Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512164
A B L A C K L A D Y S K E T C H S H O W | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 0 1 A Black Lady Sketch Show (ABLSS) is a variety series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters, performed by a core cast of Black women. Each season is a triumph of collaboration. With over forty (usually empty) locations shot in about as many days, the small but mighty ABLSS Art Department is never in the same place twice, with each new set often prepped, shot and struck in an efficient thirty-six hours. The show reinvents itself sketch to sketch across dozens of genres, but there is also an overarching through line rooted in its "interstitial" sketches. Across seasons, the interstitials serve as a mystical thread tying together every character we meet. They hint at an underlying cohesion we've come to call the "A Black Lady Sketch Show Cinematic Universe." It is comedy that leans heavily into the surreal which, as designers, we love. Designing A Black Lady Sketch Show Cinematic Universe When we first got the call in season one to design close to sixty sketches with four weeks of prep for a four-week shoot, it was daunting. Fortunately, we come from an independent film background, and many years of jumping in to work on projects with even tighter turnarounds had trained us for the challenge. In that first season, about forty of those initial sixty or so scripted sketches made it to air. Each season starts with that same ambitious workload and short four- or five-week prep. It's a lot for an Art Department to take on. What has kept us coming back is the mutual love and respect the crew has for each other. We credit this uniquely supportive experience to the show runner, star and series creator, Robin Thede, who has worked A. "GIRLS TRIPPIN'." SET BUILD BY STANDARD SCENERY. SET PHOTO. B. "GIRLS TRIPPIN'." INTERIOR AIRPLANE COCKPIT. MODEL RENDER. C. "GIRLS TRIPPIN'." THESE IN-CABIN WAYFINDING SIGNS WERE LIGHTBOXES THAT WERE CUED TO LYRICS IN THE SONG. SET PHOTO. B C