Paddleton.

The world of Paddleton is dull and colorless—not dark, per se, but certainly without luster. Most of the action takes place in drab, neutral colored settings. Lehmann communicates a monotonous existence for these characters, their dull environs acting as a primary vessel for his major theme. Bright and garish lighting also emphasizes the wretched mundanity. The lighting in Andy’s workplace, and in an opening scene at the doctor’s office, for example, evoke the sort of wanting-to-be-elsewhere that comes with too-bright fluorescent lights. This effect, combined with the various settings and color schemes, conjure the sense of awful monotony that flavors Michael and Andy’s lives. The only joy for our protagonists, it seems, derives from their friendship with one another and the game they invented together, called ‘paddleton.’