Them: BTS with Producer Miri Yoon
There’s a place where hopes and dreams meets the horror of reality and the otherworldly; that place is Them. This series depicts the monsters who walk among us and those whom they might awaken in so doing. Producer Miri Yoon was a force behind realizing the vision creator/showrunner Little Marvin and Emmy Award–winner Lena Waithe (Master of None, The Chi) and had for this Amazon Studios/Sony Picture Television original production. Independent Spirit Awards nominations for Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas, as well as a WGA Best Screenplay nomination are proclaiming the greatness of this limited streaming series. The genre of psychological horror with societal prejudice continue to be elevated by productions such as Them.
The Emory family relocates to Los Angeles in pursuit of California dreams and escape from Jim Crow South. Compton looked far different in those days and their white new neighbors are going to make it readily apparent to the Emorys that they have made an error in assuming they’d be welcome. Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde of Primetime Emmy nominated HBO series The Affair) and Henry (Ashley Thomas of Primetime Emmy nominated series The Good Fight) battle an escalating series of racism which cultivates the darker nature of all. The slow reveal of Them is that we’d do well to be aware of the danger from outside and from within. The writing, direction and cinematography of the series is extraordinary in communicating the look of this time period as well as moments that range from serene to absolute terror. Every element of Them is of the highest production quality.
Executive Producer Miri Yoon provided the backbone and guidance through the physical production of Them. Her responsibilities ranged from navigating budgetary battles to serving as a creative sounding board. She was essential in helping to build the right team from cast to crew, all the while engaging with the studio to be sure they would continue to support and provide the resources needed for the show. While that might sound somewhat typical, it must be considered that many moments of Them are emotionally “ugly” in order to honestly represent an upper-middle class white community’s reaction during this era to a black family. This was an essential component of Little Marvin’s vision. Miri confirms, “It was often emotionally taxing to recreate such an ugly moment in the city’s history. Whether it’s a camera op lensing the scene unfolding, an extra who has to scream the ugliest epithets, the actors who must receive them, the script supervisor who is ensuring every difficult moment is met, etc. We had no shortage of tears on set. The key for us was to ensure we could strike the right balance to convey the time; the covenants, overt racism, the storied past of the African Americans as carried by the Emorys. But, without overdoing it, to do so sensitively and honestly. To make it impossible to dismiss what happened then and open eyes to how that laid the foundation for today. What was unique about the experience of making Them was, that in addition to providing the backbone around which the production could function, there was an added layer of emotional aid and protection we also had to be sure was foremost.” Thankfully, while there were often difficult moments, there was foremost among the cast and crew an overwhelming sense of honor and pride in bringing Little Marvin’s Emory’s vision to life
The painstaking attention to detail in creating Them makes it easy to experience what this family of four is confronted with. The sets, the costuming, the performances, these all are presented with such profound authenticity that making the jump to the more metaphysical moments of horror even more jolting. Storytelling of the highest level such as this only occurs when the coordination of different teams is ideally executed. Miri deflects discussion of her masterful producing on Them, preferring to praise her collaborators. She declares, “It was an honor to provide any amount of guidance to such an incredible talent as Little Marvin. My role here was to provide as many tools as possible for him to tell this story correctly – whether it was for more budget, stronger crew base, as a creative sounding board on set to ensure everything was working as it should, etc. It takes experience and skill to be able to consistently walk a tight line between creative ambition, the practical demands of production, and the landscape between studio and network. In the instance of this series, my work as executive producer was more exhaustive than might typically be yet also was one of the most rewarding of experiences to be so deeply embedded into the DNA of achieving an incredibly meaningful, ambitious vision.”
Writer: Calvin Hooney
