S24 - Ep 7 - Murderbot - Production Design

BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

Designing a future where human life feels disposable — and deeply familiar — takes creative nerve, dark humor, and a fearless approach to world-building.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Production Designer Sue Chan to talk about her work on Murderbot, the new Apple TV+ series based on Martha Wells’ bestselling novellas. Sue breaks down how she and her team designed a future full of corporate dread, practical machinery, and sly visual comedy — all while making the world feel tactile rather than CG-slick.

We discuss:

• Developing the look of a far-future society built around exploitation, automation, and control
• How inflatable tech, 3D-printed architecture, and lightweight materials shaped the show’s practical builds
• Establishing a visual language that’s grounded in reality but laced with satire
• Designing Sanctuary Moon, the soap-opera-within-the-show, as a technicolor contrast to Murderbot’s grey, corporate environments
• Using shapes, signage, and spatial hierarchy to reinforce themes of capitalism and class division
• The creative and political process behind Murderbot’s helmet: the mask design that divided the studio and delighted Skarsgård
• Working with VFX and costumes to build a unified visual tone across departments
• Embracing “conscious contrasts” between the emotional tone of a scene and its visual environment

Sue also reflects on the challenge of building a world that feels both foreign and uncomfortably familiar — and why the best production design does more than just look good.

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on Murderbot. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.