The 1970s saw the emergence of new artists and genres that changed the music scene forever. Daisy Jones & The Six is an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel by the same title. This musical miniseries follows the journey of a fictional rock band and their troubled yet talented lead singer Daisy Jones.
Production designer Jessica Kender was faced with the challenge of capturing the lively essence of the time’s iconic elements. She notes that the central location of Los Angeles influenced design choices, as well as the intent to recreate the 70s in a way that felt real without using the typical “flower power” cliche seen in modern cinema. Kender stressed the importance of using truly vintage filming locations when possible. With the original novel being loosely based on Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, she explains how, “being in the real places provides this intangible quality — it’s sort of a gift to the actors to be in the actual places where this beautiful music actually happened.” One of the most notable locations is the Sound City recording studio, where Daisy Jones & The Six frequently records their music. To this day, the main studio remains nearly identical to its original state. The production team built the recording studio’s lobby. On Air Design’s original Linda wallcovering brought the era to life with its funky botanical look and earthy tones that complement the nearly all-wood studio, which was typical of this time.
The band’s house is another authentically vintage location used throughout the series. Known today as the Courtney Villas, this estate was built in the 20s. Today, it is broken up into little boutique apartments but was used as one primary space for the sake of the production. Yet another one of On Air Design’s vintage wallcoverings is seen in Karen’s room, the band’s keyboardist. The Rosalind design uses repeating cameo motifs in a neutral, beige colorway. The heavily wooded elements of this room and yellow lighting create a truly accurate space. Kender aimed to stick with an authentic color palette for the time, leaning into yellow and brown hues. Ultimately, the production design team blended actual elements of the 1970s with the modern, familiar idea of what the decade was to, “create this environment that immediately made you feel like you were somewhere real.”
Sources:
Jarabek, Danny. "Interview: ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ Production Designer Jessica Kender on Curating the Band’S Los Angeles Landscape." Awardsradar.Com. June 23, 2023.
Saperstein, Pat. "‘Daisy Jones & the Six’: Why Shooting at Actual L.A. Rock ‘N’ Roll Landmarks Was a ‘Gift to the Actors’." Variety.Com. March 10, 2023.
Zemler, Emily. "On Location: The Real-Life L.A. Music Venues of ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’." Cntraveler.Com. March 7, 2023.
Image Sources:
Kender, Jessica. Jessica-kender.Com.
