Half Man's production designer, Emer O’Sullivan, steered clear of clichés.

      When production designer Emer O’Sullivan received the scripts for Half Man, Richard Gadd’s follow-up to the Emmy-winning Baby Reindeer, she realized she needed to craft a world filled with realism that avoided the pitfalls of poverty porn.

      This meant anchoring the series in a relatable reality composed of soft pastels and comforting elements, instead of the clichéd grays and minimalistic aesthetics often found in British working-class narratives. By incorporating unexpected layers and a sense of softness, O’Sullivan created an environment that mirrored the characters’ existence while they navigated challenging circumstances.

      “We were aware of our social duty to steer clear of that style of British filmmaking, which can appear rather rough,” she states.

      HBO’s Half Man follows Niall (Jamie Bell) through various phases of his life, starting in a small, confined world that gradually broadens, especially as he forges a “brotherly” relationship with Ruben (Gadd). Eventually, the two become estranged, until Ruben reappears at Niall’s wedding three decades later.

      Emer O’Sullivan on the Aesthetic Evolution of Half Man

      Half Man production designer Emer O’Sullivan. HBO

      As the characters mature, the production design evolves accordingly. O’Sullivan tracks the disruption brought by Ruben’s return by introducing new patterns, contrasting textiles, and elements inspired by the 1970s. As the series progresses, the palette becomes increasingly darker.

      “We embraced much of Scotland and Glasgow’s brutalist architecture,” she notes. “We discovered an excellent location for the school nestled in the hills, which provided a splash of color but still had a gritty housing vibe.”

      O'Sullivan and her team utilized texture to create a sense that viewers could reach out and touch what they saw. She incorporated harder plastics, shiny vinyl, and glass while maintaining the brutalist aesthetic.

      O’Sullivan acknowledges that this approach was challenging, particularly as some locations resulted in unexpected delays and pressures. The team aimed for a cinder-block finish requiring meticulous plasterwork, which took time, and the spaces needed to accommodate large events, like fighting and drinking scenes. Many of the desired buildings proved unsafe for filming. At one point, production had to be reorganized when a location could not be ready on time.

      Ultimately, O’Sullivan hopes that her extra visual details will fully engage viewers in the narrative.

      “We aimed to amplify that sense of foreboding,” she clarifies. “Even when Ruben is working in a community center that’s intended to be nice and wholesome, it still feels quite shabby.”

      The wedding scenes, teased in the show’s trailer and summaries, brought an entirely new set of challenges.

      Half Man changes colors and patterns as the plot unfolds. HBO

      “We utilized four different locations to create one wedding venue,” O’Sullivan explains. Locating the perfect barn took a significant amount of time, and fans hoping to visit the site for their own weddings may be disappointed.

      O’Sullivan desired a “homespun” appearance, but sourcing authentic references proved difficult in today’s Instagram-saturated world, where everything seems designed for online sharing.

      “Trying to capture what the wedding would be like, who would do the decorating, and what could appear homespun or not was a challenge,” she remarks. “A nephew of ours recently had a genuinely homespun wedding in his local community hall, where everyone contributed a dish. It was very low-key, and that became an inspiration for us.”

      Rather than achieving perfect matches, she harmonized the spaces with small details such as flowers, table settings, and textures from the buildings themselves.

      “It was quite costly for the production to travel to all these distant locations, but in the end, we were very satisfied with how everything turned out,” she adds.

      Half Man is currently streaming on HBO Max. You can find more of our Emmy contender interviews here.