Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1109293
Monsters Under a Bridge An acolytes encampment. A coven of alien worshippers. Faithful disciples eager to welcome the Legislators. Drug-addled and physically malformed, these human "monsters" have been ostracized from society and now dwell in the shadows of the city's bridges and underpasses. Their grotesque, insectoid appearance remains hidden behind ghostly shrouds. Homeless and unwelcome. Harmless, yet terrifying. Witnessed only at night, their dwellings were designed to emit a mysterious glow from within. Ramshackle structures were erected with found materials like pallets, discarded lumber, metal and translucent boat sails. Building this haunting tent city was one of many fun and creative challenges. An Automobile Graveyard Perhaps escape from these desperate circumstances is possible by water. Perhaps not. A giant alien artillery defense system is in evidence at this distant perimeter. Far across the lake, transport ships ascend into the sky and beyond. Getting across the lake appears impossible. A. ACOLYTES ENCAMPMENT. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA BUSH. B. ACOLYTES ENCAMPMENT. SET LOCATION PHOTOS BY DAWN SWIDERSKI. C. LAKESIDE HIDEOUT. SET LOCATION PHOTO BY CHRIS CLEEK. D. DRONE NEST IN ABANDONED SUBWAY. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA BUSH. E. UNITY RALLY BANNER. GRAPHIC BY KAREN SORI. F. ALTERNATE POWER SOURCE/HACKER'S DEN. SET LOCATION PHOTO. G. MULLIGAN IN THE POD. THE CLOSED ZONE TRANSITION AREA. PRODUCTION PHOTO COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES. A B C Scripted to take place on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Steelworkers Park and Canal was selected. This enormous historic structure lies dormant. Four parallel, half-mile long, thirty- foot-high battered masonry walls were once filled with limestone and iron ore that fed the largest blast furnace in the world. For the film, it would act as an abandoned graveyard of forgotten automobiles. Relics of the mass exodus from the city, dumped here to clear the roads. Two small metal shanties were also built here, camouflaged to match the surroundings. As this area is un-policed by drones, it also plays as a black market hideaway. Food, clean water, batteries, music, etc., are all in high demand. I remember the unforgivingly cold wind chill off the lake made for an interesting preproducton and shoot here. Paint nozzles and camera parts were in constant need of thawing, not to mention the crew. The Familiar Sound of Swarming An abandoned subway station accidentally becomes a safe haven for one of the rebels, but