CBS' 'Moonlight' production designer Alfred Sole answers more of your questions

By April MacIntyre Dec 6, 2007, 20:29 GMT

British actress Sophia Myles EPA/GERO BRELOER

Back in September, CBS and Warner Bros. invited Monsters and Critics to tour the sets of their new vampire thriller series, “Moonlight,” starring Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon and Jason Dohring.

Many of you read the set-tour piece and submitted "talkback" questions for the production designer, Alfred Sole, along with set decorator Chris Marsteller.

The production designer oversees the art department which creates all the scenic elements of the script.  The set decorator, often a person with a background in interior design, works hand in hand with the production designer, prop master and the art director.

Alfred Sole has kindly responded to further questions regarding "Moonlight's" stylish set:

Can you discuss how much of a budget you are allotted for this show, and where does the majority of the money go to, is it construction, or fees for external locations like Jason Dohring's pad (aka The Jackie Treehorn house)?

There are several factors that influence the budget for each episode and where the money is distributed, but the script usually dictates where the money for each episode goes. 

Sometimes the script calls for a very specific set that we have to build.  Other times the script will call for a specific location in Los Angeles where we will shoot.  The overall budget of the show also determines how many days we will be able to spend on location versus shooting at the studio.

In terms of how the budget breaks down, the art department is divided into construction and set decoration.  Each department submits a budget based on the script, and our producers review the budget and determine how best to spend the money. 

For an average episode of Moonlight, the cost is shared evenly between set decorator and construction.  We have a separate locations department with a separate budget, which can vary quite a bit. 

We may have an episode where we’re shooting in Beverly Hills mansions and Hollywood nightclubs and the locations budget can get very expensive.  Other times we may spend an entire episode shooting on our standing sets and the studio backlot where location fees are negligible.

Can you describe to an average viewer unfamiliar with behind the scenes sets what your job entails and how you take the script and directors vision and make it three dimensional?

The job of the production designer is to design and oversee the visual look and physical environment of a show.  This spans from architecture to paint colors to tiny hand props. 

In terms of the process, we usually start prepping an episode eight days before we shoot.  After reading the script, we have a tone meeting with the director, producer, and writer to get an idea of the tone of the episode and how the scenes will play. 

The next several days are usually spent on location scouts, determining what locations will suit the script and how they will fit into our shooting schedule.  If the episode requires any particularly large builds, we’ll start designing and building those sets right away. 

After we have determined which sets will be built, and what we’ll shoot at practical locations, we start getting into the details, such as making sure specific scripted elements are included per the director’s vision, such as a secret wall safe or a painting of a character. 

Once we start shooting the episode, I’ll “open” each set to make sure the director is happy and has everything he needs to shoot.  Then, it’s on to the next day’s sets to make sure everything is ready for the shooting crew’s arrival.  By this time, we will receive the script for the next episode and begin the process again. 

We don’t take any time off between episodes so we are always working on two episodes simultaneously, prepping one and shooting another. 

Television production moves at a very fast pace, so it’s important that we stay organized and get an early jump on sets that will require a lot of attention. 

What is your favorite set on "Moonlight" and describe why?

Mick’s Loft is really the centerpiece of our permanent sets and is definitely my favorite. 

The idea of the show was to put a modern spin on the vampire genre, so I wanted the sets to reflect that. 

In addition, Mick was born in 1922 so he has had time to acquire plenty of worldly knowledge, including an appreciation of art and design.  Therefore, his living space had to reflect a lifetime of experience as well as a contemporary aesthetic that fit the look of the show. 

Other fun aspects of the set are the kitchen, complete with a hidden blood storage compartment, and the freezer room where Mick sleeps in a stainless steel, glass top freezer.

Do you sketch your sets by hand prior to construction?  How do you envision the look of each character's personal surroundings?

Depending on the complexity of the set, we take a few different approaches.  Often I begin with a sketch to get a rough idea of dimensions and the general feel of a space. 

For a particularly complex set, I’ll combine the sketches with 3D renderings of the set so we can see exactly what we’ll be building.  This is also particularly helpful with a show like Moonlight with lots of stunts and visual effects.  Drawing the sets allows us to determine how the stunt performers will interact with the sets and how our visual effects artists will add on to the physical sets. 

Once we have a set design that the director is happy with, we create CAD drawings and elevations that our crew can build from.  These drawings are also helpful to our set decorator who can create a furniture plan based on the set plans. 

In terms of designing the living or working spaces of particular characters, our writers do a great job of giving me a good idea of who a character is both in terms of their appearance as well as their interests and personality.  I try to make sure that each set suits the tone that the director is trying to create in a particular space.