‘Our primary mission is to celebrate black women’ –

This sketch, a reference to the “Basic Ball” from season one, was filmed at RSI locations in Pomona, an abandoned medical campus. “We had a lot of embellishments and our title card was lit up by marquee lights, and we wanted to bring those elements into this sketch,” explains Chao. The high square angle of the ceiling made this room, which is actually a small banquet hall, look like a church space. Chao and Yu lit up the room with a “rainbow of colors”, with Chao noting that the funeral scene “wasn’t about the loss of life, but more about the celebration of life. We amplify that with big, bold statements and flowers.” to give you a happier atmosphere.”

This mixed tone also applies to the mood on set. “It’s a comedy show, so there’s a perception that we’re working fast, but we’re being silly about it,” says Yu. “I don’t know if we’ve ever worked on something that everyone takes so seriously.”

Yu adds that the speed of production requires a certain level of professionalism. “All these sketches are actually mini-films,” he says, and for so many sketches, putting all the pieces together requires an incredible amount of planning. “It’s intense and huge, and it’s very satisfying to work in the art department with people who have that kind of focus. All our work is preparation, and the more we prepare, the better.”

Chao also points out that this sketch was taken out of order, which added more challenges to the art department. “We disguised the location of the funeral dance and then had to return to the original position to start the sketch,” he explains. Adds Yu: “There are no collection days in this program, we take it and go.”

One of the things Cindy and I like to play with Robin [Thede, A Black Lady Sketch Show‘s star and creator] Bad Zillow listings,” says Michele Yu, who cites intricately staged real estate listings as inspiration for this sketch’s domestic setting. “Sometimes we find a real winner, like, ‘It’s what you do to attract [buyers] on your property?

Cindy Chao and Yu filled this space (the sketch was done in an empty house) with objects with cheeky phrases. “These are women who live, laugh, love their whole lives,” says Chao, “but [the reveal is that they are running] sweatshop at home”, where other women make tea towels and mugs with inspirational quotes.

A framed sign that reads, “In this house, we hold each other”, cushions that instruct “pray boldly”, a clock that chimes when it is “wine time” – all of these gave the sketch realistic silliness and inspired it. Funny improv reactions from Teddy and his co-star Ashley Nicole Black.

But Chao and Yu didn’t just decorate this set with a sporty decor. “You always need artwork and of course there are lots of places where you can get clean artwork to put. “You just go to a Hollywood studio gallery, take a bunch of stuff and put it on the walls,” says Yu. “But that black lady drawing show, something that was created to celebrate black women. We realized that this was an opportunity to show other black artists. Black women aren’t that hard to turn on [artists] Who might like the exhibition, who might like to be involved in the process, and who might like to see their work on screen?

This effort is not only a show of kindness and solidarity, it also reinforces the authenticity of the place, especially in this sketch, which is done in the home of a black woman. “It helps make some of these interiors more real and concrete than just renting another landscape painting that’s easy to clean,” says Yu.

This sketch, another return to the character seen in the first season, was also filmed in an empty classroom at the RSI Pomona location. “There was a beehive,” Chao recalls of the space that needed cleaning before his team could start dressing the room, which is not uncommon. “There are a lot of these places [need to be fixed up] Before starting to design the space”.

The elementary school classroom needed a lot of background detail, from chalkboard drawings to wall posters, some of which were made with cardstock and glue to resemble children’s artwork. The latter included science fair posters such as those dealing with volcanoes and posters celebrating black literary achievements, including recreations of book covers by Maya Angelou. I know why the caged bird singsTony Morrison Honeyoctavia butler at dawn and Alice Walker Purple color.

“Our main mission is to celebrate black women,” says Yu. While the humor in each sketch may not serve that purpose, Chao and Yu celebrate it in each of their designs.

This set highlights the ability of production designers to add narratives to the backdrop of a scene. “Cindy and I have worked as a team for over a decade and have experience in independent films,” says Yu. “We developed a [talent] To make the most of what you have and use all the resources you can to tell the story. Every inch of space on set is something that could support the story. “

This discussion is about thinking about how the characters in the sketches would decorate the spaces they live in. “The pace of this show is really fast and fast,” says Yu, whose first task is to figure out the main elements needed in each scenario. As they identify, they begin to think about who the characters are and how they can help tell their stories: “We try to understand the person as a character, where they come from and what they choose to do.

Yu also adds that while production was underway during Trump’s presidency, the sketch was filmed during the Obama era. “It was a huge relief,” he says with a laugh, “because we were able to include photos [former] The president and his wife, as opposed to who the president really was when we were getting ready.

This real-life bomb shelter was a warehouse at the Petroleum Club in Long Beach, which Yu describes as “a very old school for oil executives.” The show spent a week at the venue during production, using various spaces as venues. (A solitary evening skit was filmed in the club’s restaurant.)

This sketch visibly alternates between two locations. The club’s rocky lobby serves as a corporate reception, where a bouncer (the second character to return from season one, played by Black) is on the phone with a bomb disposal specialist (played by Tede) who is interrupted in his encounter. An inevitable retreat to his office when Black’s character asks for help dismantling an explosive device.

The special features immediately attracted Chao and Yu when they found the space: a large suspended light fixture in the center of the room, plus smoked mirrored glass wall panels on either side. “We were really interested in the mirrors,” says Yu, who adds that the DP was able to work in “cool lighting” thanks to the reflective walls. “We decorated the entire room with lots of tables to make it look like other people were working there,” adds Yu of the extra details of the scene, including party balloons and a half-eaten cake.

However, the end result was a dark office and a close-up on the hill with blue-green lights coming from the ceiling. “The ceiling lights were perfect,” says Chao of the haunting quality of the room, which gave the sketch an almost otherworldly feel.

While Chao and Yu’s extensive artwork is only visible in this sketch for fleeting moments, they say this doesn’t detract from their detailed efforts to create the world the sketch takes place in. “We have to be really creative with the spaces because we never know what’s really going to go into the cut until we put it on,” explains Yu. “We really have to dress everyone up just in case.”

This story first appeared in the August 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.