Figma - Config 2025: Designing dystopia: the creative vision behind Severance | Figma
The speaker, a designer involved in the TV show 'Severance,' shares insights into the creative process and design philosophy that shaped the series. They aimed to create a cinematic experience on television, treating each episode as a standalone film. This involved meticulous attention to detail, from the architecture of the sets to the retro technology used in the show. The design team focused on creating environments that were both visually stunning and emotionally resonant, using lighting, scale, and unique props to enhance the storytelling. The speaker highlights the importance of collaboration with a dedicated team, including researchers and concept artists, to bring the show's unique vision to life. They also discuss the challenges and innovations in set design, such as creating claustrophobic office spaces and using visual effects to enhance real-world locations. The speaker expresses pride in the show's impact and the creative freedom they had to explore unconventional ideas, resulting in a distinctive and immersive viewing experience.
Key Points:
- Severance aims to create a cinematic experience on TV, treating each episode as a standalone film.
- The design process involved meticulous attention to detail, focusing on lighting, scale, and unique props.
- Collaboration with a dedicated team, including researchers and concept artists, was crucial to the show's success.
- Innovative set designs, such as claustrophobic office spaces and retro technology, enhance storytelling.
- The show's unique vision and creative freedom have led to a distinctive and immersive viewing experience.
Details:
1. 🎤 Invitation to Speak: A Surprise Opportunity
- The speaker was invited to give a talk due to a tweet from someone named Tom, who is from Nashville.
- The speaker typically does not accept speaking engagements but agreed to this one, indicating a change in their usual approach.
- The speaker plans to cover content from a show that spans 19 hours, highlighting the challenge of condensing it into a 20-minute talk.
2. 🎬 Crafting Cinema for TV: The Vision Behind Severance
- The approach to 'Severance' was to craft a cinematic experience for television, creating a 10-hour film each season, a methodology not typically done in TV production.
- Producing a season of 'Severance' takes approximately two to two and a half years, highlighting the meticulous attention to detail and the unique production timeline.
- Each episode of 'Severance' is treated as a standalone movie, contributing to the overall cinematic quality of the series.
- The production involved a significant number of images, emphasizing the visual storytelling aspect of the show.
- The creator's background in high-detail advertising influenced the detailed and story-rich approach to the show's imagery.
- Specific production techniques included using cinematic cameras and lighting, allowing for a more film-like quality in each episode.
- Challenges faced included maintaining consistency across episodes while ensuring each had its unique cinematic feel.
- The team worked with a dedicated storyboard artist to plan out each scene meticulously, which is uncommon in typical TV productions.
3. 👥 Finding a Creative Community: Feeling at Home Among Designers
- The speaker initially felt like a misfit but discovered a welcoming and supportive community among designers and artists.
- Interactions with incredible artists and designers, previously unknown to the speaker, highlight the event's role in fostering new connections.
- The environment creates a sense of belonging and discovery, which is particularly impactful for those who often feel out of place in other settings.
- While no specific metrics are provided, the qualitative experience of community support and inspiration is emphasized.
- To illustrate, the speaker mentions meeting a renowned artist who offered mentorship, enhancing the feeling of inclusion and growth.
4. 📜 Transforming the Script: Adding Style and Tone
4.1. Initial Script and Director's Reaction
4.2. Director's Vision and Visual Concept
5. 🏢 Architectural Inspirations: Bringing Cold Office Environments to Life
- The challenge in designing office environments is to make them interesting and visually appealing, focusing on lighting and ceiling designs to create attractive shadows and textures.
- The John Deere building, designed by renowned architects Eros Sarin and Kevin Ro, serves as a prime example of innovative office design, inspiring the severance desk concept.
- There is a notable contrast between the beautiful office designs of the 1960s and the less aesthetically pleasing designs following the 1980s, influenced by human resources trends.
6. 💻 Retro Technology: Telling a Story Through Design
- Retro technology design creates a work environment that is both stunning and simple, with a nostalgic nod to the past, providing a unique aesthetic that contrasts with modern designs.
- The use of old technology components, such as trackballs and CRTC screens, adds authenticity and historical depth, though it may lead to confusion for users accustomed to contemporary devices.
- The primary design inspiration revolves around the concept of a playground, with elements like green carpets symbolizing grass, creating an inviting and playful atmosphere.
- The design's heavy influence from the film 'Playtime,' a movie initially unsuccessful but now gaining appreciation, showcases how past design philosophies are being revisited and celebrated.
7. 🎥 Behind the Scenes: Visual Storytelling Techniques
- Using static cardboard cutouts creates an eerie effect and adds an unsettling layer to the storytelling by having characters that never move, enhancing visual tension.
- The design and execution of scenes are highlighted as stunning, demonstrating the importance of meticulous visual planning in film production.
- Exploring the use of contrasting colors and lighting to evoke specific emotions and guide the audience's focus strategically.
- Incorporating unique camera angles and movements to create a dynamic visual narrative that keeps the audience engaged and enhances the story flow.
- Employing symbolic imagery to convey deeper meanings and themes without relying solely on dialogue, enriching the storytelling experience.
8. 🌌 Building a World: Collaboration and Detail
- Choose a team that not only aligns with your creative vision but can also independently innovate, reducing the need for constant guidance.
- Collaboration with researchers involves analyzing thousands of images to focus on unique elements like lighting and textures, crucial for a distinctive visual experience.
- The concept of the 'boardroom' as the 'birthplace of the office' exemplifies innovative world-building, offering fresh perspectives on familiar settings.
9. 🖼️ Artistic Influences: From Concept to Reality
9.1. Collaboration and Tools in Artistic Creation
9.2. Roles and Contributions
10. 📏 Constructing Sets: Overcoming Practical Challenges
- The focus is on enhancing the three-dimensionality of the story beyond just dialogue, emphasizing more inferred storytelling.
- Eric introduced a cutting-edge set concept called 'Der Realms', which is described as beautiful, simple, dangerous, and violent, providing a stunning visual experience.
- The design of the set is intentionally confined to create a sense of entrapment, symbolized by the elevator space being just the width of a character's shoulders, enhancing the feeling of constraint and lack of direction.
- The 'Der Realms' concept is significant as it visually represents thematic elements of the narrative, such as danger and beauty, while physically manifesting the characters' psychological states.
- The set's design not only contributes to the visual appeal but also integrates with the storytelling to enhance character development by symbolizing their internal struggles and lack of freedom.
11. 🗺️ Extending Sets: Innovative Use of Visual Effects
- The production features a complex set design with a maze-like layout of hallways, challenging even experienced actors like John Chichurro and Christopher Walken in navigation.
- The set's intentionally low ceiling was debated, with the final height set at 79 inches to evoke claustrophobia, differing from the initial plan of 76 inches.
- A specially designed computer prop with blank keys, no escape key, and interactive software was created, enhancing realism and actor engagement.
- Actor Adam's deep interaction with the computer prop led to physical strain, resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome, underscoring the set's physical demands.
- A comedic effect was achieved by using a 50% scale version of the set for a character's desk, illustrating creative set design and visual effects utilization.
12. 🐐 Creating Unique Set Pieces: The Goat Room Challenge
- Leverage existing environments creatively to reduce costs and achieve unique visual effects, such as simulating an underground setting without additional construction.
- Employ visual effects strategically to transform spaces, enhancing production efficiency by eliminating the need for impractical builds.
- Design set pieces that balance aesthetics and functionality, such as a goat containment unit that is both visually appealing and safe.
- Implement adaptable structures in set design to handle logistical challenges, like accommodating the unpredictable growth rate of baby goats.
- Incorporate technology and innovative techniques for set transformation, ensuring flexibility and cost-effectiveness in production.
13. 🔍 Attention to Detail: Designing Impactful Elements
- The control room design strategically uses contrasting orientations, with one area having everyone facing inward and another facing outward, to emphasize focus and direction.
- Reflective surfaces in the boardroom, while challenging for visual effects, are crucial for achieving the intended aesthetic, demonstrating the balance between design and technical execution.
- The Ether Factory location in Newfoundland leverages existing structures, creatively enhanced with visual effects, to achieve a distinctive industrial look.
- In Gemma's world, design freedom is highlighted by higher ceilings and unconventional angles, allowing for enhanced creative expression and unique spatial dynamics.
- Custom-designed elements, such as bespoke sofas, chairs, and kitchen features, add substantial value and uniqueness, often becoming highly prized items that could fetch significant amounts at auction.
14. 🔄 The Creative Process: Iteration and Innovation
- Design involves borrowing elements while creating new, unique features, enhancing creativity and innovation.
- The creative process includes emotional considerations, such as designing spaces that convey isolation or violence.
- Repeated iterations in illustrations and set designs help achieve the desired visual outcome.
- The minimalist design approach, inspired by Kubrick, demonstrates the power of 'less is more'.
15. 🖥️ The Heart of the Show: Designing the Desk
- The production team embarked on an ambitious project to execute a cable shot using practical effects, demonstrating a commitment to authenticity in production design.
- To achieve this, they constructed a massive 80-foot set, highlighting the extensive planning and resources allocated to this single shot.
- Despite the scale of the 80-foot set, it was ultimately not used, underscoring the challenges and unpredictability inherent in production design decisions.
- This experience provided valuable insights into the complexities of set design, particularly in balancing ambition with practical constraints.
16. 🎭 Emotion Through Design: Creating Meaningful Experiences
- The introduction of a three-person desk in Season 2 was initially met with emotional resistance, showcasing the importance of design elements in storytelling.
- The set design is described as versatile and 'playful,' offering numerous angles and opportunities for creative expression, akin to designing a Star Trek console and control room.
- The set's adaptability allows for continuous innovation and flexibility in storytelling, emphasizing the significance of breaking conventional structures to enhance narrative engagement.
- The design strategy includes the intentional use of 2D and 3D elements to enhance emotional storytelling, aiming to convey discomfort and emotional depth without dialogue.
- Visual storytelling is prioritized, using set design to evoke emotions and kinetic responses, demonstrating how design can substitute or complement dialogue in conveying a character's emotional state.
- The ability to explore multiple angles within the set design allows for a dynamic storytelling approach, increasing the richness of the narrative experience.
17. 🌿 Real and Virtual Integration: Merging Worlds
- The production team utilized a real location, Sam's Point in upstate New York, where a controlled burn of miniature black pines was conducted. This provided a unique and authentic backdrop for shooting a dream sequence.
- A desk, central to the show's set, was physically constructed in the burnt forest, adding a tangible element to the scene and enhancing the integration of real and virtual environments.
- Key locations like Bell Labs in New Jersey were used for filming. Bell Labs is notable for historical technological innovations, such as inventing the first microchip and satellite, adding depth and authenticity to the setting.
- The team augmented the appearance of Bell Labs in post-production, restoring it to its original state and digitally adding surrounding mountains, blending real historical settings with creative enhancements.
- The integration of these elements not only enhances the narrative but also enriches the viewer's experience by providing a seamless blend of reality and creativity.
18. 🎨 Minimalism and Impact: Designing Powerful Sets
- Simplicity in design, such as using basic hallways with a single color, can evoke strong emotional responses and create beautiful imagery.
- Strategically designed unsettling sets, like those with caned walls, achieve a powerful effect through simplicity and lighting, mentally engaging the audience.
- The goal is to fracture the viewer's mind and transport them into a new experience, demonstrating the impact of minimalist design on perception.
- Effectiveness is highlighted by creating a completely different zone for the viewer using minimalistic and thoughtful elements.
19. 📸 Location Challenges: Achieving Cinematic Shots
- The team prioritizes achieving perfection in every shot, only proceeding with filming when conditions are ideal, ensuring high-quality cinematic results.
- A meticulous 60-day scouting process was undertaken to find a realistic and cinematic environment, resulting in the selection of a forest upstate instead of relying on CGI.
- Building a large set for a few scenes was impractical, highlighting the need for authentic locations, which led to the exploration of unconventional sites.
- The scouting process involved a talented set designer and evaluating multiple locations, such as art spaces and golf courses, to find the best fit.
- Drones were used to scan and evaluate potential locations, with approximately five or six locations considered before the final decision was made.
20. 📐 Advanced Techniques: Set Design Innovations
- The use of a golf course as a set covered with a tent, where the ceiling and walls were realized using CGI, demonstrates innovative blending of real-world locations with digital enhancements.
- Actor collaboration in set design is highlighted by Trel's involvement, showcasing the importance of creative input from actors in set conceptualization.
- Shooting in Newfoundland for its natural icebergs illustrates strategic location selection to enhance visual storytelling.
- A specific example of set design is the rendering process, where initial illustrations are closely matched by the final product, indicating high control and precision in production.
- The production's financial and logistical support is emphasized, as such advanced set design techniques are expensive and resource-intensive.
21. 🔨 Crafting Props: Unique Elements and Their Roles
- Unique prop creations, such as 'Mrs. Kier pregnant with industry' and 'Mr. Kier pregnant,' serve as thought-provoking elements that enhance storytelling by evoking strong emotional responses from actors.
- Detailed prop creation, like a miniature plane with logos and seat details, enhances realism and immersion, benefiting both actors and viewers.
- Creative and playful props add depth and enrich the audience's experience, demonstrating the production's effort and attention to detail.
- Challenges in prop crafting may include maintaining aesthetic and functional integrity while ensuring props complement the narrative effectively.
22. 🏠 Emotional Spaces: Designing for Impact
- Jessica, the director and cinematographer, directed her first episode of 'Severance', focusing on crafting the most emotional episode centered on Gemma's story.
- The set design strategically utilized a blend of 2D and 3D space to create environments that enhance immersion and emotional depth.
- In the Christmas room, a design rule was implemented where everything is manufactured underground and appears 3D printed, contributing to a surreal and artificial atmosphere that enhances the storyline.
23. 🍿 Cultural Impact: Audience Engagement and Influence
- The production involves creating a lot of original paintings, conceptualized and designed with significant input from the concept artist to ensure they feel authentic.
- A unique blend of CG and practical effects is used to achieve complex shots, such as high overhead shots that are difficult to capture on set.
- The use of advanced technology, including high-speed robotic arms, plays a critical role in capturing dynamic scenes, especially noted in the opening sequence of season 2, which took six weeks to shoot.
- Efforts are made to design and build products that feel realistic, backed by thorough scientific research, even though they are not functional.
- The process involves a lot of mirroring and duplicity in set design, adding to the thematic depth and visual intrigue.
24. 🎥 Filmmaking Techniques: Innovations and Creativity
- The production team constructed a half-mile bridge to access a filming location, demonstrating the commitment to authenticity and environmental protection.
- Artificial rocks were created for scenes, highlighting the use of practical effects to enhance realism.
- A 240 ft long stage set was designed without supports, showcasing advanced set design and lighting innovation.
- A room repurposed from a torture scene in Season 1 to a kindergarten in Season 2 illustrates adaptability in set design to fit narrative changes.
- The team produced a flashback video using stop motion, inspired by classic childhood animations, collaborating with Duke Johnson, known for "Rick and Morty" and "Anomalisa."
- Miniature sets provided a creative solution for filming, offering unique visual perspectives.
- A mirror gag was employed, demonstrating traditional filmmaking techniques to achieve creative visual effects.
25. 🌍 Entering the Zeitgeist: Cultural Reach and Influence
- The entire three-minute video was filmed without any visual effects, showcasing the artistry and creativity involved.
- The inclusion of Keano for the voice-over added significant value and appeal to the project.
- Creative use of miniature force perspective was employed, particularly in the hallway running scenes, demonstrating innovative filming techniques.
- The show 'Severance' has transcended its initial scope, inspiring fans worldwide to create digital Lego models, drawings, and books, indicating a strong cultural impact.
- In Austria, a replica of the 'Severance' desk was made and featured on the cover of IKEA, illustrating the show's international influence and reach.
- Apple has integrated elements of the show into its marketing, featuring a computer from 'Severance' on their website, which highlights the show's penetration into popular culture.