Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1124104
underwater and in two different submarines; along with numerous other sets. The Penultimate Peril, which had the most complex geography, was the biggest build. It included streets, an opera house and a massive seaside hotel (that needed to be burned down). The series finale, The End, wanted to feel like a surreal vision or hallucination on a tropical island. Allow me to repeat, all sets would be built on stage. Meanwhile, the season two shoot had to be finished, in which the Beaudelaires once again narrowly escape the clutches of Olaf, this time as the half-built, beyond decrepit, neo fascist brutalistic Heimlich Hospital burns to the ground. They sneak into Olaf's trunk and arrive at the sad and equally rundown Carnivorous Carnival— which included a Big Top, a roller coaster, various tents, trailers, caravans, rides, all of it tragically overgrown and neglected in the vast expanse of the Hinterlands. As that too burns down, Violet and Klaus Baudelaire end up in a circus caravan hitched to the back of Olaf's Toronado, wherein Sunny is being held hostage with Olaf's gang/acting troupe. Deep breath for the final stretch: season three. Books ten to thirteen, seven episodes. The story continues with The Slippery Slope, in the back of a caravan climbing the Mortmain Mountains. Among numerous other sets, icy peaks, frozen streams, forests and caves were built, and within this environment, the charred remains of the VFD (Volunteer Fire Department) headquarters. This tested the limits of the sculpting department led by Aaron Jordan, the greens department led by Kevin Clark, and, as always, was beautifully finished off by scenic maestro John Wilcox. As stylized as the designs were, the textures, weight and flawlessly rendered finishes of these sets brought them to life and made them real. The Grim Grotto, book eleven, featured the handsome submarine of the VFD—Das Boot meets beautiful vintage yacht—going head-to-head with the Carmelita, a hideous Alien-inspired mess of a submarine, chartered by Olaf at the Sub Rental Shack, just off Briny Beach. The design challenge was to differentiate the competing subs in a murky underwater environment. The Grim Grotto itself, a cave beneath a lighthouse, in the middle of a vast body of water, was just one part of a mind-bogglingly mysterious collection of geographical improbabilities made real and visceral by the design team. Then came The Penultimate Peril, which was, necessarily, the most complex design and execution challenge yet. It was made even more complex by the multitude of characters whose storylines A B A. MOUNT FRAUGHT PRELIMINARY SKETCH BY BO WELCH. B. MOUNT FRAUGHT PRODUCTION STILL. C. MOUNT FRAUGHT SET ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE RAMA. D. MOUNT FRAUGHT PRODUCTION STILL. E. VILE VILLAGE FOUNTAIN SKETCH BY BO WELCH. F. VILE VILLAGE. SKETCH. G. VILE VILLAGE. SET ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE RAMA. H. VILE VILLAGE. SET PHOTO. I. LAKE LACHRYMOSE. SET PHOTO. C D