About
"I love creating new worlds. I love being able to take, whether it's a script or a concept for something, and being able to see how far I can expand either the story about it or build a fantasy of some kind that would otherwise not exist. I've always liked the ephemeral nature of it. There's a certain comfort in being irresponsible and not having to build something that lasts forever. We're actually trying to have fun and you get to make a living doing it."
In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Keith Raywood talks about his early years, and his early interest in architecture. He describes being led into a career as an art director for features, including Easy Money, and eventually being hired to work on Lorne Michaels’ The New Show. He chronicles his many years working as a production designer on Saturday Night Live, discussing his role on the production design team, and the various sets he designed for the show over the years. Raywood recounts doing production design for several MTV and VH1 shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards, VH1 Divas, MTV Unplugged, and VH1 Storytellers. He recalls designing the set for The Concert for New York City in the wake of 9/11, and working on Def Comedy Jam. He discusses helping to design the initial sets for 30 Rock, and returning to help out with the show’s two live episode later in its run. He speaks of production designing for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Lip Sync Battle. He concludes by detailing his style, and speaking of career achievements and regrets. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on September 14, 2017 in Burbank, CA.
In their two-hour joint interview, the Saturday Night Live production design team, Eugene Lee, Keith Raywood, Leo Yoshimura, and Joe DeTullio, talk about how each of them came to join the staff of Saturday Night Live. They recall designing the various “home base” sets for the show over the years, and consulting with executive producer Lorne Michaels for his input. They describe how they collaborate with each other, and with other departments on the show. They describe working with the various directors of the show, and on the unique challenges of doing production design for a live broadcast. They chronicle some of their favorite sets and most memorable moments, and working with the musical guests. Finally, they opine on why Saturday Night Live has endured, and speculate on how much longer they might stay with the show. Jenni Matz conducted the interview on May 17, 2017 in New York, NY.
Highlights
Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
Keith Raywood on production designing for several MTV and VH1 shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards, and VH1 Divas
Keith Raywood on his early years as art director on Saturday Night Live, and on early sets he designed
Keith Raywood on production designing 30 Rock for producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels
Keith Raywood on deciding to become a production designer
Keith Raywood on his early love of movies
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on deciding to become a production designer; on television he watched growing up
On his early love of movies; on his education and on pursuing a career as an architect; on his first art director job for the feature "Easy Money," which years later led to his being hired at Saturday Night Live
On working as an art director for Lorne Michaels at Broadway video; on the role of an art director; on working on Lorne Michaels' The New Show, and on going to work for Saturday Night Live in 1985
On considering leaving Saturday Night Live after his fifth year, and on becoming credited as a production designer; on production designing for several MTV and VH1 shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards and VH1 Divas
On working with the music artists like Madonna on what they want the stage to look like for MTV Music Video Awards or VH1 Rock Honors, and on planning the sets for each performance; on balancing his work with Saturday Night Live with his freelance work for MTV; on doing production design for MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers
Chapter 2
On ways in which he presents music on television, including the Eagles Hell Freezes Over special on MTV; on how the production design department works with other departments
On production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11; on production designing Def Comedy Jam
On production designing 30 Rock; on designing the offices for the characters on 30 Rock, and on working with Alec Baldwin; on returning to 30 Rock to help with the live episodes
On the tools he uses in his work as a production designer; on working within a budget; on considering different shooting formats when planning a production design
On production designing for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on production designing for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
On production designing for Lip Sync Battle, and on telling a story with the space he's creating; on the production values getting bigger over time on Lip Sync Battle, and on favorites he's worked with on the show
On what has changed about being a production designer since he started, and on the advancing technology; on wining Emmy Awards for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live; on what he enjoys about production design
On his signature style; on career achievements and regrets and on advice to aspiring production designers; on how he would like to be remembered
Chapter 3
START OF JOINT INTERVIEW WITH SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE PRODUCTION DESIGN TEAM: Eugene Lee on how he came to join Saturday Night Live, and on his early experience with the show; on designing the Saturday Night Live home base set
On Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set; on the llama running joke on Saturday Night Live; Keith Raywood and Joe DeTullio on how they joined Saturday Night Live
On how the team functions together, and on a typical workweek for the team; on what makes working on Saturday Night Live production design unique
On their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live; on reusing old sets on Saturday Night Live; on dealing with the tight time constraints of Saturday Night Live, and on their biggest challenges
Chapter 4
On working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King; on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live; on their favorite sets, and on Saturday Night Live being live
On their longevity staying with Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with crazy weeks; on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on-air; on appearing in sketches on Saturday Night Live from time to time, and on the "Weekend Update" set
On the most fun sets to design for Saturday Night Live; on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live; on favorite sets they've worked on for Saturday Night Live
On continuing to work on Saturday Night Live; on the enduring popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on what keeps them working there
Shows
30 Rock
Keith Raywood on production designing 30 Rock for producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels
Keith Raywood on designing the offices for the characters on 30 Rock, and on working with Alec Baldwin
Keith Raywood on designing "Liz Lemon's" apartment on 30 Rock
Keith Raywood on returning to 30 Rock to help with the live episodes
Concert for New York City, The
Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
Def Comedy Jam
Keith Raywood on production designing Def Comedy Jam
Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)
Keith Raywood on winning Emmys for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Keith Raywood on production designing for Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Lip Sync Battle
Keith Raywood on production designing for Lip Sync Battle, and on telling a story with the space he's creating
Keith Raywood on the production values getting bigger over time on Lip Sync Battle, and on favorites he's worked with on the show
MTV Unplugged
Keith Raywood on doing production design for MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers
MTV Video Music Awards
Keith Raywood on production designing for several MTV and VH1 shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards and VH1 Divas
Keith Raywood on working with the music artists like Madonna on what they want the stage to look like for MTV Music Video Awards or VH1 Rock Honors, and on planning the sets for each performance
Keith Raywood on balancing his work with Saturday Night Live with his freelance work for MTV
Keith Raywood on wining Emmy Awards for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Eugene Lee on how he came to join Saturday Night Live, and on his early experience with the show
SNL Production Design Team on designing the Saturday Night Live home base set
SNL Production Design Team on Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set
SNL Production Design Team on the llama running joke on Saturday Night Live
Keith Raywood on how he became involved with Saturday Night Live, and on his role within the team
Joe DeTullio on how he joined Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical workweek
SNL Production Design Team on what makes working on Saturday Night Live production design unique
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on reusing old sets on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with the tight time constraints of Saturday Night Live, and on their biggest challenges
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on their favorite sets, and on Saturday Night Live being live
SNL Production Design Team on their longevity staying with Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with crazy weeks
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
SNL Production Design Team on appearing in sketches on Saturday Night Live from time to time, and on the "Weekend Update" set
SNL Production Design Team on the most fun sets to design for Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on favorite sets they've worked on for Saturday Night Live, and on assessing their job after a given show
SNL Production Design Team on continuing to work on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on the enduring popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on what keeps them working there
Keith Raywood on his first art director job for the feature "Easy Money," which years later led to his being hired at Saturday Night Live
Keith Raywood on working on Lorne Michaels' The New Show, and on going to work for Saturday Night Live in 1985
Keith Raywood on his early years as art director on Saturday Night Live, and on early sets he designed
Keith Raywood on considering leaving Saturday Night Live after his fifth year, and on becoming credited as a production designer
Keith Raywood on wining Emmy Awards for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The
Keith Raywood on production designing for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Topics
9/11
Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
Emmy Awards
Keith Raywood on winning Emmys for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live
Historic Events and Social Change
Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
Professions
Art Director/Set Decorator
Keith Raywood on the role of an art director
Designers
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
Keith Raywood on the role of an art director
Keith Raywood on ways in which he presents music on television, including the Eagles Hell Freezes Over special on MTV
Keith Raywood on how the production design department works with other departments
Keith Raywood on the tools he uses in his work as a production designer
Keith Raywood on working within a budget
Keith Raywood on considering different shooting formats when planning a production design
Keith Raywood on what has changed about being a production designer since he started, and on the advancing technology
Keith Raywood on what he enjoys about production design
Keith Raywood on his signature style
Keith Raywood on advice to aspiring production designers
Production Designer
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical work week for the team
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
Keith Raywood on ways in which he presents music on television, including the Eagles Hell Freezes Over special on MTV
Keith Raywood on how the production design department works with other departments
Keith Raywood on the tools he uses in his work as a production designer
Keith Raywood on working within a budget
Keith Raywood on considering different shooting formats when planning a production design
Keith Raywood on what has changed about being a production designer since he started, and on the advancing technology
Keith Raywood on what he enjoys about production design
Keith Raywood on his signature style
Keith Raywood on advice to aspiring production designers
Genres
Comedy Series
Keith Raywood on production designing 30 Rock
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Keith Raywood on working on Lorne Michaels' The New Show, and Saturday Night Live
Keith Raywood on working on various MTV and VH1 productions including the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Unplugged, and VH1 Storytellers
Keith Raywood on ways in which he presents music on television, including the Eagles Hell Freezes Over special on MTV
Keith Raywood on production designing The Concert for New York City after 9/11
Keith Raywood on production designing for Lip Sync Battle
Talk Shows
Keith Raywood on production designing for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
People
Alec Baldwin
Keith Raywood on designing the offices for the characters on 30 Rock, and on working with Alec Baldwin
Jimmy Fallon
Keith Raywood on production designing for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Tina Fey
Keith Raywood on production designing 30 Rock for producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels
Don Roy King
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
Beth McCarthy-Miller
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
Lorne Michaels
SNL Production Design Team on Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set
Keith Raywood on working as an art director for Lorne Michaels at Broadway video
Keith Raywood on production designing 30 Rock for producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels
Conan O'Brien
Keith Raywood on production designing for Late Night with Conan O'Brien
