PRODUCTION DESIGNER
DECEMBER 2023
A 1950s Drama/Thriller.
ENTIRE SALON BUILT ON SOUNDSTAGE
HOUSE ON LOCATION - UNFURNISHED
Locations: Main Salon Area, Waiting Area, Washing Station, Informecial, Nancy's House
INT. MAIN SALON AREA
The main salon area was built with community in mind. The floorplan remained open to invite conversation within the salon goers, as that is how salons were treated in the 1950s and would later enccourage Nancy, the protagonist, to feel safe and vulnerable enough to share her lived experiences with other women.
PREVISUALIZATION
Color Palette: 1950s classic pastel look. Contrasting Nancy's home.
Green:
Growth, harmony, mother nature (feminine)
Pink:
Femininity, love, compassion
Yellow:
Happiness, progress, amnesty
Peach:
Evolution, community, balance
Research: Since the script was set in the 1950s, it was essential to do proper research on the aesthetic of the era from wardrobe, sillohuettes, essential 1950s salon eqipment, furniture styles, and much more.
Layout and Set Dec Inspo:
Floorplan: Hand drawn floorplans at a 1/4''scale with elevations. This step was to ensure maximum efficiency for set dressers. I also drew the floorplan to scale within the soundstage floorplan to ensure it stayed within the fire lanes and there was safety on set. The layout of the furniture within was planned with communal thinking in mind - Women would escape the limiting societal expectations at the time through the salon. In the 1950s, a salon was a safe space for women to share their lived experiences so the intention with the layout was to encourage open and honest conversation, which is also essential for the protagonist Nancy.
Drawn at 1/4'' scale.
Ensuring it fits on soundstage within fire lane.
Props and Set Dec: Searching through prop houses for period accurate props: Ended up renting from Warner Bros Property Dept., Omega Cinema Prop House, and History for Hire. We were able to rent the most vital set decor and stay under budget.
Behind the Scenes: Building the scenic flats and putting everything together on a soundstage. Dimensions of salon area: 18'x21'. For the walls in the salon area, we added pictures of crew family members that lived in the 1950s along with some stock images to match the ones we had collected. The decor for this area drew inspiration from the Atomic Age with hints of mid century modern. The period accurate hair dryers were the most challenging to find but were the most important piece for the salon - we were able to rent one from History for Hire and one from Omega Cinema Props.
STILLS:
INT. WAITING AREA
As the waiting area would be where salon goers, old and new, wait for their appointment, the space was built to invite femininity. As new salon goers were not aware of the Siren Salon's special siren cut, the space had to feel inviting to welcome everyone who came for a 'regular touch up.' Since this would be introduction to the salon for first time salon goers and our audience, it was essential to establish the color palette and time period of the salon.
PREVISUALIZATION
Research: This set was filmed weekend one and set the tone for the rest of the shooting weekends. Since it was also the beginning of the script, it was essential to incorporate the classic 1950s aesthetic to set the time period and introduce the space as seemingly welcoming as possible. We used fabric as wallpaper and stapled it to the flats and added a pleated wall for some added texture and dimension. The surrounding pink walls showcase femininity and but also slightly engulf the salon employees with their wardrobe to show their connection to the salon, also allowing the customers wardrobe and other set decor to stand out and draw our attention to them since it was not pink.
Behind the Scenes: Building the scenic flats and putting everything together on a soundstage. Dimensions of waiting area: 17'x10'.
Most of the flats were owned by USC, however, the large window flat was sourced outside of USC since they did not have any similar. I contacted local production designers and borrowed the flat from a production that had just ended and added suport beams and triangles around the frame for added stability to ensure there was maximum safety on set to move a 17'x10' flat. Since we had the large window and were filming on a soundstage, we rented a 20'x15' backdrop from JC Backings to establish the salon in a small town shopping center as well. We built the location one day prior to shooting, including the walls, fabric, flooring, and decor.
Backing: 8816
STILLS:
INT. WASHING STATION
For this location, we wanted it to be the one area where Nancy felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable about her experience as a woman in the 1950s, so it had to be seculded from the rest of the women, as she was not aware of the Siren Salon's work just yet.
PREVISUALIZATION
On the concept floorplan, the washing station was still on the main floor of the salon but also seperated by curtains for privacy. The colors of the wall blend a mix of the warm and inviting pink of the waiting room with the harmonious green from the main salon area, acting as a blend of both rooms to emphasize the choice Nancy has to make toward the end - whether she wants a Siren cut or not - she entered the pink room as a shy and silenced wife, but has an arc on the salon chair in the green room that allows her to embrace her confidence and prioritize herself for the first time.
STILLS:
INT. INFOMERCIAL
This infomercial is the epitome of the salon and what it represents. While only revealed at the end, it was essential to capture the warmness of the stylists, but also their hidden fierceness. Although not filmed within the Salon, we tied in aspects of the main salon area (pleated fabric as wallpaper, similar color palette of the waiting room) to this space for the connection to be known.
PREVISUALIZATION
Research: The inspiration for the informercial was the commercial shown in Wanda Vision. Similar to Wanda's reality in the series, this scene was meant to embody the 'picture-perfect-men-free' representation of the salon. The director and I spoke about important it was for the environment having a welcoming feeling since this informercial would be what potential and first time clients would see. Also, since it was going to be shot in black and white film, I had to curate all colors different than the rest of the scenes and understand how they would interact in a black and white space. Contast in color was emphasized within Penny and her environment to make sure she stood out and her hair was styled with hairspray and gel to make sure there were no flyaways - it was essential for Penny to look picture perfect as she was the epitome of the salon. The prop scissors were real hairdressing scissors and were dulled for safety but also polished for extreme shine in the light to emphasize its blades. The images behind Penny are influential women who lived in the 1950s, whom the stylists would look up to.
Inspiration from Wanda Vision
Concept art of frame
Fabric from Joannes
Final set built
STILLS:
INT. NANCY'S HOUSE
Nancy's house location was decorated to look and feel entirely different than the salon. This space embodies the challenges Nancy and other women alike at the time faced and was meant to feel draining and suffocating. While there were not a lot of scenes shot here, it was even more important to dress it as cold, dark, and expensive as possible to quickly communicate the life Nancy had been living prior to the Salon.
PREVISUALIZATION
The house we rented for this scene charged a rental fee per furniture item. As we were not able to afford it after the rental fee for the house itself nor did the existing furniture match the rich dark aesthetic planned to contrast the salon, we searched around Facebook marketplace, EcoSet, an eco-friendly prop house free of charge, and asked our friends to find the necessary dressing items. This home would be where the climax occurs, so it was essential to make it dark and claustrophobic as possible to captivate the audience and make them feel how Nancy felt.
Before set dressing:
STILLS:
