March is Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, we’re rounding up a few productions we’ve worked on that focus on women’s stories. Representation, both in front of and behind the camera, is important for women and girls to be able to see the possibilities open to them. Seeing women as creators, writers, directors, and main characters helps us all envision a more equal future. “Strong women characters” are not just women characters who can throw a good punch but those who are fully three-dimensional people with hopes, dreams, flaws, and a wicked sense of humor. These women-created and women-focused productions have exactly that: women characters that are as real as they are fun. If you’re looking for your next watch, try one of these productions!
Hacks
This award-winning heartfelt comedy series is still going strong, with season 4 on the horizon. The unlikely friendship between Deborah Vance (a legendary–but aging– comedy star who needs to update her set to keep her Vegas residency) and Ava Daniels (a young comedy writer looking to repair her career and reputation after an insensitive tweet) is full of heart– and laughs. As Ava helps Deborah write new sets, Deborah, in turn, helps Ava with her career and personal problems. Over the course of multiple seasons, they grow together as their friendship grows stronger. Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, this “women supporting women” narrative feels realistic and human. On Air Design provided a number of wallcoverings and faux surfaces for the sets by production designers Jon Carlos, Alec Contestabile, Rob Tokarz, and Daniel Novotny.
Birds of Prey
Decidedly different in tone from other DC flicks, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a colorful, chaotic ride along Harley Quinn as she recovers from a breakup and forms Gotham City’s next badass girl gang. Margot Robbie pitched the concept to Warner Bros in 2015, insisting that Harley needed friends alongside her for her next adventure. The result, produced by Robbie (alongside Bryan Unkeless and Sue Kroll), written by Christina Hodson, and directed by Cathy Yan (the first female Asian director to direct a superhero film), is fun, funny, and fast-paced, with plenty of action. The soundtrack is full of songs by powerful women, underscoring the female focus of the film. Production designer K.K. Barrett leaned into camp and comic book-inspired colors, including in Harley’s apartment, where custom pink wallpaper by On Air makes a bold statement.
Captain Marvel
Also, in the superhero vein, Captain Marvel was Marvel Studios’ first female-led project. An early draft of the screenplay was written by Nicole Perlma and Meg Lefauve before being re-written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Boden and Fleck went on to direct the film, which focused on the origin story of the MCU’s most powerful character: Carol Danvers. Through her intergalactic adventures, Carol’s quick temper and aggressive qualities are balanced by her heart, sense of justice, and sassiness. The writers and directors focused on telling the story in a down-to-earth way, with Carol’s humanity serving as a grounding force. Much of the film takes place in 1990’s Los Angeles, and production designer Andy Nicholson turned to On Air to produce over 5,000 square feet of faux concrete. On Air also routed plexiglass to create an otherworldly window of interlocking triangular shapes.
