Creatives behind ‘Saltburn’ talk opulent world-building, aspect ratios and genius of Emerald Fennell

On Oct. 13, The Panther sat down with production designer Suzie Davies, cinematographer Linus Sandgren, composer Anthony Willis and set decorator Charlotte Dirickx to talk about the making of their upcoming film “Saltburn,” released on Nov. 17. Photos courtesy of MGM, Amazon Studios and Prime Video

In a pivotal moment of “Saltburn” when Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) arrives at the gates of the grand residence of the Catton family (coined as Saltburn), the awkward but deceptive middle-class protagonist is struck by the eccentricity and decadence of the elite manor. Butlers remain on-call for every flash desire. Museum-worthy artifacts sit on display just outside the bathroom. Oliver crosses the gates into a world where wealth is nearly unquantifiable.

The production team behind director Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature film “Saltburn” experienced a similar shock and awe pulling up to the gates of the film’s focal location for the first time. Instead of scouting a property carefully-preserved by the United Kingdom, the team discovered a house built in 1300 that is still being lived in by descendants of the original aristocratic family. 

Barry Keoghan (pictured), who audiences will remember from the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Eternals,” plays Oliver Quick, a student at Oxford University who befriends Felix Catton, an aristocrat played by “The Kissing Booth,” “Euphoria” and “Priscilla” actor Jacob Elordi.

On their tour of the house, they would find statues topped with bowties and straw hats and 16th century Dutch cabinets with the backs removed to store a collection of records, as well as a Harley Davidson motorcycle parked in the living room. They, too, were stepping into a different world –– one that was lived in.

“I thought, ‘All bets are off. This is where we need to shoot,’” said production designer Suzie Davies upon her initial tour of the residence. “It was really exciting to find that property, and it helped develop our family who lived there. It had such a wealth of history and detail about it. It sounds very weird, but I felt like this property wanted us to film there.”

On Oct. 13, The Panther sat down with members of the production team for the film “Saltburn”: Davies, Academy Award-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren, composer Anthony Willis and set decorator Charlotte Dirickx. They each discussed how their craft helped contribute to Fennell’s vision of a world of pleasure and elegance plagued with envy, greed and lust. 

The film follows Oxford student and outcast Oliver who sparks a friendship with charming, aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Felix invites Oliver to Saltburn for an unforgettable summer amongst his family — mother Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), father James (Richard E. Grant), sister Venitia (Alison Oliver) and close friend Farleigh (Archie Madekwe). What follows is a series of manipulations, sexual power plays and betrayals.

Sandgren spoke to The Panther about balancing the film’s dark twists with beautifully composed images. 

“We thought that the beauty of art could help us when you see things that may be disturbing or when you question if you can watch this,” Sandgren said. “We give the audience something painterly beautiful or composed or lit, similar to how Baroque painters did — take graphic content with very beautiful light.” 

“Saltburn” was filmed in a house built in 1300 that is currently occupied by the original aristocratic family’s descendants.

After visiting the Saltburn residence, Sandgren was struck by the detailed ceilings. Sandgren shot the film in a 4:3 aspect ratio — meaning shots resemble more a square than a traditional wide frame — which not only helped capture the location from top to bottom but also worked hand-in-hand with the film’s “voyeuristic approach.”

“We wanted it to sort of feel like you’re looking at these people almost through a dollhouse,” Sandgren told The Panther. “At the same time, we also had this painterly composition approach. In normal cinema, you may consider other reasons for your composition… We wanted it for more stylistic (purposes), almost like the way paintings are composed in a classical way. Part of it came from (the fact) that we were working with an aristocratic family and the way aristocratic families have been portrayed over the years.”

The production design and costume teams shared a particular challenge in designing the look of the film to match the period of 2006 when the film is set. This meant implementing circle belts, slouch boots and iPod Shuffles, but costume designer Sophie Canale mentioned in the film’s press kit that clothes from 15 years ago aren’t available in costume houses yet; rather, they’re still in wardrobes or charity shops. 

The team was able to acquire Christopher Kane dresses from 2006 and work with Chanel, Dior, Valentino and Burberry to design the complete look. Davies told The Panther that the history behind the residence meant that they weren’t designing the look for just 2006, but the decades and even centuries before that.

“We’re not just doing 2006 for this film. We’re doing 1996, 1986 (and) 1976, and because of this historic family, we’re going right back to 1066,” Davies said. “This family had lived there all that time, so there’s elements from a period setting that are in there. I think this film can be set in any time. It’s a story of desire and greed and jealousy — those sort of human feelings have been around all this time. It was about using what was already there and then putting our little top dressing of noughties (2000-2009) kitsch elements.”

Willis previously earned a BAFTA nomination in 2021 for his first collaboration with Fennell on the thriller film “Promising Young Woman.” Willis described Fennell as “musically egalitarian” and spoke on her willingness to embrace all sounds — from “dirty dance synths” to “the slight pompousness of a French horn.”

“My first thought (after reading the ‘Saltburn’ script) was: ‘Oh my gosh, Emerald, she’s even more clever than I realized, upping the ante on some of the thrills and the shock and her ability to show different sides to two people and how they behave’ — things we don’t really see in films normally,” Willis said. “There’s very few people on the planet that have the imagination and the fun that she has. She brings out something special in everyone, and that's what you want. We can sit and create on our own, but it’s nothing like the kind of stimulus of a filmmaker like (Fennell) who just has this unique way of seeing things.”

Dirickx shared Willis’ sentiment about Fennell’s ability to bring out the best in all of her departments. As a set decorator, Dirickx was tasked with enhancing the production design with furniture, wallpaper, art, sculptures and more. 

“(Fennell) was really good at pushing us,” Dirickx said. “As a set decorator, I have a natural tendency to make things a burnt orange rather than a fluorescent orange, or a softer pink rather than a bubble gum pink. (Fennell) was like ‘No, I want it more bubblegum or more fluorescent’… it’s fabulous working with someone like that. She pushes you and challenges you. You’re constantly learning and drilling into her vision of ‘Saltburn’ and how she sees inflatables and knickknacks — that lovely juxtaposition against the aristocratic.”

Caught up in the minutia of the film’s production, Davies, Dirickx and Willis were all heavily focused on their contributions in the moment. Upon seeing the film in a movie theater for the first time, they were each struck by something different. Dirickx notices how comedic the film played after hearing the roaring laughs from her screening. Davies was struck by the impact of  Willis’ powerful score. Willis was entranced by the film’s atmosphere and advised viewers to show up to a big screen to see “Saltburn.”

“Seeing it in a theater is the way to see ‘Saltburn.’ It has to be that way,” Willis said. “Seeing it in a room with lots of people, there’s an infectious atmosphere, especially with the comedy and the shocks and the thrills. The narrative was that the only films worth seeing in the cinemas were huge blockbuster franchises, but this is filmmaking at its best.”

“Saltburn” will be released in limited theaters on Nov. 17 before a wide release on Nov. 24. Fennell will join a Chapman audience on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Folino Theater for a Master Class following a screening of “Saltburn.” Check out a trailer of the film below:

Update: This article has been updated to include a photo of the movie poster.