Hulu’s latest original series, Shut Eye, follows a small-time Los Angeles crook who goes from phony psychic to real clairvoyant after a traumatic head injury. For production designer Seth Reed, starting on the series was just as sudden. “I felt like I parachuted onto one of the Normandy beaches,” says Reed, who was brought onto the production after the pilot. Instead of having months or even weeks to research and design, Reed had to prepare on the spot. “Everything happened pretty quickly,” he says. “I put together my own research package, and I spent a lot of time talking to the showrunner trying to understand all the things that needed to happen.”
The series is set in Southern California, so Reed focused on capturing the look of the region and translating it to Vancouver, where filming took place. “I based the designs on the knowledge that Southern California, specifically the San Fernando Valley, is actually a character all on its own in the show,” he says. Reed found inspiration in the work of artists Ed Ruscha and David Hockney. “Hockney had that one painting called A Bigger Splash, which is all blues. That became an icon for the show. Blue actually became a very strong reference color.”
Reed used bold colors and lighting to up the intensity of the spaces. “I was looking for the places that are illuminated by neon,” he says. “I added extra lighting and extra color to the scenes wherever possible.” The designer also focused on bringing out the unique aspects of the city. “There's a lot of places that we tried to culturally express L.A. We tried to reference the different neighborhoods all the time.” Reed re-created Koreatown and the vibrant murals and graffiti of downtown Los Angeles, helping to ground the supernatural elements.
Tour the sets of the new Hulu series, Shut Eye.
