ADG Perspective

September-October 2020

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277777

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 36 of 107

S P A C E F O R C E | P E R S P E C T I V E 3 5 The opportunity to work on Space Force came about while I was working on Dollface, for Hulu. The creator of the show (Jordan Weiss) and the showrunner (Ira Ungerleider) both knew Greg Daniels and they knew he was coming up with a new show. They also happened to know that I was a massive fan of his and thought I would be a great fi t for his new show. reg and I met shortly after for co ee and I couldn't believe I was going to have breakfast with one of my all-time favorite comedy writers. I knew it was an interview for the Production Designer position but, thinking this show was out of my reach and that this was simply going to be my coolest breakfast ever, I didn't bring anything with me. I opened up the meeting by spilling co ee creamer all over the table and reg's pants, but it actually went really well. It wasn't until the end that reg spoke to me about the show, very brie y. In about two minutes, he summed up what the show was going to be about and what his idea for it was. e didn't want he e and was intrigued by having a r Strangeoe in uence. O the top of my head, I spoke to him shortly about what my vision for the show could be, ran home and gathered all my concepts and ideas. I spent the weekend putting together as many details as I could and on Monday, I sent it to Greg. Tuesday, he came to see the sets on Dollface and Thursday, I had the job! The idea for Space Force was to create something realistic, a version of what the real Space Force could be like. A serious and rigorous military environment, male-dominated, founded by the current administration, plus space! In terms of design, the point was to couch it in reality with a slightly enhanced and stylized feel, what my team would later label as "Enhanced Reality." It was a challenge to fi nd the delicate balance of realism and fi ction, and I turned to rutalist architecture as the solution. This architectural style is austere, linear, and made of strong and lasting materials such as concrete, iron and wood. I felt this was the best way to represent a military branch headquarters, masculinity, testosterone and the constant but silent presence of the current administration. ut rutalism on its own isn't enough, the challenge was to create a realistic balance between the architectural, military and scientifi c worlds, and market the whole bundle with perfect logos and graphics. The initial focus was to understand the brand that embodied pace orce and fi nd its core and identity. The design started on two paths, the logo and the architecture of pace orce's headquarters. The two main possible directions for the headquarters were a modern and brand-new building created from scratch for the new military branch, or an older building that was repurposed to fi t the needs of the pace orce. he desert would be the backdrop and that was the common denominator for these di erent scenarios. fter many considerations, I pushed for a retro look, with the idea of an old O facility or other abandoned structure being refurbished to serve the new military branch. It was a realistic option as Space Force is not a private company like SpaceX, but government based. taying true to the rutalist aesthetic and the arid desert environment, I featured concrete as the dominant material for the build, believing a retro design was more visually interesting and potentially more iconic. There were many ideas that ranged from using one location that would work for both production and design, to a hybrid of locations plus set extensions and a few builds, to building the entire set on a stage. After extensive research and budgeting, the ideal exterior location was found in the CSU A. HEADQUARTERS CAFETERIA BAS RELIEF. SET PHOTO. B. HEADQUARTERS PLAZA. SET PHOTO. C. SPACE FORCE LOGO STUDY. GRAPHIC LAYOUT. C

Articles in this issue

view archives of ADG Perspective - September-October 2020