Catherine Smith had been waiting for a show like Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” to come along. “I’ve always wanted to do a period show, and it was set in California,” the…
Catherine Smith had been waiting for a show like Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” to come along. “I’ve always wanted to do a period show, and it was set in California,” the production designer said.
At a special Variety Artisans event, in partnership with Apple TV+, artisans from “Lessons in Chemistry” gathered for a conversation to discuss their process behind the Brie Larson show. Moderated by Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay, the night began with a screening of the series finale. The panelists included makeup department head Miho Suzuki, picture editor Geraud Brisson, composer Carlos Rafael Rivera and supervising sound editor Perry Robertson.
Adapted from the Bonnie Garmus novel, the series follows Elizabeth Zott (Larson), who, in the 1950s, is a woman well ahead of her time, standing up to the men that oppress her. When her dreams of becoming a scientist are thwarted by the patriarchy, Elizabeth turns to TV and begins hosting a cooking show, “Supper at Six.” It was Larson, who serves as an executive producer on the show, who suggested pink for the set. Smith originally had an idea for the set that felt more authentically feminine, but Larson pointed out that a man would have likely designed the “Supper at Six” set back in the ‘50s.
So, Smith dove into researching kitchen sets from the time period. “I discovered that pink was used a lot to be a medium gray on black and white TV,” she said. “I did a lot of research on ‘I Love Lucy,’ and there were some color photos of the set, and it was pink.”
In the end, Smith created a heightened and exaggerated scalloped kitchen in Hollywood Regency style. The wallpaper pattern came from Astek wall covering, but Smith changed the original blueberry pattern to strawberries.
In keeping with the patriarchal theme, Suzuki also got a moment to highlight the “ideal housewife” look in Elizabeth. During a “Supper at Six” rehearsal scene, Elizabeth is put into a tight costume and made up with big hair, false eyelashes and pink lipstick. “That’s not really her,” Suzuki said, emphasizing how far the look is outside of Elizabeth’s comfort zone. To further enhance her discomfort, Suzuki added blue eyeshadow. It’s a small detail, but it perfectly fits the character’s unusual circumstances. “I wanted her to look a little bit ridiculous,” Suzuki said.
The episode also marks the first time Rivera’s main title composition is used instead of Miranda Bailey’s “Wham (Re Bop Boom Bam).” Rivera said both the score and main title theme were reflections of Elizabeth’s storyline. “The idea of the melody is that it goes to unexpected places,” he said.
When it came to building out the show’s sound, Robertson told the audience that nailing the period-specific cars and the Foley of Elizabeth’s shoes were easy. The challenge, however, was crafting a scene in Episode 2 in which Calvin (Lewis Pullman) is hit by a bus. For Robertson, it was about finding the right balance. “We wanted it to be shocking, but not gruesome,” he said. “I never want that, because that’s not the show.”
Watch the full panel discussion above.
