SUCCESSION

July 16th, 2020 by Karen Burg


Main Photo
Logan Roy Townhouse... Set Decorator George DeTitta Jr SDSA has taken us into periods and places, into people’s lives and their environments innumerable times, yet the approach is always fresh, always accessible, always discerning, visual storytelling that enhances the overall story. Here he takes us into the world of the super elite...the Logan Roy family and the international conglomerate the scion has built, the fortunes amassed... [His comments in italics] Heir apparent...he certainly has it in his sights...Kendall Roy and his step mother... Jeremy Strong, Hiam Abbass, Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO


Set Decorator George DeTitta Jr SDSA

Production Designer Steve Carter

HBO

SEE NEW PHOTOS FOR SEASON 2 IN THE GALLERY ABOVE!!!


There’s no question that SUCCESSION, at its root, is a family story. 
There’s also a tragic side to it...you see how massive wealth and power distort and twist and wound this family...” 
–Director/Executive Producer Adam McKay, HBO
 
 
SETDECOR checked in with Set Decorator George DeTitta Jr SDSA about the hit series...tragedy, drama & wry humor amid luxurious surroundings...just before the second season began, and again now that it has completed as fascinating a season as the first! Check the gallery above for photos from Season 2 now as well!
 
“HBO’s SUCCESSION centers around the Roy family, a tumultuous and contrarian group at the head of a billion-dollar multimedia empire.
Creating the world of the super elite on an episodic television schedule was an ambitious challenge. Working from a pilot that helped establish a distinct look, we faced the usual dilemma of finding and designing studio and location settings under strict time constraints.” 
 
“Steve Carter, our production designer, and his team of art directors designed several stage sets: our main set, Logan Roy’s Townhouse, along with a complete luxury hospital wing and suite, a few other rooms, and a corporate gym. Along with the stage sets, we designed the corporate setting for the Roys’ international media conglomerate, Waystar, which was built on location in a completely empty floor in New York’s World Trade Center. Starting with a stark, raw space and uneven concrete floors, we faced the challenge of creating a modern, glistening corporate headquarters in under four weeks—floors, walls, ceilings, furnishings and all!” 
 
“We didn’t want to draw overt attention to the family’s wealth with the decoration of the show, instead selecting a mix of pieces, both contemporary and antique, to tell the story of their elevated place in society more subtly. Sourcing appropriate, high-end set dressing on an episodic television schedule presented another very specific challenge, and we relied heavily on many gracious vendors to rush goods to us in very tight timeframes.”* 
 
“Here is the end result of that hard work, and I’m incredibly thankful to have a brilliant set decoration team who delivered such beautiful work. Without their creative energy and determination, none of this could have been achieved. Many thanks to Lauren DeTitta, Daniel Kersting, Judy Gurr, Laura Nemesi, Dan DeTitta, my fabulous office staff, and of course Bryan Walsh and his set dressing team who worked tirelessly around the clock.”
 
 
 Newel Props
 
 
 
*The gracious and exceptional vendors whom DeTitta particularly thanks include SDSA International Business Members:
Newel Props
Art for Film
Bridge Props
Carpet Time Inc
City Knickerbocker Inc
Eclectic/Encore Props
Prop N Spoon
Alpha Companies Motion Picture Rentals
 



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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Built on stage, the entry way looking into the living room. Our dressing crew installed this beautiful, custom patterned floor with real marble tiles.” Beautiful framing for a couple making up after a spat, Logan’s daughter Siobhan aka Shiv and her husband Tom Wamsgans Matthew Macfadyen, Sarah Snook. Photo by Peter Kramer ©2018 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Entry way and stairwell built on stage. Antique console table, modern art, and hand-carved Egyptian chairs...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2018 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... Subtle, tasteful elevator entry. You can tell the set dressing for the day has not yet been completed, tables are currently bare of the florals that help determine atmosphere and mood, as well as a few objet de arte that can tell a story or two... Photo by Peter Kramer ©2018 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Living room built on stage. A sophisticated tone-on-tone palette in the townhouse was used to avoid drawing overt attention to the family's wealth Flowers by the talented James Rainbow...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Fabric houses Cowtan & Tout and JAB Anstoetz worked quickly to expedite fabrics from Europe to us for the custom upholstery and draperies...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2018 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... Fingers of sunlight paint the different moods... Logan [Brain Cox] and his wife Marcy [Hiam Abbass] Photo by Colin Hutton ©2018 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... Again, awaiting the floral delivery...magazines, books...everything current to that day’s script... “This is the reverse of the living room stage build, looking into the elevator entry. We incorporated reflective surfaces, one of the show's main visual tropes, into many of Logan's contemporary furniture pieces and paired it all with antique Jansen commodes...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Logan watches his news network...one he owns...in a room that mixes antique burled furniture with contemporary upholstery...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “The study also serves as a den...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO

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Logan Roy Townhouse... “Again, built on stage. From this viewpoint, you can see the flow into several key rooms, each in its own context...” Photo by Peter Kramer ©2019 HBO



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