The Last-Minute Magic of The Tonight Show: Production Designers Kelly Hanson and Heather Wolenskys Thrilling Thrill Ride
In the world of late-night television, the rush of putting together a show at the last minute is a thrilling and infectious experience for both the creative team and the audience. However, few shows embody this scrappy, last-minute energy quite like "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." The production designers, Kelly Hanson and Heather Wolensky, have a relentlessly creative instinct and flexible problem-solving skills that come from their early theater training.
One of the most memorable games on the show is the "Human Claw Machine," which required a giant-sized pit of toys and a wire rig to safely move the contestants as they attempt to be "human claw machines" and haul up the prizes while scrambling through the air. The first time they did it, figuring out the spatial relations to allow their bodies to become giant "claws" in their tiny upstage space was a special challenge.
In addition to determining how many stuffed animals you need to fill a 6x12 foot tank on a quick turnaround, Hanson activated a special consultant to make sure the game was "A Minecraft Movie" specific. She texted her 11-year-old son, who is a Minecraft fanatic, and he sent her a list of items they should include in the tank. He also suggested including a pig head crown as a tribute to Technoblade, a beloved young YouTuber who had died of cancer a few years ago. The show got approval from the production team, and his tribute was widely noticed online, which was heartwarming and a really lovely collaboration with her son.
Collaboration is key for the production design team on "The Tonight Show," as well as for sketches and desk bits. A "JORTS" music video required all the props to be designed and hand-drawn as 2D objects that interact with 3D people. Sometimes, however, the show's art team has to improvise. Hanson and Wolensky get a heads-up at 10:30 on the day of if there's a timely sketch that requires their attention, and even with a prop warehouse standing by at the ready (for 3D objects, at least), that's not a lot of time.
The production team at "The Tonight Show" has also made its studio more responsive over the years. They replaced the printed cityscape backdrop behind Fallon's desk with an LED wall, which is a bit of risk with studio space at a premium since LED walls usually need a lot of space to work well on camera. But the production team figured out a way to make it work, and they have added video behind Higgins, their announcer, as well as on their "header" surfaces throughout the studio. These additions, in combination with their new and improved 13'x24' mobile upstage video wall, have set them up with a dynamic space that can be transformed quickly.
Ultimately, it's Hanson and Wolensky and their team that do the transforming. Their art department of six is comprised of incredible people, and between them, they are able to seamlessly flow and keep up with the day-to-day while supporting each other. Each person on the team is essential, and then of course, last but not least, their scenics.
