Building Narrative Spaces Across Formats: A Conversation With Oscar O’Neill Shahapurkar

Los Angeles–based Production Designer and Art Director Oscar O’Neill Shahapurkar represents a generation of filmmakers navigating an industry shaped by global movement and rapidly evolving formats. Trained in India and the United States, Oscar O’Neill’s work spans prestige television, international commercial campaigns, live events, and emerging narrative media such as vertically formatted series. In this conversation, he reflects on his journey, his approach to production design, and how storytelling is changing across screens.

Q) You began your journey in Mumbai before transitioning to Los Angeles. How did your early years shape your understanding of visual storytelling?

Ans. Growing up in Mumbai, I was surrounded by visual density—architecture, colour, movement, people. That environment naturally sharpens your eye. My formal training at Whistling Woods International helped channel that instinct into structure. Production design was very hands-on and pragmatic. Early on, I also worked on large-scale television and reality formats like Bigg Boss and Fear Factor. Those sets operate under constant pressure, with little room for error. You quickly learn how design decisions affect logistics, camera movement, and storytelling in real time.

Q) What prompted your decision to pursue further education in the United States?

Ans. I felt the need to deepen my understanding of narrative-driven design. While my early work gave me scale and speed, I wanted to explore how space functions emotionally within a story. The American Film Institute offered a rigorous framework where production design is rooted in character psychology, architecture, and historical research. At AFI, you’re constantly asked why a space looks the way it does, not just how. That shift fundamentally changed how I approach design.

Q) How did adapting to the U.S. industry differ from your experience in India?

Ans. The most significant difference is structure. In the U.S., especially on union-regulated sets, roles are clearly defined, and collaboration follows established protocols. There’s a strong emphasis on continuity, research, and long-term planning. In India, particularly in television, adaptability is key—you often solve problems on the fly. Having experienced both systems helped me become more flexible while respecting the process. It taught me that good design is as much about communication as it is about aesthetics.

Q) You worked on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. What does prestige television demand from a production designer?

Ans. Prestige television is about restraint. On The Morning Show, the environments needed to feel lived-in, credible, and consistent over time. The challenge isn’t creating spectacle but maintaining realism across episodes while supporting character arcs. Working under experienced production designers like Nelson Coates and set decorators like Cal Loucks was an education in subtlety—how minor design choices can reinforce tone without drawing attention to themselves.

Q) Your work also spans commercials and documentary-driven branded content. How does your approach shift in these formats?

Ans. In branded or documentary content, the focus is on authenticity. The design should support the subject rather than dominate the frame. When working on projects involving well-known public figures, the environment becomes a contextual layer—it frames the narrative without overshadowing it. It’s about understanding brand language while maintaining cinematic integrity.

Q) Live events form another part of your portfolio. What distinguishes designing for live performance from film or television?

Ans. Live events demand immediacy. Unlike film, there’s no opportunity for correction in post-production. The design must be visually legible from a distance and adaptable to performance dynamics. It’s closer to architecture and stage design, where audience experience is central. You’re designing not just for the camera, but for real-time human interaction.

Q) You’ve been involved early on with vertically formatted narrative series. How does this format challenge traditional production design?

Ans. Vertical storytelling forces you to rethink everything—composition, blocking, even how space is perceived. The frame is narrower, which means depth, layering, and movement have to work differently. You can’t rely on wide establishing shots. Instead, design becomes more intimate and character-focused. I worked on vertical series before the format became widely discussed, and it was interesting to see how storytelling grammar had to evolve to suit mobile-first audiences.

Q) One of your notable narrative projects, The Apple Picker’s Son, involved recreating Kashmir within Los Angeles. What were the challenges there?

Ans. The challenge was emotional authenticity. Kashmir carries deep historical and cultural weight, and we were recreating it within a completely different geography. With limited resources, the focus shifted to texture, colour palette, and spatial composition. The goal wasn’t replication, but evocation—creating a sense of place that supports themes of memory, displacement, and longing. That project reaffirmed for me that production design is about emotional truth rather than literal accuracy.

Q) How do you view the evolving role of production designers today?

Ans. Production designers are no longer working within a single medium. We’re designing for theatres, televisions, phones, and live spaces—often simultaneously. The role now requires adaptability and an understanding of how audiences engage with content. What remains constant is the responsibility to serve the story. Formats may change, but narrative intent should always guide design decisions.

Q) Looking ahead, what interests you most about the future of visual storytelling?

Ans. I’m interested in how emerging formats will continue to reshape narrative language. As technology evolves, so will the way we design space and tell stories. But I believe strong fundamentals—research, collaboration, and emotional clarity—will always matter. No matter the platform, storytelling begins with understanding human experience.