Connect with us

Celebrity News

Exclusive: ‘Luke Cage’s Production Designer Toni Barton Talks Creating Alternate Reality Through Set Design

by Betti Halsell

Published

on

When dissecting a cinematic body of work, one would cut into formations of people who create an alternate reality. The script works as the spine, keeping the structure of a project together, and the production designer heads the impetus of the written reality.  

Production designer Toni Barton constructed environments that pull the audience into the story. Her transformative abilities have been featured on television, film, and theatre sets. Barton has curated the atmosphere for Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Dare Devil, and Netflix’s Luke Cage series, to name a few.  

We conducted an exclusive interview with the scenic visionary, discussing her journey, passion, and the mindset needed to pursue this career path.

“Everything starts with the written word; there would be no need for design if there was no script,” Barton said, reflecting on the significance of a written outline of a scene. She elaborated on different aspects of filmmaking, calling it a “collaborative effort.”

A production designer absorbs the idea of where a story occurs, takes the proposed setting, and interprets it into physical placement. The painting in one’s mind formulates into the physical world. The seamless performance of a film or play is held together by the set, which the production designer cultivates. Barton developed an eye for what sits in the background and provided a window into what she sees.

Breaking down the process of taking the narrative and breathing life into it, Barton starts with absorbing the scene from reading the script and then diving into the research. After gathering the bones of the project, the architecture can begin. Barton oversees the role of art, sets the direction to build out these worlds, and shares creative synergy with the production’s buyers, graphic designers, illustrators, and many more to tell the given story.

Barton’s introduction to her future career path started on the University of Southern California (USC) campus, where she pursued her degree in architecture. While in school, her friends would call on her to capture scenes of their plays and short films.

 After earning her degree at USC, she looked for specialized theatre training at New York University (NYU), entering a graduate program in set design and art direction. Barton honed her skills to create sceneries for stage and film production.

By her third union film as an assistant art director, Barton’s skills and confidence matured. She worked with veterans of the business, and they took Barton under their tutelage. With real-time hands-on experience, they shaped the rising creative to become the profound designer she is today.

According to Barton, a production designer’s role calls for interest in fashion, art history, and architecture, “Understanding history and helping to tell that story helps us build character, so anybody interested in any aspect of history, sociology, architecture, art, fashion and […] how to tell a story, would potentially be interested in this and more importantly have that skill set to then tell that story.”   

Barton reflected on a moment in her early career development when a friend told her, “when you become a production designer—that’s when you will really make it.” Barton responded with the reassurance that she was exactly where she needed to be at that time – an assistant art director. She owned her current placement, taking the first steps into her journey. Eventually, Barton went from being an assistant art director to becoming an art director while simultaneously teaching at NYU. Later, through her accumulated experience, she became a production designer.  

Getting to that final point takes time, and not everyone understands or is prepared for it, “People think when you get out of school, you have to instantaneously have this title, or you’re not making it.” On the contrary, Barton said, the beginning stages of one’s career are rich with people who are experts, willing to garnish a young mind with wisdom to build a force around their talent.

Passing the torch, in conjunction with being an art director, Barton taught theatre design at NYU for 18 years. “By far, that has been the most rewarding thing I could ever say and do,” she said. The production designer continued to explain the passion of being an art designer while taking it to an academic setting. Her hope is for younger students to identify this as a viable career and be drawn to the scenic route, especially students of color. “I desire more people to know about it younger, in essence, to know every single aspect of design,” she concluded.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Celebrity News

Batwoman’s Javicia Leslie Gets Engaged in Napa Valley

Published

on

Batwoman

Batwoman‘s star Javicia Leslie is engaged!

The 37-year-old shared the exciting news via Instagram earlier today with a caption that reads, “An answered prayer.”

According to his bio, Leslie’s now-fiancé, Nana-Yaw Asamoah, is a New York native and a sports and entertainment executive. He currently serves as the Chief Commercial Officer of AMB Sports and Entertainment.

While the couple’s romantic relationship has not been public until now, Leslie has been open about being bisexual. In fact, she is the first Black and queer woman to play the aforementioned DC’s superhero.

During an interview on E! News’ Daily Pop, the actress shared that her role in the CW series inspired her to come out to her mom.  “For me, I never felt like I had to hide anything,” Leslie said. “That wasn’t really where I was coming from. I just hadn’t had a conversation, so I just wanted to talk to my mom about it because I was living my life. I just wanted to be able to talk to her so she didn’t have to be told through the media.”

Batwoman's Javicia Leslie
Javicia Leslie as Batwoman/ CW

According to the shared Instagram post, Asamoah proposed to Leslie in Napa Valley, at what appears to be a winery, in front of a beautiful mountain backdrop. Friends, family, and fans flooded the comment section with congratulations and best wishes to the couple. We are joining in as well!

Continue Reading

Celebrity News

‘Love Is Blind’ Alumni Lauren and Cameron Hamilton Announce First Pregnancy

Published

on

Love Is Blind Lauren and Cameron

Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton, beloved stars of Netflix’s Love Is Blind Season 1, have announced they are expecting their first child, a milestone following a four-year fertility journey. The couple, who charmed millions of fans with their love story, shared the joyful news earlier this week, via an Instagram video and an exclusive People interview, revealing their baby is due in fall 2025.

The Hamiltons’ path to parenthood was marked by challenges, including multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Cameron, 34, described the emotional moment they saw “pregnant” on a Clearblue test: “We were counting down the days… it was a huge moment.” Lauren, 37, shared that she “fell to her knees and cried,” calling the news a “relief” after years of anxiety-inducing tests. The announcement came shortly after the loss of Lauren’s father in December 2024, making it a bittersweet “light in the darkness” for their family.

Love Is Blind’s Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton / People magazine

The couple, married since November 2018, has been open about their fertility struggles on their podcast, The Love Seat.

Lauren, now in her second trimester, is navigating cravings for cheese and fruit, with Cameron as her steadfast supporter. They look forward to reliving childhood through their baby, with Lauren excited for “Disney on Ice and the zoo.” As they prepare for parenthood, the Hamiltons continue to inspire with their love and resilience, proving that their Love Is Blind connection remains unbreakable.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Continue Reading

Celebrity News

Taylour Paige Is Pregnant! Expecting First Baby with Husband Rivington Angulo

Published

on

Taylour

Taylour Paige-Angulo shared that she is expecting her first child with her husband, fashion designer Rivington Angulo, earlier today.

The announcement, made official through a captionless Instagram post, featured Paige-Angulo in a white dress that beautifully highlighted her baby bump. This milestone comes after a deeply personal journey, including a decades-long battle with endometriosis, which the ‘Zola’ actress openly discussed on social media.

Paige-Angulo’s pregnancy reveal follows her first public hint at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards on February 27, where she debuted her (hidden) baby bump in a chic brown dress. A TikTok video captured her chatting with fellow actors Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors.

Behind Taylour’s joyful announcement lies a challenging history with endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pain and fertility issues. The actress has been candid about her struggle, which went undiagnosed for 20 years. In an emotional Instagram post on March 4, 2025, during Endometriosis Awareness Month, she described it as a “lifelong journey of healing” and a “really violent illness” that brought “agony and turmoil.” She recounted debilitating symptoms—pain so intense it made her “see stars,” monthly vomiting, and times she couldn’t drive.

In fall 2023, Paige-Angulo underwent a four-hour surgery to remove endometrial tissue. Reflecting on the experience, she wrote, “So many women are going THROUGH it okay. Be gentle with us.”

Taylour
Taylour Paige and Rivington Angulo/ Instagram

The Angulos tied the knot on October 5, 2022, on Paige’s 32nd birthday. Their intimate ceremony unfolded at the Wattles Mansion in Los Angeles. The couple’s romance had blossomed quickly after meeting during the pandemic at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Paige-Angulo later recalled how Angulo’s energy felt like “home” from the start. For the occasion, she wore a custom sheer white gown designed by her then-fiance. The event was attended by close friends, including a notable appearance by Rihanna, adding a touch of star power to the heartfelt affair. Paige-Angulo described the day on Instagram as “the greatest day of my life.”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Hollywood Melanin