After location scouting at a variety of shooting houses, I came away with a much better idea of what set design looks like in this culture, and what perceived “wealth” looks like. It gave me a better understanding of the real houses of rich people we had been visiting as possible locations. As in our culture, reality often mirrors media, as people strive to design “as seen on tv.” Hope you enjoy the results…
A colorful pad
Bare, yes. But you’d hardly notice that with all of the mis-matched spots of color. Opposite this couch is a giant bar, which is a bit odd, since alcohol is not allowed in this country.
Tajul in green.
This spectacular green couch and corresponding windows made up a “green room” of furniture in the same house. I really should have gotten a wider shot… it was just too good. This sort of Victorian style furniture with fancy wooden sides and uncomfortable cushions (a personal favorite style of mine, too) is perceived as “very rich looking”; and in fact, real rich people tend to have these sorts of antique pieces in their houses, although how they sit on them in good faith that they’ll provide comfort continues to baffle me…
"I'm at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by..."
Same shooting house, but doesn’t this one just remind you of “Saved by the Bell”? Maybe it’s just the weird faux-stained glass doors… or the pink, blue and white curtain-ish things… Or, I don’t know, perhaps the whole cartoon-ish scene. This staircase opens onto a large, open room with a dining table in the middle, surrounded by similarly uncomfortable chairs. It’s baffling, to say the least. But it gives you a nice sense of home to imagine Zach, Kelly, Slater, Screech and the rest of the gang kickin’ it in Uttara, a northern suburb of Dhaka.
I match the wall!
Okay, this is nothing special: just me flying into the wall for no particular reason.
These two are from the same living room: sky-blue walls with a textured pattern, and an impressively modern living room. But as you can see, it doesn’t look like a whole lot of work is being done.
