Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
I kept that in mind throughout the process. I embraced the look of the outside and decided to make the home like a wooden jewel box, worn and faded on the outside, and colorful and full of wisdom, family and creativity on the inside. The higher you go in the home, the more intimate and colorful it gets. A lot of thought was put into the attic set, where all the creativity between the girls took place and where Jo could write. The entire exterior home, roads, stonewalls and gardens were built on that location and all the interiors were built on a soundstage. Greta also wanted a big start to the fi lm, with Jo going to New York City to get her book published, so the production needed to create NYC in the late 1800s. For this we went to an area in Lawrence, MA. I was familiar with this area, and it was the perfect location. It had a couple old courthouses and a town hall on a cobblestone square that could be altered and tailored fi t to the production's needs. The facelift took about six weeks of construction, signage and dressing. I think more than fi ve hundred signs were made, some hand-painted and some printed. To me nothing makes a period fi lm look more visually pleasing than the use of graphics and signs—it transports the audience to a time and a place like no other visual aid. It took weeks of design and drafting, and the Art Department built a model of the whole square. The production was able to block all the action and fi nd the best angles from that model. I'm still a big fan of the foam core model! C B A E A. MARCH HOUSE, DINING ROOM BACKING STUDY BY ART DIRECTOR, BRYAN FELTY. PLAN OF CAMERA ANGLES IN THE DINING ROOM SET TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE BACKING COVERAGE. B. MARCH HOUSE DINING ROOM. RENDERING BY GREG HILL IN PHOTOSHOP. C. MARCH HOUSE ATTIC. ILLUSTRATION BY GREG HILL IN PHOTOSHOP. D. MARCH HOUSE. ATTIC. SET PHOTO. E. MARCH HOUSE. BETH AND AMY'S ROOM COMPLETED. SET PHOTO. D