Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1072449
6 0 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 9 As Arthur and Mera continue their journey, they begin to see ripples of the underwater realms appear in the surface. Following the clues to a long-deserted kingdom in the Sahara, they discover the ancient forge where the trident of the first king of Atlantis was made. Seen both in its prime and in ruins, the armory was a full stage build—with background extensions—which included a trio of built-in smelters and pours. The gear-based technology of old Atlantis also returns in the form of a clockwork hologram device, which was functionally devised and engineered by head of prop manufacturing Brett Beacham. Ultimately, their quest leads them to the throne of King Atlan himself, which was a multi-set environment comprised of a location shoot at Australia's Stradbroke Island, a subterranean grotto with an eighteen-foot waterfall featuring beautiful greens work by Ron Walleker, and a final underwater chamber, from the depths of which rises a massive throne. Conceptualized first as a maquette by sculptor Chris McMahon, both the stairs and the throne itself were fully sculpted, as well as the giant stone tentacles that curled from behind it and flowed to the floor of the chamber. For a film that is set predominately underwater, there was surprisingly little tank work involved. The only fully submerged set was the rusted interior of a sunken trawler, which was necessary for a young actor to properly interact with his surroundings. Another tank was utilized to recreate the rocky inlet where the Atlantean queen first washes ashore—as a match to the shoreline at the lighthouse location—and allowed the shooting crew to control the storm-like conditions through the use of dump tanks and wave generators. Also built were partial exteriors of Black Manta's attack craft and an embattled Russian submarine, with stage interiors to match. For the Russian sub, both the bridge and torpedo room were built over tanks, with grates installed into the flooring to allow for a quick reset time when the script called for these compartments to flood. This presented numerous challenges when it came to lighting and decorating the set, and the crew was careful to weight or to perforate the more buoyant items so they would not float off during a take. The underwater kingdoms too had their fair share of watercraft, which were primarily designed by Illustrator Ed Natividad. Notable among them was Orm's massive battle cruiser, the bridge of which was built on stage as a series of full-sized, gray body objects. The spacing of the structural ribs allowed for the set to be beautifully lit from below, and provided plenty of space for the blue screens beyond to give way to the vast ocean vistas over which Orm claims dominion. Recurrent within the bridge was the motif of the glowing blue energy wheel; a design element which also featured prominently into the interface of Mera's personal ship. With the movie's recent release, Brzeski is proud to have been part of such a unique and positive project. "In many ways," he muses, "it's a throwback to an older style of movie. It's really a fantasy of culture. Our job to show that the world isn't a terrible place, and we were ultimately telling the story of two opposed cultures that really are worth saving." Hoping that this message finds resonance with audiences, Brzeski is grateful to all of the craftsmen and artisans who helped bring the world of Atlantis to life. ADG A. DEAD KING'S THRONE. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY LOVE. B. MERA'S SHIP, STAGE SET OF THE COCKPIT ON A GIMBAL WITH PROJECTED CITY OF ATLANTIS BEHIND. ATLANTIS ARTWORK BY CHRISTIAN SCHEURER. C. & D. DEAD KING'S THRONE. STAGE SET. THE TEXTURES WERE ADDED IN POST PRODUCTION. E. DEAD KING'S THRONE. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY LOVE. A