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Mónica Bidault • Production Design

@mbidault

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We shot this spot for Prada a few months ago; I was so lucky to get to work with the amazing @bandrybarry 🫶🏼. @mrjameslaxton (and @zendaya of course) made it look as good as it does. The prep and shoot ran so unbelievably smooth that we even found time to hold many a-court on literature, film, architecture, and art in general. A satisfying experience, to say the least. by @mbidault

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2 months ago

“Neutral” is a funny concept for a stadium. MetLife Stadium (named New York New Jersey for the 2026 World Cup) goes against the grain. Rather than honoring a single team, the firms behind its design were tasked, like Milan’s San Siro, with building the home of two rival teams: NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. Naturally, the design could not favor either one.

Instead of hiding this neutrality, however, the architects embraced it. Compared with many of the other venues in this World Cup, MetLife is remarkably understated: a classic rectangle with rounded corners and no roof. More Allianz Arena than Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That is no coincidence, as the German venue was one of MetLife’s biggest architectural inspirations.

Sleek, industrial, and metallic, the stadium is wrapped in glass and nearly 50 kilometers of aluminum louvers. Inspired by the Manhattan skyline, it resembles a giant office building guarding the world’s economy. Its interior is equally neutral: no team colors, logos, or names are permanently built into the seating bowl. The palette is simply black, gray, and white.

Don’t let that fool you, though. MetLife’s architecture comes alive with the flip of a light switch.

The aluminum louvers act as diffusers for the programmable LEDs hidden behind them. Like some sports fans, the façade changes color depending on the tenant: blue for the Giants, green for the Jets, and different colors for concerts and international events, including the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The lighting extends beyond the façade to a network of more than 3,700 square meters of LED displays and screens, both interior and exterior.

Even more impressive, the stadium helps power this system itself. In 2012, more than 1,300 solar panels were installed around the roof in what is now known as the Solar Ring which generates about 350 kilowatts of electricity. Sustainability was part of the project from the outset. Although it replaced the old Giants Stadium, roughly 20,000 tonnes of steel from the latter venue were salvaged and, like the Ship of Theseus, reused in the construction of MetLife Stadiums’ identity. by @mbidault

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3 months ago

Looked at from afar, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (open since 2017 and renamed Atlanta Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup) looks like a cluster of enormous toppled panels—not quite chaos; not watchmaker’s order either. As if by design, the panel motif continues to repeat itself.

Clawing an American football at the main entrance, Gábor Miklós Szőke’s The Falcon is made from more than 1,000 stainless steel panels and honors the city’s NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons. In another courtyard, representing Atlanta United, the venue’s home soccer team, Danish design studio Studio Roso created Telstar, a 10-meter-tall, 16-ton soccer ball assembled from 350 mirrored panels. Its name references the iconic Adidas Telstar ball, designed by Egil Nielsen in 1968 with a black-and-white hexagonal panel pattern that became the universal symbol of soccer long after the ball itself became obsolete.

Both sculptures hint that this stadium is more than just a sports venue.

Like AT&T Stadium in Texas, the concourses of Mercedes-Benz Stadium feature an extensive art collection, including football-inspired works, photography by Artemus Jenkins and Hsu-Jen Huang—the latter documenting the stadium’s construction—and paintings by Laurent Grasso, among many other artists, 63 in all.

Falcons are everywhere, of course. Conveying the idea of United—the soccer team’s name—is, alas, more challenging. Atlanta Is Beautiful, a pop art installation by French artist Mr. Brainwash, attempts just that. Suspended in one of the stadium’s most prominent locations, it celebrates not only the venue but also Atlanta’s past, present, and future.

Panels are the crowning achievement of Mercedes-Benz Stadium—quite literally. Eight giant triangular ones form its retractable roof. Like those of many other modern stadiums, they are not fixed but can slide back to reveal an enormous circular opening, framed by the stadium’s famous 360-degree, 5,754.76-square-meter Halo Board. Unlike most retractable roofs, which slide to one side, these move like the blades of a camera aperture, opening in just under 10 minutes. When it happens, it’s like looking into the iris of a waking giant’s eye, slowly struggling to focus. by @mbidault

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3 months ago

The AT&T Stadium (renamed Dallas Stadium for the 2026 World Cup) was built during the first decade of the millennium with Texas’ extreme weather in mind.

The sliding end-zone glass walls and retractable roof, both of which can be fully opened to provide natural ventilation during the hot Texas summer or closed to protect fans from harsh winter weather, are without a doubt the stadium’s most iconic features.

Once the whistle signaling the end of semifinal between France and Spain is blown, this home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys would have hosted more World Cup matches than any other venue. Its stands typically accommodate around 80,000 spectators, but that capacity can be expanded to more than 100,000 for special events, rivaling that of Mexico’s Estadio Azteca.

For the average sports fan expecting to witness athletes performing at the peak of their physical abilities in the field, however, this steel-and-concrete behemoth holds an unexpected surprise: the Dallas Cowboys Art Collection, a contemporary art exhibition that isn’t tucked away in a dark, forgotten corner. Instead, visitors encounter artworks and installations throughout the stadium’s walls, escalators, concourses, and entryways.

Curated by Gene and Jerry Jones, the owners of the Dallas Cowboys, the collection features more than 90 original and commissioned works by 66 international artists in both permanent and rotating exhibitions.

Among the featured artists is Doug Aitken, whose Star (2008) consists of an enhanced photograph embedded within letters that spell out the work’s title, blurring the line between language and imagery. Stars also appear in Olafur Eliasson’s Moving Stars Take Time (2008), a two-toned sculpture that recreates some of the planets and moons in our solar system. Another highlight is Anish Kapoor’s monumental Sky Mirror (2006), a 10-meter-wide, 15-ton circular sculpture that tilts upward, allowing viewers to see the sky and the ground they stand on simultaneously.

These are just a few of the many artists whose works give AT&T Stadium—where crowds gather to witness the pinnacle of human athletic achievement—the other half of the ideal human experience: its soul. by @mbidault

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3 months ago

Now that all eyes are on Mexico for the World Cup, here are a few fascinating facts about one of Mexico City’s greatest gems.

Estadio Azteca was designed by Mexican architects Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares. Construction began in 1962, and two years later, when Mexico was awarded the 1970 FIFA World Cup, its capacity was expanded.

Officially inaugurated on May 29, 1966, Estadio Azteca is considered one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums. It is the largest stadium in the American continent and one of the largest in the world.

The pitch is aligned precisely on a north–south axis, an intentional design choice that prevents the sun from affecting players’ visibility during matches.

Its first major international event was the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, followed by the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, making it the first stadium in history to host two men’s FIFA World Cup finals and one unofficial women’s world cup final.

Its construction required nearly 100,000 tons of concrete, 8,000 tons of high-strength steel, 1,200 tons of structural steel, as well as the blasting and removal of around 180,000 tons of rock. The cantilevered roof, an iconic feature which extends between 20 and 50 meters depending on the section, is supported by 1,200 tons of rolled steel.

The external plaza is home to the monumental sculpture El Sol Rojo (“The Red Sun”), which Alexander Calder created specially for the 1968 Olympic Games.

It's also been host to massive concerts by musicians like Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, and other sporting events, such as Julio Cesar Chavez's fights.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the stadium's pitch was completely rebuilt with a state-of-the-art hybrid turf system made of 95% natural grass and 5% synthetic fibers.

I shot there once as an art director, and I still remember feeling the sheer scale of the place: a colossus with a beating heart as massive as Mexico City itself within an entire country that hopes—perhaps more then anything—to see El Tri win on Sunday 💚🤍❤️ (no offense to my English friends and colleagues). by @mbidault

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3 months ago

O2
Dir: Miguel Campaña
Casa Prod: Sterntag film
Casa Prod Mexico: @theliftmx

Projects like these are never easy. Finding a director, DP, and crew you truly connect with, and who can turn such a demanding project into a joyful and fun experience, is almost impossible! Filming this commercial (1 of 3) with Miguel and @fauraoscar was a real pleasure.

Los proyectos como éste nunca son fáciles, ¡y encontrar un director, fotógrafo y crew que conviertan un proyecto tan demandante en una experiencia súper divertida y que se disfruta tanto es casi imposible! Filmar este comercial con Miguel y Óscar fue un verdadero placer.

The crew that makes everything essier and more enjoyable //El crew que todo lo hace más fácil y divertido:
@anacris_icaz @edgarrog @carla_wayne @magabellomo @jimm_coel @stephiie12 @shamhj_ by @mbidault

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5 months ago

Behind the scenes — only in production design do you build sets like this: a faux zoo cage created for a man to break in and release a bear (in the commercial production, it doesn’t end well for him!)

Detrás de cámaras — sólo en diseño de producción se construyen sets como éste: una jaula de zoológico falsa para que un tipo se meta a liberar a un oso (¡en el comercial no le salen bien las cosas!)

#artdepartment #setdesign #directordearte by @mbidault

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10 months ago

Unwitting Gordon Matta-Clark by @mbidault

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10 months ago

These are a few of the sets built by the art department for Supercell. This Brawl Stars commercial was a very diverse shoot -from a production design standpoint- due to all the crazy stuff that happens in it. Among other things, the art department built an elevated platform for an unfortunate graduation day as well as a (foam) prop cactus to hurl at an actor’s face 🌵!

Estos son algunos de los sets que construyó el departamento de arte para Supercell. El comercial de Brawl Stars fue una filmación muy diversa (desde el punto de vista del diseño de producción) por todo el caos que ocurre en él. Entre otras cosas, el departamento de arte construyó una tarima para una graduación desafortunada así como un cactus (de hule espuma, de utilería) ¡para aventárselo a la cara a un pobre actor!

#commercialfilmmaking #props #setdesign #productiondesign #artdepartment by @mbidault

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10 months ago

Commercial for Supercell. The art department built several sets for scenarios that, though they might help you gain the upper hand in Brawl Stars, in the real world they might not be such good ideas.

Comercial para Supercell. El departamento de arte construyó varios escenarios que, aunque te pueden dar ventaja en Brawl Stars, en la vida real quizá no sean tan buena idea.

Director: Tom Kuntz
Production House: @mjzworldwide
Production House MX: @theliftmx
DOP: @libatique
Stylist: @lajapo
MUA: @chela_olea

#thelift #productiondesign #commercialfilmmaking by @mbidault

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a year ago

¡Día de Muertos! 🧡 According to tradition, cempasúchil flowers (marigolds) 🌼 represent the connection between the realms of Life and Death and guide our departed lived ones, acompanied by alebrijes, to the altars to feast on their favorite food and drink, their souls protected by salt. One of the most colorful holidays in the world, by far.

¡Día de muertos! 🧡 Según la tradición, las flores de cempasúchil 🌼 representan la conexión entre la vida y la muerte y guían a nuestros muertos, acompañados de alebrijes, a sus altares para que se agasajen de su comida y bebidas favoritas; sus almas protegidas por la sal. Una de las fiestas más coloridas del mundo, por mucho.

#diademuertos #dayofthedead #cempasuchil #ofrenda taken in Mexico City, Mexico by @mbidault

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a year ago

Behind the scenes of the production design and set decoration for a Sony Playstation commercial. Among other things, the art department built a trash can basketball hoop and a sliding metro staircase.

Detrás de cámaras del diseño de producción y construcción de sets para un comercial de Sony Playstation. Entre otras cosas, el departamento de arte construyó un aro de basketball con un basurero y un tobogán en las escaleras del metro.

#productiondesign #behindthescenes #commercialfilmmaking by @mbidault

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a year ago