Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/834282
Designing FEUD: Bette and Joan I'm often asked what the biggest challenges of a project are, and usually I can easily say, "The budget!" or, for a period piece, "finding last-minute locations." But this was my first real foray into television, and here the biggest challenge was putting a team together. Despite its prestige and visual ambition, FEUD: Bette and Joan paid mostly at the MOW rate and it was hard to find people willing to work for that. I was lucky that my regular prop master, Dwayne Grady, was available, and charge scenic painter, Anne Hyvarinen, was as well, and based on our long working relationships, I was able to negotiate for them. But I didn't have an Art Director or set decorator. I interviewed Art Directors over the phone while on a brief vacation on the East Coast, and within a week, three people had applied for and accepted the position...and then pulled out to do other projects. Fortunately, this all led to Jamie Walker McCall, someone who came up in the industry from the bottom, like myself, and who is one of the best Art Directors I've worked with. I had met set decorator Florencia Martin several times socially over the years, through our mutual friend, Gene Serdena, and when her name came up and she was interested, I was thrilled to bring her onboard. Both Florencia and Jamie brought so much to the series, and were an integral part of the design process.