Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
K I N G L E A R | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 3 Richard Eyre's new version of King Lear provided an exciting vehicle in which to present the play. Lear is set in a fictional parallel present, the world is the same, buses run on the streets, traffic, business, etc. But control lies with King Lear, a fascist dictator. The creative team wanted the film to feel contemporary, the different characters in the story require different feels for their scenes. Colour was used sparingly as we decided that the film would gradually become more desaturated as the story progressed. The different environments created hopefully help tell the story, from the power of the Tower of London and Hatfield House, to the squalor of a refugee camp. Fog and a cold light descend over the story as Lear veers into the world of madness and isolation. The following pages hopefully explain the design process through reference, sketches and a description of the way I went about creating the world of 21st- century King Lear. A. ST JOHN'S CHAPEL, THE TOWER OF LONDON. THIS IS A LISTED MONUMENT SO IT WAS A COMPLICATED LOCATION. WORK THAT HAD TO BE DONE WHILST OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THE LOCATION IS VERY FRAGILE SO NOTHING COULD TOUCH WALLS. DRESSING HAD TO CONTRAST STRONGLY WITH THE ARCHITECTURE, TO FEEL LIKE A BOARDROOM, HENCE A GLASS AND STEEL BOARDROOM TABLE WITH WHITE LEATHER CHAIRS. A BUST OF ANTHONY HOPKINS WAS COMMISSIONED FOR THIS SCENE. B. A THUMBNAIL SECTION/ SKETCH SHOWING SCALE AND POSITION OF HANGING CHANDELIER.