Personagem em cena: a direção de arte como forma de narrar Monica Geller em Friends

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the construction of the character Monica Geller in the television series Friends (NBC, 1994–2004) through the perspective of production design, understood as a fundamental expressive language in audiovisual media, responsible for articulating scenography, costume design, makeup, hair, and props in the visual construction of characters. The research is grounded in the works of authors such as Vera Hamburger, Simone Maria Rocha, Jeremy Butler, Rosane Muniz, and Simone Knox, who discuss production design, television style, and sitcom aesthetics. The methodology adopted is television style analysis, which was analyzed by Jeremy Butler and Simone Maria Rocha, employed to understand the role of production design within the series. The analysis goes beyond scene description, interpreting visual choices through the functions of television style and examining how repetition, variation, and continuity of aesthetic elements contribute to the character’s development over time. The results indicate that production design acts as a mediator between narrative, character, and viewer, accompanying Monica’s maturation and transforming domestic space into a symbolic extension of her identity. It is concluded that, in Friends, production design plays a central role in character construction, as exemplified by Monica Geller, and is a fundamental element for understanding the series.