Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1109293
A L I T A : B A T T L E A N G E L | P E R S P E C T I V E 9 7 Style Sheet : AMBUSH ALLEY scenes 27-29 Style Sheet : AMBUSH ALLEY scenes 27-29 sequences with action. It was easy to visualize the movie early on based on his great frames. We knew the critical concerns were good sight lines with plenty of depth down Iron City's streets, and enough street width to get the shots, as echoed by Robert and director of photography Bill Pope. While the city footprint went through a number of iterations, plans came back around and stayed pretty true to the original layout. Steve and I immediately set to the task of studying historic backlots using Google Earth, taking cues from those who'd already walked that road. Room for a camera crane, long lens shots, blue screens, cable access, stunt rigging that included several more cranes, truss spans—it was not a linear equation. We needed room for gyro bikes, tow rigs, Vector's limo, various vehicles that would be fabricated and pedestrian traffic. It doesn't matter how cool a set looks if it doesn't work on the day of shooting. By the time of the build, there were forty-three scissor lifts on rental. Maneuvering equipment to build Iron City required a well- designed footprint with plenty of access points. Supervising Art Director Todd Holland joined us in December. With his energetic tenacity came another layer of relentless attention to detail. I spent Christmas 2015 creating InDesign style sheets filled with photo references to provide tone, palette, dressing and architectural direction for Iron City, Ido's clinic, Ambush Alley, Vector's penthouse and Hugo's crib. We were under pressure for a studio pitch. These style sheets complemented the keyframes and concept art Lightstorm had produced up to that point. Producer Jon Landau then brought to bear the considerable forces in his domain, Lightstorm's fleet of concept artists. Ben Proctor and Dylan Cole led a tenacious band of extraordinary artists; painting keyframes for the current script, answered questions regarding visual effects, set extensions and related queries. They worked on specific character design notes, the look of the Motorball players and of course, Alita. The tandem teaming of Lightstorm and Troublemaker made for the possibility of a successful pitch. D E C