Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1260764
the Art Department mapped out the windows and integrated practicals such that the entire maze of hallways transitioned from natural to artificial light. From high ceilings to low. e pulled architectural language from the high school location, including wood paneling, cinder block, terrazzo and high gloss lockers, so that the series felt congruent with the pilot, but more importantly, carried the beat-down, under- funded vibe of our midwestern city. It All Clouds Over The visual theme of the fish tank is part of both coach's house and ill's apartment and became a useful metaphor for unifying the design of the series. The Crewdson picture window established in the pilot put coach's world on display, while the vertical mullions served as prison bars. She had trapped herself inside a hyper-perfect house that she could control. The bedroom was designed to feel like an upscale hotel room, lifeless and anemic with nothing out of place. The private uarters of the house were built on a soundstage to emphasize the textures and room adjacencies, while the public parts of the house, including the epic back deck, remained a location. There are plants in this fish tank as well. And I liked thinking of coach French as poison ivy or kudzu, an uncontrollable force that infects whatever she touches. She finds a way to grow in the cracks. Coach's house is full of viney textures and patterns, from the sheets on her bed and the ceramic lamps on either side, to the curtains in her living room and the wallpaper in her daughter's room. The bathroom in particular, with its hypnotic s chromium green wallpaper is both seductive and toxic, and in keeping with the uniform color palette. I intentionally created unrenovated and outdated spaces throughout the house, showing a decaying core beneath coach's manicured top layer. For me, these visual themes culminate with the epic chandelier found by set decorator Patti Cuccia, a heavy set of tentacles looming over the dining table. Another reference pulled directly from the book. As the story progresses, these design strategies and colors converge at ill's apartment, part of a large s concrete apartment block building. Again, location was key here, ill should feel high up, apart and isolated within a building that was undeniably creepy and intense. The decaying green poking throughout coach's house is rampant in ill's buildingwith the hallways and A. MATT FRENCH LOOKS OUT FROM THEIR HOME. PRODUCTION STILL. B. COACH'S DINING ROOM WITH A CHANDELIER DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK. C. COLETTE'S BEDROOM. SET PHOTO. D. & E. VINTAGE WALLPAPER IN COACH'S BATHROOM. HER HUSBAND IS CAUGHT IN HER VINES. F. FLOOR PLAN, WILL'S APARTMENT AND HALLWAY. DRAWING BY SHIRIN RASHID AND ANNA LUPI. G. WILL'S HALLWAY. SET PHOTO. H. & I. WILL'S FISH TANK AND THE HIGH SCHOOL FISHBOWL, BOTH CLOUDED OVER BY THE END OF THE SEASON. PRODUCTION STILLS. A B C E D