FX’s “ Shogun ” had planned to shoot in Japan; due to the pandemic, the production shifted to Vancouver. Production designer Helen Jarvis had never been to Japan, nor had she read James Clavell’s original novel that the series is based on. Nonetheless, she was determined to bring authenticity to the locations when building the world of feudal Japan in the 1600s.
FX’s drama series required Jarvis to transform two exterior backlots and two soundstages, building everything from a fishing village to a harbor to royal palaces. Speaking with Variety , Jarvis says, “At the time, Osaka was a significantly large city. It’s a very convoluted coastline.
If you look at a contemporary view, it’s mostly built up with concrete with many inlets and there wasn’t one huge harbor.” The old mill was a cedar factory with a man-made inlet; it became the perfect setting to build the port and fishing harbor. Jarvis and her team built jetties and buildings that wrapped around the water.
Those buildings were what Jarvis describes as humble. “With the city of Osaka, we would graduate from those buildings owned by the fishermen who lived right at the end of the water. The buildings would grow, and as you approach the castle, the houses would get larger and more prestigious,” Jarvis says.
“Shogun” isn’t the only recent show where production designers had to tackle transforming unlikely locations into Asian cities. It’s a commonality that binds several titles vying for Emmy.
