Mister Jowialski (pl. Mister Happy Man) is a 19th century Polish comedy written by Aleksander Fredro. It presents a story of traditional Polish nobility, their family and love life and of course their passion for dressing up. This project was a great opportunity for me to dig deeper into my country’s history and it’s cultural achievements. I designed a traditional Polish manor which later would transform into a Turkish palace. Wanting to highlight the cultural differences between Poland and Turkey I decided on using soft, neutral palette for the Polish side and strong, vivid tones for the Turkish one.
Here is a concept of a set design for a film adaptation of this play.
Mister Jowialski's manor - the first scenes happen in the main hall. The interior design is inspired by the traditional way of decorating Polish manors in the 19th century.
Mister Jowialski's manor after the change - during the action the characters play dress up and decorate the main hall to look like a Turkish harem. It is done in a naive manner - the characters are using objects found in the house.
The kitchen in the manor - a traditional 19th century kitchen where some of the scenes happen.
Mister Jowialski is know for his bizzare love of bird cages. In the backyard of the manor he has a handcrafted bird cage where he spends most of his time.
3D models
created in Unreal Engine 5
Mood board for the set design that I prepared
at the beginning of my work. It helped me creating a visual timeline of the events and a consistent color, texture and atmosphere scheme.
at the beginning of my work. It helped me creating a visual timeline of the events and a consistent color, texture and atmosphere scheme.
Costume design
When designing the costumes for this film I wanted to keep the general aesthetics of contrast between two cultures. All of the Polish costumes are designed in neutral, light palette. The opposite Turkish costumes are vivid and ornated with rich patterns.
Lady Jowialska
The cooking lady
Janusz
Helena
Ludmir
