S24 - Ep 7 - Murderbot - Production Design

Episode 7 of the BELOW THE LINE PODCAST podcast, hosted by Skid - DGA Assistant Director, titled "S24 - Ep 7 - Murderbot - Production Design" was published on August 3, 2025 and runs 36 minutes.

August 3, 2025 ·36m · BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

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Summary

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.

Episode Description

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.