On tonight's episode of Mitchie Babbles About The JATP Set Design: THE HOLLYWOOD GHOST CLUB VS JULIE'S BEDROOM!
So we all know Mr. Caleb Covington is our abhorred little evil magic demon ghost. But something about the Hollywood Ghost Club's interior design interested me a lot. The roundness and softness of everything.
From a "Caleb is trying to make the boys feel safe to stay" stand point, this choice makes a lot of sense. Roundness is a lot less intimidating and a lot more welcoming than sharp, jagged edges.
For example, take a look at Caleb versus our favorite little lifer, Julie.
Even with the weaponized Cross in her hand or crossed arms and an unhappy look on her face, there's nothing genuinely scary or threatening about puffy sleeve, brightly colored patch wearing Julie, while everything about black stiff, tightly fitted cloak wearing Caleb screams "DANGER RUN AWAY NOW".
Julie's just a regular teenage girl trying to figure out how to navigate having to live with three ghosts haunting her garage, being in a band with them, and establishing proper boundaries with these three boundary-less dumbasses.
Meanwhile, Caleb is a master manipulator demon ghost that has been doing this for decades and knows almost exactly what to say and do to get what he wants, even teenage slaves in his club, and that extends to how he decorates his club.
Julie's bedroom is colored with a white ceiling and soft pastel purple walls with little pops of brighter colors and plants and flowers scattered here and there with warm lighting. It's angular but still warm, cozy and inviting, so much so that Reggie felt at home enough to lay down in Julie's bed and make bed angels and Luke and Alex felt safe to snoop around while Julie wasn't there.
Caleb's club is colored with a stark black ceiling, black stage, black flooring and harsh, bright lighting. The tables, logo and stage are round and somewhat soft-looking, but it still makes the boys uneasy to be there when they first arrive, and Reggie calls the place "creepy" and Alex said to him "If you get scared, you can hide behind me. I'll be hiding behind Luke". No one felt safe there.
Caleb's club almost seems inviting, what with the fun, sparkly and bright parties he throws with loud music. Almost. Where he fails is how dark and "geometric" the club is. The logo is a black perfect circle with gold and neon letters. The tables are small and closed off from one another and the chairs just look harsh.
Julie's room is inviting, even in the dark of evening. It has some angular shapes that are offset by soft drapes and natural imagery like the plants and flowers, the couch by the door that faces the bed, and the open-ness of the large window.
Caleb may be smart, but he's not that smart if he has such a sinister looking club. At least it matches his personality, though.