Production Designer Suzuki Ingerslev is responsabile for the look of the True Blood sets. Previously we published our interviews with Suzuki about the Queen’s dayroom, Hotel Carmilla and Maryann’s house.
All very elegant sets. But there were also sets in season 2 that looked like a bomb exploded…. and in one case a bomb did explode.
Godric’s lair, a beautiful composed set was sadly destroyed by a suicide bomber.
Suzuki tells us about the choices she made for Godric’s lair. “It was modern with many relics and artifacts from various cultures. The primitive sculptures served to remind Godric of his evolution, of all the places he had been and all the things he had witnessed during his “life”. Most of the paintings were commissioned from artists specifically for the set. We wanted paintings that would be atmospheric and modern. The art in a set should never compete with the overall design (unless intended) but should also maintain a clear viewpoint or voice. We also knew that we would be destroying it, so that enforced our decision to create it as well.”
Not knowing anything about set design I asked Suzuki if the same set was used before and after the bombing or if a different set was created to serve as disaster zone. “No, the original set was destroyed for the explosion”, she explains. “It is hard sometimes to see a set destroyed after you put so much love and attention into making it perfect but ultimately they are all temporary. The crew was just as upset as we were when it got destroyed. Everyone had their favorite pieces that they were hoping to take home.”
Destroying a set is not done randomly as Suzuki explains: “We always start with extensive research to get an image of what it would look like in reality, then we just let our painters and carpenters go wild and really mess it up. They do have fun with that.”
The next scene of destruction is Sookie’s house.
Gran always took great pride in her home and she would have been so sad to see what had happened to it under Maryann’s influence.
“In keeping with the pagan nature of Maryann the writers decided it would be interesting to bring the outside in and the inside out”, says Suzuki about what Maryann did to Sookie’s house. “I liked how it turned out with the art and artifacts looking out of place amidst the mud and branches. Once we started filming, it turned out that we had to put the dirt in, then clean it up, and then put it back in again. It was really messy.”
A very important element in this set was the meat tree. “We used real meat and lots of it!!! It had to be replaced every other day because it would start smelling and decomposing. Our crew affectionately called him “ Demetri” as in “De Meat Tree””
Photos courtesy of Suzuki Ingerslev
© The Vault – TrueBlood-Online.com
Well done on all levels by Suzuki Ingerslev and her creative team. It would really be a wrench to destroy something as beautiful as the Lair. That truly had to hurt. As for gran’s house, I was feeling Sookie’s pain at seeing what Maryann had done to it. Remembering what it looked like when gran was alive and while Sookie lived there, the change was heart-breaking to see. Thanks, Shad, for a most interesting and instructive read.
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Shad, thanks for this. I so enjoy reading about the sets. Poor Gran, you’re right she would have been so upset if she had seen what Maryann had done to her house.
Also, too bad that they have to wreck Godric’s lair. I sort of thought they just made a new “wrecked” set, but that must have hurt having all those lovely art works destroyed.
Interesting article, just like the other three. Thanks!
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Thank you Shad. I thought the lair was very tastefully done and it was such a pity to destroy it. I had angst over Sookie and Gran’s house. Though her home is modest and bit worn she was house proud. She would have been even more devastated than Sookie was to see it in such condition. We still haven’t seen it restored and cleaned. Great job Suzuki and team.
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