Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 61 Todd Fjelsted, Production Designer Harry Otto, Art Director Vanessa Riegel, Graphic Designer Katie Crawford, Illustrator Cate Bangs, Set Designer Ryan Watson, Set Decorator JENNY CHEY Jenny lives with her Cambodian mother in a modest well-appointed house in the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. She's usually had whatever she wanted, other than a shot at stardom. I wanted the scene where she steals her mother's jewelry to feel less necessary and more like a betrayal from an immature young woman, so I designed the mother's room to feel safe, familiar and kind. CARMEN WADE Having grown up without a mom, raised by her family of wrestlers—a father and two brothers—Carmen is tired of being thought of as the baby. She wants her shot in the ring too, even if crippled by stage fright. I imagined her as having shared a room with her brothers when little, but then moved into a downstairs office room as she grew older. Having no female role models prior to GLOW, her whole life is wrestling, so her simple décor reflects this, along with an inner sweetness. ARTHIE PREMKUMAR As a dorky, lovable med student, Arthie at first seems an odd choice to play a wrestler but she and the Indian grandmother she lives with are both dedicated Hulk Hogan fans. We needed her grandmother's house to show their heritage without going overboard and chose geometric pastel patterns to match Arthie's intellect and warmth. JUSTINE BIAGI The youngest of the women, punk rocker Justine harbors a secret connection to Sam that makes her fangirl musings about his films seem suspect. I liked presenting her as a dark flower, pretty and a little troubled, but still growing and wanting to connect. She and Arthie share a motel room wallpapered in a sixties flower child pattern, with new wave and punk posters layered on top. When she's in the home of her pizza- boy crush's parents, I wanted her to look out of place, like angsty teenagers do in suburban settings. BACK IN THE RING The most exciting part of Production Design for me has always been character, and peeking further into the lives of these women holds particular excitement. There are so many characters that I've barely scratched the surface of yet. With most of the same team back for season two, we'll all be familiar with each wrestler and the woman behind her and will be able to jump right back in the ring, embracing the neon, big hair and body-slams. If the Art Department can keep its kayfabe as believable as the characters, everyone wins. Are you ready to rumble again? ADG Above, top to bottom: Bash and Sam have to convince KDTV that their lady- wrestling program won't offend suburban housewives tuning in on Saturday mornings. The KDTV offices were built into a existing two-floor location and included an art and graphics room, editing bay, control room, sound booth hallway, and conference and screening rooms. The KDTV logo was designed by Vanessa Riegel.