Consider this: conversations highlight television’s award-winning productions through panel discussions with the artists themselves. The video above is presented by Apple TV +, produced by IndieWire’s creative producer Leonardo Adrian Garcia, and presented by TV Deputy Editor and critic Ben Travers.
When Apple TV + once again gave the green light to make a first season of ‘Ted Lasso’ in ten divisions, the production team did not have to start all over again – not technically. The series was inspired by a pair of shorts that made Jason Sudeikis in character years before as the lovely American football coach who takes his talents as a Premiere football coach to London.
“We looked at the original pants that were made, clips and stuff, and the only thing that was really said was, ‘We don’t want it to look like this,'” film photographer David Rom said, recalling the first guidelines given to him about the appearance of the series.
The only other comment: ” We do not want it to look like [like a] documentary or too much like ‘The Office,’ ‘he said. “It was a useful guide, but more on how they do not want it to look.”
So it was up to Rom as well as production designer Paul Cripps to build the world himself, if not from scratch, as fairly close to it. Based on the guidance of showrunner and executive producer Bill Lawrence, as well as fellow EPs in Sudeikis, Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer, the director of photography and designer made a clear sitcom, non-sitcom.
‘When everyone overcame [to England], it became clear that Jason really wanted the show to have a more drama / comedy feel, ”Rom said. “They wanted it to be more cinematic. […] We constantly came up with ideas; things that would address the appearance of those tropics in battle [other] sitcoms. Things like a handheld, which we started using a bit and ended up using almost constantly. [With] things like the locker room, the idea was to be a handheld, free, kind of ‘Friday Night Lights’ style so we could wander around and look around.’
Rom used wider lenses and a shallower depth of field to create striking images that were striking from other television comedies. Meanwhile, Cripps has been working on the design of spaces such as team owner Rebecca Welton’s office – where Cripps recorded our interview, as you can see in the video above – and the locker room of the Richmand Club, built after the crew joined real football clubs as Chelsea visited Fulham. , and Tottenham.
Cripps took into account the different sizes and common themes, such as the use of slogans and graphics, while also appreciating the competitive atmosphere.
‘The changing rooms are interesting [too] because they make them as uncomfortable and relaxing as they can for the away teams, which is very instructive to try to psyche the opposition. “One of them who entered us even had urine in the middle of the room,” he said.
Both Cripps and Rom emphasized the collaborative nature of their experience on ‘Ted Lasso’, whether working together to develop stages and spaces or to talk to the actors and producers to make sure certain ideas are translated as intended . There was a scene in a later episode where Ted had a panic attack in a busy nightclub, and Rom praised the creator and artist for wanting to see what it might look like with his DP.
“Jason really wanted to talk to me,” Rom said. ‘I had some ideas like’ Requiem for a Dream ‘or’ Pi ‘, where we would attach the camera to him, and it would give a disconnected, extraterrestrial experience, but he was very sure he wanted to have nothing like that. It was very good to talk to him about it. […] I think very quickly we agreed [on] the style, the natural, claustrophobic feel of those places, and not to be enlightened – to travel through that space and see the increasing panic reaction. ”
In the panel above, Rom and Cripps discuss how they climbed at the start of the series, what kind of color scheme they wanted to include, how to balance cheerful, bright colors with a more realistic tone, and of course the football matches themselves, where more magic as normally came into question. Check out the full panel above for all the stuff and more about the look of “Ted Lasso.”
“Ted Lasso” is now streaming on Apple TV +. Season 2 is in production.
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