Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1072449
ACT 6 & 7: London & Hong Kong (by Henry Dunn) The last of the episodes I designed took place in London and Hong Kong. The time span that the episode covered was from 1961 through to present day. The shift this time was to create a very realistic setting for a thriller. All of the settings from the London houses of the early and mid-'60s to a bachelor pad in 1980s Hong Kong, had to be spot-on in order to keep the story crackling along. An additional challenge was that one of the houses in London needed to transition from 1963 until 1987. Time changes were told through redecorating, significant but subtle changes like A. THE HOSPITAL WARD FROM "THE ONE THAT HOLDS EVERYTHING." B. PRODUCTION STILL OF THE BURROW'S HOUSE FROM "THE ONE THAT HOLDS EVERYTHING." C. TRAIN SET UNDER CONSTRUCTION FROM "THE ONE THAT HOLDS EVERYTHING." D. & E. TRAIN SET FROM "THE ONE THAT HOLDS EVERYTHING." the wallpaper and the furniture, the stereo and television all had to be implemented in very short order while the crew was shooting in the same location. In this (and every other aspect), Jo Ridler was priceless as the on-set Art Director. The biggest set of the entire series was the train built for the episode. It was meant to mimic the Eurostar train that goes between London and Paris. Logistical reasons prevented shooting the real thing so it was created on stage. At the end of all of these locations, all of the modifications and redressing, it was great fun to finally build a good old-fashioned set on a real soundstage with all the bells and whistles. There is not a lot left of period 1980s Hong Kong, so it was necessary to be highly selective about the shots. Director of photography Chris Manley came up with some wonderful angles to best capture the city without giving away the period. The biggest set was the trading floor that was created in an empty space on the twenty-third story of a building in central Hong Kong. Sixty matching 1985 desktop computer trading stations had to be found. They were eventually tracked down on the mainland but they all had to be painted, as they had yellowed with age. A B C D E