ADG Perspective

January-February 2019

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greens, and many corner stores and churches still have old working signs. Despite its progress, the city is still capable of evoking a sense of poverty and desperation, which was essential for the story. For my sensibility, White Boy Rick was a movie that had to be told mostly in real locations. Yann Demange, the fantastic director, and the great cinematographer Tat Radcliffe wanted freedom to weave the camera in and out of places and to shoot 360 degrees in each set. This meant that we had to find locations that could be adapted on a broad scope without using any stage builds. For the main location, the Wershe neighborhood, an area with houses that could be remodeled to the needs of the script was sought out, ones that might also possess additional spaces that could be utilized as support spaces, such as basements and garages. There were many exterior and interior scenes at houses, so it was clear that the production essentially required its own backlot. The Wershe house and the grandparents' house are catty- corner to one another within the neighborhood, so the film took over the entire intersection and made it into one large set. The neighborhood had to be thought of as a whole in terms of the design. The driving approach to the Wershe house had to be thought of and incorporated as well. Street signs and lamps were changed, and front yards and nearby blocks redressed for different seasons and weather such as snow and rain. The production had a large footprint within the Wershe neighborhood and it enabled us to alter it quite a bit. Working with full standing locations also has its own set of challenges. Art Director Audra Avery and the construction B A C A.-C. RICK'S HOUSE, SET PHOTO. D.-F. RICK'S GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE. SET PHOTO. G. CURRY'S GARAGE OFFICE, SET PHOTO. H. CURRY'S GARAGE, STUDY MODEL BY MICHAEL MANNE. I. CURRY'S GARAGE, SET PHOTO.

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