Most of production designer Patrick Larsen’s work happens in studios or stadiums. But some of the most instructive challenges come from projects that need to work night after night in completely different parts of the world.
Three recent productions. Three countries. Three entirely different sets of constraints. The same underlying production design process.
Singapore: Halloween Horror Nights 8, Universal Studios
Universal Studios Singapore runs Halloween Horror Nights annually. Thousands of people moving through haunted attractions specifically designed to frighten them. Studio Bound designed one of those experiences for the eighth edition.
Theme parks do not pause for maintenance. The designed environment had to survive nightly crowds moving through tight spaces, testing every surface, grabbing every wall — for forty-plus consecutive nights of operation. Every material choice and structural decision was filtered through two questions: will this still deliver the intended effect after heavy use? Will it still read correctly under those conditions? Narrative storytelling and operational reality had to coexist from the very first design decision.
Turkey: Boat Parade at Land of Legends Theme Park
This project came through Dragone — a production company known for large-scale theatrical spectacle. Studio Bound designed a nighttime water parade for the Land of Legends theme park in Antalya, Turkey.
A floating, moving show presents production design constraints that fixed-stage work does not. Lighting, props, and performers are all on water. The entire production had to read clearly for audiences on shore while dealing with reflection, movement, and weather variability. Mythical theming and a parade structure that held its own internal visual logic as it traveled the route were the solution. Not a static set — a moving production with designed coherence throughout its journey.
Indonesia: Son of the Sea, Bali Safari Park
Bali Safari Park required a marine-themed live show. Studio Bound created Son of the Sea in 2020 — bringing aquatic creatures and local folklore into a theatrical format for families visiting a safari park.
The production design challenge was translation: marine life and traditional Indonesian storytelling into a format that functioned for families in a safari context. The show needed to feel integrated with the park’s existing experience while standing on its own as genuine entertainment. Theater training proved essential here — thinking through sightlines, pacing, and how to move an audience through a narrative when their expectations are primarily for animals and attractions rather than full production. The collaboration continued with Varuna in 2023.
What Carries Across All Three
Three projects, three countries, three completely different briefs. But the same production design questions appeared on every one. Does this work for the audience it is designed for? Will it last the operational duration required? Does it fit its specific cultural and physical context?
Universal Studios needed durability for nightly horror. Turkey needed spectacle designed for water. Bali needed cultural authenticity within a family entertainment format. Different answers, arrived at through the same process. That’s what a global production design practice is built on.
Patrick Larsen is an Emmy Award-winning production designer and the founder of Studio Bound, based in Singapore. Over two decades, he has designed environments for global audiences — from the Expo 2020 Dubai ceremonies and Olympic broadcast sets to Las Vegas residencies, Broadway-scale theatrical productions, and permanent installations across Asia and the Middle East. Studio Bound takes projects from concept to build with one fully integrated team of designers, concept artists, technical drafters, and production managers. Visit studiobound.sg or read more at patricklarsen.studio
Further reading: Three Projects, Three Continents: Production Design That Travels | Studio Bound: A Decade of Work Across Five Continents
