The aesthetics of Disco Inferno evoked silent cinema and were reminiscent of Georges Franju’s Les yeux sans visage.

DISCO INFERNO

Film production design

As production designer of award-winning horror film Disco Inferno (2015) starring actresses Aitana Sanchez-Gijón and Ana Rujas, I was impelled to design a personal fantasy. Hand in hand with the directress, I was in charge of the overall aesthetic as well as on set art direction and set design with mininum crew. I followed a monochromatic palette evoking silent cinema and reminiscent of Georges Franju, conceived opulent, baroque-set design rich in occult symbolism, and drew inspiration from Illuminati balls for both wardrobe and props. Every detail was personally curated in a long pre-production with tight budget, which was a challenge. Written by Oscar-winning Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo & Alice Waddington, the shortfilm toured over 60 international film festivals and was praised for its aesthetic.

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Styled and designed by Gallen with a refined minimalist aesthetic suiting the contemplative tone of the film.

Oscuro y Lucientes

Film Production Design

Spanish-French creative documentary Oscuro y Lucientes (2018) aka Goya’s Skull, is a detectivesque film with a dose of dark humor that follows whatever happened to painting legend, Francisco de Goya, after his death in the French exile. Produced by Tourmalet Films, Marmitafilms in coproduction with RTVE and France Télévisions. With the help of ICAA Ministerio de Cultura y Comunidad de Madrid.

I worked with a minimalist refined approach— elegant and subtly expressive in keeping with the documentary’s contemplative and poised tone. I styled everything with a muted palette and a pop of red, and recreated a crypt in Bordeaux Cemetery after it was vandalized and Goya’s skull stolen, capturing both historical detail and the poignancy of its desecration. I micromanaged indoor and outdoor scenes as we explored hidden corners of cultural heritage—from museum basements to the Salamanca’s library lined with philosophy manuscripts and celestial globes, ancient halls of castles like Castillo de Pedraza or inhabited spaces like  nº 57 del Cours de l’Intendance (where Goya died) now L’Instituto Cervantes de Bordeaux.


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