The Art of the Loop

"**The Art of the Loop**" is a behind-the-scenes featurette for the Prime Video series *Tales from the Loop*, accessible via Amazon's X-Ray feature. It premiered April 3, 2020, the same day as the series itself.

## Summary

Simon Stålenhag, author of the original *Tales from the Loop* book states that he had always bene a wildlife, outdoors artist. One day he thought, "To hell with this, I'm adding a robot." Nathaniel Halpern, showrunner and writer for the series, states that he's impressed with the scale of what they're building in creating the world of the series. Some things that would just be a computer generated element normally in a show, they actually built. The realism of it all gave those working on the series a sense that they were actually in that world. It felt as though *Tales from the Loop* author Simon Stålenhag's paintings had come to life.

Simon states that they had constructed huge set pieces which were exactly as he had painted them in the book. To see something that he had painted by himself in a cabin in the woods be manifested physically by hundreds of people was weird for him. Part of him wanted to tell them to stop it, that he didn't mean anything by it. Mark Romanek describes that it was great to have Simon's aesthetic as a basis for everything on the series. Everything was either analog or early digital. Nathaniel describes working with Mark as being one of the best experiences he's had, with his unrivaled visual sense in taking elements from one visual medium to another. Mark explains that one thing he does in a lot of his film-making is to forbid the color black or white so that there is a softness to the palate. If you want to use a color like black, you have to use it towards some purpose, such as the Eclipse. Mark's directives sometimes drove the production and costume team crazy.

Philip Messina, production designer for the pilot episode "Loop," describes how the adverse conditions of Winnipeg affected the production. It was always in the back of his mind as to how they were going to get things done. However, they were all in it together and he didn't feel a compromise as to what they were able to accomplish. They built the Loop entrance on location, his first experience in having to use heaters in order to break through the ground in January and February, doing a pretty substantial stage build. Art direct Rejan Labrie explains that there aren't very many studios in Winnipeg. They used a lot of warehouses and had a lot going on a time. Everything had a very specific look which paid off, especially against the snowy landscapes.

Doug Morrow talks about how there were some characters which aged, which was a lot of fun. Rather than putting foundation on them, they actually painted circles around their eyes, letting flaws show and making them look as real as possible. Joseph la Corte, costume designer for all episodes except "Loop," states that costuming the cast was pretty intense. Winnipeg offered opportunities to create beautiful cinematic moments, but when it came to clothing, there was one vintage store which they frequented as much as they could. They resourced items from all over, making sure that all of the costumes worked together in the environments that they created. It created a tableau of a small American town in Ohio. In an alternate universe, it was extra pressure to create something that wasn't quite the same as the real world. For example, there was a special symbol for the alternate universe's nurse, which in modern times would be a red cross. The Mercer Police, instead of having traditional blues, had an eastern European feel with tan and green.

Vincent Tang, set designer, describes how the series mixed the familiar and the unfamiliar. There were sci-fi elements, but also elements from the 1950s and 1960s, mixed together to create something new. They gave it its own quality to ground the show. There were discussions of all aspects of shooting, the ultimate goal to find a deeper emotional connection.