Murdered Georgia bounty hunter Hub Halloran [Kevin Bacon] is resurrected by the Devil to trap and send back demons that have escaped from the prison of Hell. By chasing down those demons with the help and hinderance of his estranged family, Hub learns how his own sins got his soul condemned...which pushes him to seek a second chance at life, love, and country music. - Prime
Set Decorator Gia Grosso SDSA and Production Designer Eve McCarney create such realistic sets, full of Southern down-home nuance, that they make a human bounty hunter chasing demons seem real! At least the settings certainly are realistic and feel completely authentic to a small town in Georgia. Gia takes us through some of these sets layered with life and a wink.
Enjoy!
Karen Burg, Editor
The Halloran compound...
“All of the compound is a build on the studio grounds. This area used to be the parking lot for the Zombie extras (and there were a lot of them!) for THE WALKING DEAD.”
Editor’s note: Gia was the Set Decorator for the last five seasons of the infamous zombie series!
Halloran compound, with Kitty’s house and the old auto shop, converted into a Bail Bondsmen business aka bounty hunters.
“Hub’s dad had a mechanics shop, most of which his mom, Kitty [Beth Grant] eventually converted into a Bail Bondsman business, and Hub joined her. When he got divorced, he moved into the shop breakroom. Both buildings are only façades, with the house having the porch, which we fully dressed. The interior of the Auto/Bond shop is on stage.”
The Halloran Bail Bondsman business...
Kitty only carved out a limited space for the Halloran’s Bondsman business. Notice the auto shop still has a presence throughout...why bother moving more stuff than you have to?
Reception area for the Bondsman business, formerly Halloran’s Auto Shop. Courtesy of Prime.
“The empty space is where the cars would be worked on but now is inhabited by a mower and stump grinder. The hanging lights are actually from Korean Naval ships, and the Lighting department altered them a bit to fit their needs. The crazy reception area above [right foreground] is in the middle of a bay and is one of my favorite areas. I think it adds to the absurdity of the scene played there with Kitty, Hub and Midge (Satan’s human secretary), where they learn the details of Hub’s contract with Satan.”
“I loved working with Production Designer Eve McCarney-Barrett, her designs are wonderful to decorate. She really understands the space and how the actors inhabit it. I loved seeing the camera move through the spaces in the final cuts.”
Bondsman business, reverse shot. Courtesy of Prime.
“Hub’s desk is farthest back in the space (complete with tire ashtray), under the Harley Davidson neon and what becomes the Demon Map. His mom’s desk is next to his, and behind her desk is the fax machine that transmits Hub’s missions from Pot O’Gold i.e. Satan. Above that is the wall of fugitives, which, of course, are crew members pics! That’s always fun, and our graphic designer had a ball inventing crimes for the rap sheets. The additional desk is a paperwork processing area.”
Halloran’s Auto Shop remnants...Courtesy of Prime.
“I love the color in an otherwise drab, dusty space. It was great that it was once an auto shop, as it gave plenty of opportunity for visual interest, ie. belts, hubcaps and, of course, the lighted Penzoil sign that gave an awesome glow. This entire area is filled with remnants of the previous business, including the rusty chains hanging throughout.”
More remnants of the auto shop, mixed with current life. Courtesy of Prime.
Note the graphics quality of Gia’s placement of the auto belts, the painterly placement of color from tool cabinet to equipment to Quaker State clock, and the ever-present symbolic chains.
“The area behind the white door is the old reception area, still with old auto shop ledgers and old product. There are 2 steps up from the reception desk area to the bathrooms where Hub has rigged a garden hose in a toilet stall for his shower. The doorway to the left leads to the old auto shop breakroom, now Hub’s makeshift bedroom.”
Hub’s quarters...within the shop...
Hub’s post-divorce quarters. Courtesy of Prime.
“Hub’s make-do bedroom has Murphy bed and a truck-seat ‘sofa’ on cinder blocks. The chair is an old wood/metal theatre seat, and an old wooden wardrobe trunk serves as his coffee table. There are still boxes he has not unpacked in hopes he won’t be there forever. He keeps the guitar case close by.”
The Weapons Room...
Weapons room: guns, ammo, knives, pen knives, stun guns, gas masks, gunpowder, bullet-making equipment.
Weapons room. Photo courtesy of Prime
“In one montage, Kitty is filing the serial numbers off a gun in here. The lockers have guns and heavy artillery, vests, backpacks, flashlights etc. “
“The room through the plastic flaps is the tool room that leads back to Hub’s bedroom, and is equipped with landscaping equipment, axes, hammers, saws, lawn mower (mine that I forgot to get back!) and chainsaws that you see Hub utilizing on someone’s skull.
And I thought WALKING DEAD was gory!”
Kitty’s house...
“I LOVE THIS PORCH! Eve has such an amazing vision, it’s an absolute joy to decorate her sets! I could have lived on this porch! We included needlework projects, art, plants and of course all the instruments for impromptu jams.”
Kitty’s house. The porch with the music ready to be made, the pitcher and glasses ready to slake a thirst, potted plants collected on a vintage baker’s rack positioned where they would have just the right amount sun and shade, the chair positioned where one can see all...Photos courtesy of Prime.
“We gave it some real authenticity, complete with iced tea pitcher and glasses, another place to show Kitty’s dual character. On the one hand, you could perceive her as a sweet old granny doing her needlepoint that was kept with her embroidery basket next to her flowered easy chair, but she’s also a bounty hunter. And tough as nails!”
Kitty’s wrap-around porch, something to be found in every nook and corner. Courtesy of Prime.
“My favorite pieces are the green metal chairs that once bounce-rocked.
But was a bit too much movement for scenes, so in order to keep them still, we wedged a block of wood and painted it to match so they would remain stationary. We had to include a ‘BLESS YOUR HEART’ pillow. That has a somewhat double meaning!”
...And then we move on to...
The cheerleader’s ensuite bedroom...
What a fun set! Although the fun doesn’t last, since she gets taken over by a demon! Courtesy of Prime.
“Eve designed this stage set with such interesting and fun elements. I love the dormers. The wallpaper is beyond amazing, and we were very lucky to have had very skilled scenics who perfectly matched the pattern, which was no easy task. I also adore the flamingo wallpaper in the bathroom. Since the action really happens there, we glammed it up, including a pink tiger bathmat. We dressed this set for several days, at times sitting on the floor and bean bags, writing notes and putting up photos etc. as if we were having a teenage girls slumber party! We didn’t want to leave!”
Midge’s...
Midge is an essential part of the story. A pastry chef and devoted mother AND...the go-between for the devil, her son had terminal cancer and Satan offered her a job in order to save him. Photo shows a flashback to his infancy. Courtesy of Prime.
“We wanted a lot of color for Midge, she makes beautiful colorful pastry and her spaces are
quite cheerful. I like how those visual cues are juxtaposed with her Devil Duties! She absolutely adores her son. There’s a pack-and-play and toys for him as a baby in the flashback, and age-appropriate things like a skateboard, nerf ball in the current look”
Midge’s dining room and entry. Courtesy of Prime.
“I scattered a variety of plants about to pick up on another fabulous wallpaper, and used bright earth-colored greens, yellows and natural wood, with accents of turquoise and
orange to show a full range of her layered personality.”
Midge’s pastry kitchen...
“The pastry kitchen was delicious literally! I had a friend, Carla White, an amazing baker who did a lot of the cakes and pastries on THE WALKING DEAD, create cookies with real edible flowers. She made so many treats, trying out different flowers, colors and icing, that we had plenty to sample!”
[Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below!]
The Boxcar...
A big country bar with a honky-tonk vibe.
Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below for a great look into the bar...and beyond, including the evil, slick owner’s chic office upstairs contrasting with the warm and real vibe of Maryanne’s dressing room.
Gia mentions, “One of the many elements of Eve’s designs that I really respond to is the breadth of space in her sets. It allows me to create an environment that really feels authentic. Lucky’s office and Maryanne’s dressing room are no exception.
“The wonderful windows where we see Lucky’s silhouette from the street create the perfect frame for the Boss to situate himself. The long walk on the deep-toned wood floor from the entrance of office to the desk invoked Lucky’s sense of self-importance. The room was very manly and large using dark leather, animal hides and wood, equipped with a stereo system, albums, 2 seating areas, candy jars, a bar with nonalcoholic beverages (due to his recovery) and Boston Red Sox swag.” [Go to SHOW MORE PHOTOS below!]
‘We added some great photos from Georgia Film Arts, including one of an entitled Granny with her gun and another of star-clad cowboy boots. His office reflected who Lucky believed himself to be. As we find out, he’s actually a fraud and not such a great guy.”
“Maryanne’s dressing room doubles as the liquor storeroom along with a host of other bar/restaurant storage overflow, including an old curling iron, lost and found items and signage from previous events. She also does the books for The Boxcar.”
“No Rock and Roll dressing room would be complete without the worn and faded oriental rug. We found some great ones, and I just had to add a contemporary flokati poof!
Editor’s note: Be sure to click on SHOW MORE PHOTOS below to see some great shots of Maryanne’s dressing room and the fun aspects Gia added to the barroom and stage setting!
Thank you, Gia
