Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1177962
9 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 losing the director to the shooting crew. And with that, the work began! First on the list was to fi nd the key locations that would give a strong visual contrast between the prosperous farms with access to water and the plaintiff s of Blackwood County, who were ridden with drought. These two worlds met in the middle at a casino set on an Indian reservation. The Rising Sun Hotel and Casino needed to be an unkempt haven of vices, yet inviting enough that the audience could see the show's hero frequenting it for long periods of time. The shoot schedule indicated a heavy page count in this casino. Already established within the casino were eleven distinct areas, including a hotel lobby, keno bar, lounge with a stage, buff et, high limit room, high stakes room, gift shop, security room, hotel hallway and two hotel rooms, which meant there was a slim chance of fi nding a real casino that would have all the required elements, let alone one willing to let a production disrupt its lucrative gambling business, with a pesky fi lm crew moving in for long stretches of time. Simply inquiring to fi lm a casino exterior brought about a lengthy tribal approval process. But more importantly, the look just wasn't quite right. The casinos within the generous distance the show was willing to travel didn't hit the mark. I wanted old Reno with a touch of American Indian décor, but without specifying on which tribal land the casino was set. Keeping it touristy and generic was key. It would have to be built, and a 14,000-square-foot build at that. With the time frame and budget in mind, Set Designer Andrew Leitch and I did a fi rst pass of a casino fl oor plan. When I showed the showrunner, he said, "I want this set to be spectacular. It needs to be doubled in size." I know better than to argue with that request! So, we doubled the size. And the production's supportive line producer, Derek Johansen, convinced Amazon to let us build it. B D A A. CASINO GROUND PLAN. DRAWN BY ANDREW LEITCH IN VECTORWORKS. B. CASINO MOOD BOARD. RENDERING BY DANIELLE AZIZ IN PODIUM. C. RISING SUN HOTEL AND CASINO LOUNGE. SET PHOTO. D. RISING SUN HOTEL AND CASINO. VIEW OF CASHIER CAGE, HOTEL LOBBY AND THE END OF THE BLACKJACK TABLES. BUILT ON STAGE. PRODUCTION STILL. C