Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics. – Paramount+
Set Decorator Bryan John Venegas SDSA gives us details about the sets that range from the wealth of Dallas/Ft Worth to the dirt of the West Texas oil rigs that pay for those mansions...and the gritty, hard lives of the people who work the oil fields.
Chase Helzer for SETDECOR: What drew you to the project?
Bryan J. Venegas SDSA: “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator. He has singlehandedly renewed interest in the western on television, told in a new and provocative way.”
“He has revived a genre very near and dear to my heart, a world filled with love, pain, and adversity, which I immediately connected with. I also liked the fact that this was a new story, unrelated to the YELLOWSTONE success he is so recognized for. And although this wasn’t a Western in the true sense of the word, it is a modern take on the struggles of the American narrative.”
Monty Miller’s house...
Monty’s Living Room: Tafla O5 Polished Wall Mirror by Zieta, Yves Klein Bleu Coffee Table, Murano Glass “Plume” Chandeliers. Artwork includes “Fragment From Botticelli’s Primavera Allegory”, 2015 Triptych by Caitlin Keogh, “untitled” 2011 by Paola Serra, “Medusa 2” by Adam Fuss, “Egyptian Violet” 2015 by Terry Winters. Courtesy of Paramount+. [This is a BTS photo: the black layout pads are not part of the design!]
SETDECOR: Welcome to Dallas. The high-end sets depict the depth of an oil man’s wealth. Where did you source it all? And what informed some of your choices?
BJV: “The location we shot at was under renovation, and empty when we moved in. Luckily for us, the owner of the estate is a good friend of Taylor’s. Much of the artwork and furnishings were sourced from his private collection scattered around Dallas, catalogued in multiple storage facilities. I worked with his assistant to curate a selection of furniture, lighting, and artwork to decorate the East wing of the estate.”
Monty’s Family Room: Marco Zanuso Lady Armchairs, 1951, in white Bouclé upholstery. Jean De Merry Axel Coffee Table w/nesting benches. Artwork: “Wilbur Powell” Rancher photo, 1978, by Richard Avedon. Courtesy of Paramount+.
“I also acquired art from notables David Hockney, Richard Avedon, Gerhardt Richter, and Justin Bower to complete the amazing art collection for our main characters Monty & Cami Miller, brilliantly played by Jon Hamm and Demi Moore.”
“Highlights include an Yves Klein ‘Bleu’ cocktail table, Gold hand chairs by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg, Photo by David Yarro, Murano Glass ‘Plume’ Chandeliers, Marco Zanuso ‘Lady’ armchairs, and La Cornue Château Appliances.”
Monty Miller’s Kitchen: Gold hand chairs by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg, Large 1970’s Italian Sputnik Chandelier, and La Cornue Château Appliances. Courtesy of Paramount+.
“We wanted the interiors to be modern, bright, and colorful to juxtapose the blazing Golds and Oranges used throughout the series. The spoils of riches, by a scrappy risktaker in the perilous world of the oil business. Not old money, but a fighter in the current game, betting it all.”
Oil Equipment and Oil fields...Oil Rig Pump Jack, M-Tex
Landman Tommy Norris [Billy Bob Thornton] attempts to shut off the oil rig pump jack on the M-Tex Oil Field. Photo by Emerson Miller/Paramount+ ©2024 Viacom. All Rights Reserved.
SETDECOR: The sets told the story of the West Texas dust, and the grittiness of the work...you can taste the West Texas wind. How did you get that right?
BJV: “Although we shot all over West Texas on working oil fields to get the scope of this massive operation, most of the Oil pump jacks on camera were built from the ground up for the scripted scenes. Working with art directors Michael Glover & Amy Frazzini, we had to source and construct the pump jacks, connect all the surrounding tanks and separators to work, and make sure they could withstand the immense heat needed for the scripted stunts and special effects."
“We took what we learned in Midland during prep, and re-created the fields West of Fort Worth, in Weatherford, TX. This allowed us to give a true grittiness that the story demanded.”
Post explosion at the M-Tex oil rig pump jack. Courtesy of Paramount+.
SETDECOR: Let’s talk about the work camps, this goes back to the set realism, the sets have purpose to advance the story and put the viewer into the settings, to not call attention to themselves but give complete atmosphere of reality.
Please tell us about creating the work camps.
BJV: “The work camps were built from the ground up. Charisse created a larger-than-life world where men come and go, a city of sorts, where the life of an oilman never stops. A world that runs 24/7—an opportunity for men to support their families, with the risks of the job that are always present.”
“The trailers, the fencing, the power grid, the lighting, all had to be brought in to give the story breadth.”
Cooper & Boss Man, post fight outside the M-Tex trailers. Courtesy of Paramount+.
“We dressed each trailer with the bare essentials, then added the personality of each character that lived there. The large space was difficult to work in, the weather, the exposure, the danger, and the isolation, like it is in real life for these men that are on call for months on end.”
“Some days were quite cold, some very windy, rain, hail, dust-storms all added to the patina on set. Every time we came back to this location, something was broken or damaged by the elements so it was a constant struggle to keep things in order. This all added to the realism of our world. For the new kid, Copper, we kept things sparse, since he’s the worm, everything was stripped down to the bare necessities. For Luis’s trailer we filled it with all the niceties for a long-term stay, and added a sense of family history.”
[Editor’s note: Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below to see these quarters.]
The Patch Café. Tommy Norris, played by the sublime Billy Bob Thornton, outside the café. Americana, West Texas style. Lighting from EC Props, newspaper stands from Air Design, custom blinds by American Screen & Window, 1930s era industrial Mural created by the Art Department. Photo by Emerson Miller/Paramount+ ©2024 Viacom. All Rights Reserved.
Midland: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS...
SETDECOR: Each set looks like a location, as if it had been there for years, which helps the story. Did you fool the audience with any stage builds?
BJV: “Our goal was to create an authentic picture of the true lives in the Permian Basin of West Texas. It was very important to Taylor that the show feel gritty, accurate, and completely Texan.”
“Production Designer Charisse Cardenas had previously worked with Taylor on LIONESS, so she was very tuned in to his style and proclivities. The show was based on the BOOMTOWN podcast by LANDMAN co-creator Christian Wallace, who was a wealth of knowledge pertaining to the subject.”
“Our team worked closely with Christian to get every nuance and detail right. We traveled to Midland and Odessa, TX to research and inhabit the world, taking classes and watching crews work live in the fields. Everything about this story had to feel sincere…the sun, the dust, the oil, the sweat, and the danger of this business.”
“We shot exteriors to catch the light and heat of the Texas sun, and match built our two main sets on stage (M-Tex Oil House, Ariana’s Home). For the most part, everything else was shot on location, modified by our amazing construction crew led by Joey Ondrejko, repainted and aged by the brilliant paint department led by Jake Ogle, stripped down and re-imagined by my team led by the extraordinary Rick Staves.”
M-Tex Oil house...
SETDECOR: M-Tex Oil house. Tell us about the jump for this basically soulless model home to Angela moving in and restyling the house with her future ex-husband’s credit
card...in the style of Angela! How fun or challenging was that?
BJV: The M-Tex Oil house (Tommy Norris’s house) was built on stage, two levels stacked one on top of the other, complete with a swimming pool in the back yard. When we first arrive at the house in our story, it feels more like a model home/business hotel for three businessmen, sparsely decorated with rental furniture supplied by the oil company. Meant to be more a revolving dormitory to upper-level oil men than a home...in the basic, boring beige aesthetic.
[Editor’s note: Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below to see Before & After.]
Luckily for us, Tommy’s ex-wife, Angela, decides to redecorate midway through our story. The remodel was one of the most challenging, yet fun sets to work on. We got to play with color, light, and texture. Due to our tight schedule, we had to source and purchase all the furnishing in a matter of days and our team had to dress it overnight to accommodate production.
M-Tex Oil house, Tommy’s Dining Room, post redecoration by ex-wife Angela. Chandelier from Adobe Interiors, table & dining chairs from Santa Fe Terra, rug & buffet from Brumbaugh’s Fine Furniture, smalls & lighting sourced at Benny Jack’s Antiques, Into the West, Teskey’s Saddlery, Rios Interiors. Artwork: “Mesas in Shadow”, 1926 by Maynard Dixon. Drapery: Ralph Lauren fabric supplied by Childress Fabrics, manufactured by Universal Studios Drapery Department. Courtesy of Paramount+.
What we reveal is an over-the-top Texas expression of Angela’s bigger than life personality, bold, colorful, and outlandish. We leaned into the wildness of the character and her unbridled nature.
M-Tex Oil house, Tommy’s Living Room post redecoration by ex-wife Angela. Furniture sourced locally at Brumbaugh’s Fine Furniture, Into The West, Rios Interiors, and Santa Fe Terra, In-Detail, and Teskey’s Saddlery. Drapery: Ralph Lauren fabric Supplied by Childress Fabrics, manufactured by Universal Studios Drapery Department. Courtesy of Paramount+.
Bold patterns, luxury leathers, artisan woodwork, and colorful textiles. A few of the highlights were custom curtains with Ralph Lauren fabrics, manufactured by Universal Drapery Dept., custom king bed by The Painted Pinto, Photography by Beau Simmons, Artwork by Maynard Dixon, Custom wood furniture by Jason Scott sourced through Brumbaugh’s Furniture & Design.
[Editor’s note: Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below for more of these sets!]
Ariana’s house...
SETDECOR: On a different note, Ariana’s house beautifully conveys her Mexican roots in the set decoration, even down to the moving boxes...the list of what is in the box written in Spanish was a nice touch as well. Tell us about giving subtle and accurate backstory to a character, once again. Your choices for this set...
BJV: We shot Ariana’s exterior on location, utilizing some of the interior as well, so the set dressing needed to move between the location and our second build on stage. Charisse and I wanted the set to convey a sense of new beginnings, youthful, optimistic, and hopefulness.
With that said, we also wanted it to feel authentic, rooted in her culture and the struggles that come with being a young family on the fringes. I wanted the home to feel warm, and loving with touches of possibility. When Ariana loses her young husband, I wanted that same feeling to be her burden. A constant reminder of what could have been, always present, always painful.
Ariana’s Bedroom. [Editor’s note: Bryan's compelling, realistic set includes a rocker for the young mother and her baby, wedding photos close at hand, lovely lamp and box. Please look below for the additional photos of the beautiful, evocative sets.] Courtesy of Paramount+.
When Cooper comes into the picture, I also wanted the space to remind him of what was there before he arrived. A young man stepping into another man’s shoes and all the pressure that comes with living up to that responsibility.
Being Latino myself, it was very important that we portray these families with dignity, and respect. I wanted the viewers to see the reality through my experience, the family bond, the love, and the hardworking nature of these characters. Taylor made sure these stories were told honestly, every detail down to the food, void of the usual platitudes and clichés. I really appreciated the details in his writing and the need to get it right.
[Editor’s note: You will definitely want to see more of these soulful sets conveying Ariana’s world, so click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below!]
The Patch Café...
One of our biggest sets, heavily featured on the show, was The Patch Café, a world where breakfast and dinner are served all day, dependent on what shift you worked. An old empty gas station/mechanics shop that was transformed by our team of builders, painters, and set dressers.
We had a great time creating this ever-revolving world, into the beating heart of our oil town.
The Patch Café: Furniture sourced from Main Auction Services, Mission Restaurant Supply and Online, Neon from Neon of Dallas and Lennie Marvin’s Prop Heaven. Smalls sourced at various antique malls in Texas, Photo Booth from RC Vintage. Courtesy of Paramount+.
The eating, drinking, meeting place for the whole town, some crews starting their day, some crews ending it. This set, more than any other, was a true celebration of the town and its people, layered with history, paying homage to the hard-working Texans that pass through its doors every day.
The Patch Café. Tommy Norris [Billy Bob Thornton], the landman/oilman fixer, after a hard day and before another hard day. Photo by Emerson Miller/Paramount+ ©2024 Viacom International. All Rights Reserved.
We scoured antique malls, thrift stores, flea markets, and online for every detail on the walls spearheaded by my amazing shoppers Karen Higgins (my local phenom) and the talented Haley Contestabile (from L.A.). It was our first set shot, and it set the tone for the whole series.
[Editor’s note: Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below to explore more of The Patch Café and so much more! )
Private clubs, restaurants, hotels, country clubs, law firms, private airports, football stadiums, police stations, coffee huts, hospitals, and nursing homes were all part of this fully realized glimpse into the complicated world of the oil man told beautifully by our leader and creator Taylor Sheridan.
It all started with the scripts and flowed freely from there. Every department worked together as a unit to make something special, and I hope the audience felt immersed in the world we worked so hard to get right.
SETDECOR: It is amazingly real throughout, we were definitely brought into this world.
Last question...your biggest challenge, and how you met it?
BJV: I have been fortunate enough to work on multiple productions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area over the last 5 years, and have worked with some amazing local crews, which I was lucky enough to reconnect with on LANDMAN. I did have a great and solid L.A. crew from the start which really helped with the pace of this show. With that said, our biggest challenge was sourcing the set dressing. Texas is a bourgeoning hub for film and television but it’s growth has outpaced the resources and facilities that are needed to accommodate its needs.
There are no real prophouses to speak of, and much of the design resources are still hesitant to rent furnishings out to productions. That has changed for the better over the past five years, but the majority of my budget went to purchasing locally. Event rentals were also a good resource locally.
I did have to bring a good portion from Los Angeles which I was happy to do. There is no city like Los Angeles when it comes to infrastructure. With the film industry in its current state, it’s vital we keep these resources alive and thriving when we can.
From the Editor...
And on that note, Set Decorator Bryan John Venegas SDSA would like to acknowledge his invaluable LA resources, particularly SDSA Business members: Omega Cinema Props |Ob-jects | AMCO/American Screen & Window Coverings | E.C. Prop Rentals | FormDecor Furniture Rental | I.S.S. | Lennie Marvin’s Prop Heaven | Alley Cats | Hollywood Studio Gallery | Hollywood Cinema Arts | Art Pic | Universal Studios Property | The Alpha Companies | R.C. Vintage | Studio Plumbing Rentals | LCW Props | Practical Props
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