Welcome to the Thunderdome: Inside The Studio

The stars of The Studiothey definitely had their work cut out for them – learning their lines at a rapid pace and performing them in one take. However, behind the scenes, the crew faced their own set of challenges to meet the expectations of the co-creatorsSeth Rogen and Evan GoldbergHis vision for Continental Studios. Voters took note: Honoring the series with 23 nominations in total, including 10 for below-the-line crafts.

Costumes and Hairstyling: The StudioEach of the characters needed to have a unique appearance.

Rogen and Goldberg aimed to honor the golden age of Hollywood, which presented a challenge for the costume and hairstyling team: to blend that era’s style with a more modern, up-to-date aesthetic for the characters. They collaborated closely to develop the now-recognized looks for the staff at Continental Studios—and each character’s appearance was distinct. “When you saw an outfit, you immediately knew which character it belonged to,” says the lead costume designer.Kameron LennoxIt wouldn’t be something that anyone else in the studio could wear. You’d look at a seat and recognize it as Matt Remick’s suit or tie.

And then Vanessa Priceand her hair team would intervene – for example, withKathryn HahnThe ultra-stylized head of marketing. ‘She’d be wearing this bold full suit, boot pant look,’ says Price. ‘How do we enhance that? And that’s how what I called the Thunderdome style kind of came about. It was also in line with the character, and it helps our actors get into their roles as well.’

Production Design: The StudioHis studio was constructed in only 7 weeks.

The single-take filming approach wasn’t just difficult for the actors – it posed challenges for the crew as well. Rogen and Goldberg aimed to have the sets constructed with enough time to enable rehearsing camera movements and performances, so the production designerJulie Berghoffand her team had only seven weeks to build Continental Studios’ offices. “It was full speed ahead,” says Berghoff. “Seth and Evan were very receptive to whatever we brought forward. They just gave us a small push, and we took off from there.”

They settled on Frank Lloyd WrightFor inspiration, “because he was from the 1920s,” says Berghoff, “and just naturally embraced the Mayan tomb-like atmosphere to highlight focusing solely on feature films and [Matt Remick] experiencing it as a tomb.”

With the strict deadline, there was significant pressure to complete the construction in time for the movie shoot. “We had the heaters running at maximum to try to get the plaster to dry on the set – that’s how close we were to the deadline,” says the set decorator.Brian Grego. However, everyone embraced the challenge, whether they were developing zombies or settings in the woods.

Each day we’d ask, what’s next?” says Berghoff. “That’s a designer’s dream.

Audio Editing and Audio Mixing: How to film an awards ceremony without appearing to be filming an awards ceremony

For the Golden Globes episode ofThe Studio, Rogen and Goldberg aimed to recreate every aspect of the experience at the Beverly Hilton, even the noise from the ballroom. For the sound editing and sound mixing team – includingGeorge Haddad, Fred Howard, Lorenza Perez Batista, and Buck Robinson– that brought with it its own challenges. “It was a huge job – I mean, there were literally hundreds, if not over a thousand background actors to consider regarding audio, whether we were working on sound effects or the ambient voices,” says supervising sound editor Haddad. “It’s ideal for people like us. It’s like a real blessing to get that episode.”

Then came the issue of the microphone on stage—nothing ordinary would suffice. The group needed to find the right one.righta type of microphone that might have been used at the Globes.

Not to mention the music – aiming to create the impression that a live band was performing at the event, at the appropriate volume.

In some way, they successfully combine everything while keeping the dialogue intact — it’s a comedy, after all, with a narrative that had to be shared. “We aimed to include the crowds, the laughter, the applause, to a degree where it enhances but doesn’t overshadow,” explains Haddad. “That was the main feedback we received because of the story they wanted to tell.”

And the team is aware that they’ll face a tough challenge in season two. “We understand the scope now, but my concern going forward is that Seth and Evan will always aim to go a little bit further,” says Robinson. “So I’m both excited and nervous to see what obstacles we’ll encounter.”

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