RETROSPECTIVE: MIAMI OPEN
Interview set for Tennis Channel.
CONTEXT
I know nothing about sports. I was brought onto this project to design and build an interview set for Miami Open. I didn't even know there was a Miami Open.
The ask was simple: it needed to feel like a VIP lounge, work on camera, and be installed quickly within an active event site. I was given were a few pages of a pitch deck and the rest was left to my imagination.
INSPIRATION
I fell in love with the idea of tiles and repetition. Apparatus’s NYC showroom immediately came to mind. The lobby is cladded in red upholstered large-scale square wall coverings. This approach was a no-brainer — although I didn’t have the time to upholster 28 individual squares. We settled on paint and plywood instead.
LAYOUT
The layout was straightforward. Athletes arrived via a red carpet, sat next to the interviewer, and moved through the interview in a controlled, predictable way. Supporting props were designed to feel intentional without distracting from the conversation.
As the design came together, the set had almost doubled in size. I’ve learned that the more competence you show the client, the more they ask for. I don’t mind.
BACKDROP
Because of site access, the backdrop needed to break down into manageable pieces. The shooting location was up a few flights of stairs, down some long corridors, and a far way from the art van.
While the “tiles” were constructed individually, they were configured in sets of six. They were made as light as possible: 1x3 frames with 1/4” plywood faces. Worst comes to worst, one person could deliver and install the entire backdrop with no assistance. Each tile was connected to the next with a pivoting nut and bolt system that allowed for alignment and leveling on site.
RUG
The crowning jewel of this project is the custom tennis ball rug. Had we ever made a rug before? No. Would we do it again? …
This rug was made by stenciling two existing rugs, one red and one white. All we had to do was join the pieces together. How hard could that be, right?
Several attachment methods were tested and failed during transport. The initial attempt included carpet tape on the seams. The final solution was hand-sewing the pieces together, knot by knot, about an inch apart, along every seam. This work was painstakingly tedious, taking two people one full day to complete.
So to answer the question, would I do this again? Yes, but it’s easier to get a tufting gun.
MENUS
All paper props were made in-house. Usually we outsource printing, but learned the following lesson the hard way: our local print shop closes at 6pm on Sundays. The menus were a last-minute request so I was left with no option but to make them on my kitchen counter.
Instead of printing double sided (my printer would never align both sides of the menu perfectly) I printed side by side. Raw edges were easily taken care of with a black marker.
This ended up being an advantage. The interviewer adjusted topics throughout the shoot — and bringing my printer and supplies to set meant that updated menus could be printed on site in under 15 minutes.
OUTCOME
The set survived. The interviews ran. Nobody knew about the rug.
