Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1260764
D A R E M E | P E R S P E C T I V E 6 9 eep, was aligned with royal blue. These colors fi ght for attention on screen, each marking their territory as alliances shift among the girls. Steph and I knew that the network and the studio would have an opinion on the school colors, and of course, the cheerleading uniforms. I gulped and pitched black. It seemed right to me, almost military, to show that this chaotic group of girls could band together under the stadium lights and be total badasses. They shared DNA with Black Swan or Bronson, not Bring It On. lack, with added burgundy and silver, immediately tells the audience these girls are fi erce, ruthless fi ghters. Their uniforms are the color of their bruises, not their makeup. In addition to the cheerleaders, a group of military recruiters are featured throughout the series. The toxic drab green of their uniforms was also integrated into the Production Design, particularly in Sargent ill's apartment and coach's house. At ill's in particular, both green and black were used to show distortion, refl ection and void, culminating with the crime scene itself. lood in the dark looks black. The Fishbowl uch of life in Sutton Grove centers around the high school. For the pilot, other than the locker room and coach's offi ce, the high school was shot on location. For the series, extensive school hallways were added to the set so that more could be fi lmed on stage. These builds were designed around voyeurism and looking, concepts that Steph established in the pilot, and that were continued expertly by series producer-director amie Travis. The characters were constantly looking at each other, suspicious, giving side-eye, sneaking a look. The girls locker room was designed with mirrors, half walls and open clothing racks, making it diffi cult to hide anything. The girls can see everything, and even coach French, from her offi ce, had a thin view into the locker room if the doors were cracked. ith this idea of looking, I was reminded how the girls not-so-covertly spy on coach's house in the pilot. ow even at home, with that big picture window, coach French and her family can't hide from scrutiny. In a roundabout way, this all got me thinking of ill's fi sh tank, which was described G F F. SUTTON GROVE HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAYS, SHOWING THE 'FISHBOWL' ON THE LEFT. WOOD, METAL, BRICK, TERRAZZO AND CEILING TILE PATTERN WERE ALL INSPIRED BY THE HIGH LOCATION USED IN THE PILOT. SET PHOTO. G. PRODUCTION STILL SHOWING THE VIEW ACROSS AND THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL 'FISHBOWL.' in the book. Then it clicked. I drew a fi sh tank in the middle of the high school hallways. Solid walls became glass, creating an unscripted central space that allowed the camera to move through and around the school hallways, increasing depth, and more importantly, increasing the chances for characters to watch each other. locking- wise, series directors had a new location to stage scenes inside, with the interior of the fi shbowl which became its name giving the illusion of privacy and inviting voyeurism. Together with director of photography Dagmar eaver-adsen, E