SEWERS AND THE CITY

Production designer Yashar Kassai and head of cinematography Kent Seki talk Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

BY KEVIN JOHNSON

1. Kent Seki: Our big idea is that there’re these two worlds: the teenage world is unto itself, you and your friends hanging out. Then there’s also this adult world. And that would include Splinter being the adult father figure for the kids, or the turtles.

2. Yashar Kassai: The original toy line was a major influence on design. The amount of detail layered onto every mutant character in that lineup was insane. I haven’t seen anything like it since. The movie’s lighting and color oscillates between authentic New York nights and surreal alien color schemes.

3. YK:This is a coming of age film about teens. Jeff Rowe, our director, used the term “teenage energy” very early on. The design philosophy of this film is “draw like you’re 15.” Be emo and cringe. Draw very serious things but add levity by drawing them shitty.

4. YK: We make sense of it all with good lighting and color. We can help the audience see what’s important that way. We design everything in an asymmetrical, messy, and naive way but then bathe those things in really cool lighting and color schemes. It’s a satisfying combination for artists.