angeles is still the Wild West. The American dream is still possible here. I came here in 1977 as an artist from Oklahoma," continues Barrett. "Just like the Masque scene, you could reinvent yourself and decide what you were by just doing it -- that's the spirit of L.A."

Furthermore, Barrett explains that his dream project is anything that has creative purpose, one that includes the right people for the right reasons. It may include exploring other film genres or even social structures on TV.

"I try not to repeat myself in anything that I do," Barrett offers. "I believe in 'dare to fail'. I want to get to the point where I can use everything I've learned."

"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.
"Her" directed by Spike Jonze with production design by K. K. Barrett. | Image: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
"Her" directed by Spike Jonze with production design by K. K. Barrett. | Image: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
K.K. Barrett on drums. | Photo: Courtesy of K.K. Barrett.
K.K. Barrett on drums. | Photo: Courtesy of K.K. Barrett.


Top Image: "Nufonia Must Fall." | Photo: A.J. Korkidakis.

Dig this story? Sign up for our newsletter to get unique arts & culture stories and videos from across Southern California in your inbox. Also, follow Artbound on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

Support Provided By
Read More
An 8mm film still "The Kitchen" (1975) by Alile Sharon Larkin. The still features an image of a young Black woman being escorted by two individuals in white coats. The image is a purple monochrome.

8 Essential Project One Films From the L.A. Rebellion Film Movement

For years, Project One films have been a rite of passage for aspiring filmmakers at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. Here are eight Project One pieces born out of the L.A. Rebellion film movement from notable filmmakers like Ben Caldwell, Jacqueline Frazier and Haile Gerima.
A 2-by-3 grid of Razorcake zine front covers.

Last Punks in Print: Razorcake Has Been the Platform for Punks of Color For Over Two Decades

While many quintessential L.A. punk zines like "Flipside," "HeartattaCk," and "Profane Existence" have folded or only exist in the digital space, "Razorcake" stands as one of the lone print survivors and a decades-long beacon for people — and punks — of color.
Estevan Escobedo is wearing a navy blue long sleeve button up shirt, a silk blue tie around his neck, a large wide-brim hat on his head, and brown cowboy pants as he twirls a lasso around his body. Various musicians playing string instruments and trumpets stand behind him, performing.

The Art of the Rope: How This Charro Completo is Preserving Trick Roping in the United States

Esteban Escobedo is one of only a handful of professional floreadores — Mexican trick ropers — in the United States, and one of a few instructors of the technical expression performing floreo de reata (also known as floreo de soga "making flowers with a rope"), an art form in itself and one of Mexico's longest standing traditions.