RuPaul’s Drag Race: 5 Surprising Things We Learned from Our Set Visit
The drag competition show, now entering its 17th season, continues to evolve
RuPaul’s Drag Race is getting a refresh!
PEOPLE recently visited the set of the Emmy-winning reality competition program and got a rare behind-the-scenes look at the changes following its historic 16th season and ahead of its just announced 17th season.
While there may be cosmetic changes to sets, the core of the show remains unchanged: showcasing and celebrating drag.
“We continue to have fun, we continue to be amazed by the queens and we try to innovate every year — to mix things up so you don’t know what’s coming next,” says Drag Race co-creator and executive producer Tom Campbell.
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“We have always celebrated drag but I think the world is catching on about how incredible and how freeing and how beautiful the art of drag is,” adds supervising producer and judge Michelle Visage.
“There are people in this country who would have things be different,” reflects executive producer Mandy Salangsang. “And how important it is for us to, through this incredible platform, continue to share and spread the message of love and inclusion and art and celebration of life differences and similarities.”
From looks to lip syncs, here are 5 surprising things we learned during our set visit.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race sets are getting upgraded for Season 17 as storytelling needs and production technologies evolve.
One of the major changes will be how the show is lit.
“If we were in an era, it’d be a Glossier era,” says lighting designer Gus Dominguez on fine-tuning the show’s look. “We’ve tried to hone in a softer environment for the queens ‘in reality.’ And then on stage and in challenges, we’ve then added a glossier finish…time codes for music, automation, stuff like that. So it’s a bigger punch than you would normally see in previous years.”
The way the show is shot is different, too.
“We have a techno jib on certain days, which is a telescopic camera,” explains director Nick Murray. “We’ve used steady camera numerous times now, especially in the finale episodes. We just want to grow with the times and give the viewer a more, enhanced visual feel to the show.”
Murray also added drones have been used for certain shots.
However, the crew’s goal remains to show the queens in the best light, literally and figuratively.
“We really show the audience what the queens are presenting and let them be kind of the shining star right in front of the lens,” adds cinematographer Michael Jacob Kerber
