Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1260764
children, and we wondered what kind of effect that would have on a person in the long term. Every addicted person comes to feel not so great about it. They get more of what's needed to feel less bad, but then feel bad again. That is a loop and she is caught in it. The house interiors built on stage would not fit into the same scale house built for olda in the woods. Some of the rooms would be of epic proportions but would make sense if they were situated underground. I drew inspiration from the Third Reich's architect and manipulator of scale and proportion Albert Speer, and the grand architecture of ussolini's Italian fascism. I punctuated her architecture with severity and brutality. olda's house contains many elements that are recognizable, such as the chevrons on the exterior faade, taken from the gates to the concentration camps. These motifs can also be seen on grills, on firepits and ovens throughout the house. lack metal clad A-frame expressionistic architecture supplied modernistic meaning. I viewed her house as more sci-fi, possibly a darkened gun metal grey scorched stealth bomber. efore returning to Ireland, I prepared sketches so that the Set Designer rendan Rankin would be able to generate both the working drawings and D models of olda's house for construction. I was informed by the studio that I had to start construction from the first day of preproduction, so that all the interiors would be built before the first day of shooting. The weather would be rather unreliable at this time of year in Ireland, so substantial rain cover would be needed. Shooting would be October through December, and there is a very good reason Ireland is overrun by such pastures green. Christine cDonagh, the Art Director in Ireland I was fortunate enough to work with, helped find an excellent set decorator by the name of enny Oman, whose work is exuisitely detailed, along with a uite brilliant Graphic Artist by the name of Anais ulgrew. Oz and I were just blown away by her illustrations for olda's book of recipes and spells. Designing of the interiors of olda's house have been among my most satisfying endeavours in recent times. It was important to give credence to not only the character of olda the witch but also her back story and to illuminate her darkness. She is allowed to be an addict, but also to feel grief and shame. As the too few weeks of preproduction flew by, a brutalist and severe world was taking shape, and Osgood and I were filling it up with all the styles, tastes and epochs we liked. hile the sets were going up on stage, olda's house was being built in the woods along with Gretel and ansel's village where they lived with their stepmother. The work was being continued steadfastly by the crew, often in the pouring rain. I have seen the world come to a grinding halt when it rains in Los Angeles, but in Ireland it made no difference whatsoever to the Irish construction crew. The outside faade of olda's house was clad in scorched planks of wood in a chevron pattern, the front door and the interior doors of the house were influenced by the decorative doors of the Coptic religion, further proof of the olda's past travels. The layout and look of the exterior were seemingly reminiscent of post and beam in s California, another obvious anachronism. y favourite part of the house exterior is the staggered wooden roof tiling pattern, handmade by the plasterers, and inspired by the deconstructive forms of the olocaust emorial in erlin. nlike the original fairy tale, the witch's abode is not covered in gingerbread or sweets, so there is very little in the appearance of the actual house from the outside to seduce young children, A B A. HOLDA'S BOOK OR RECIPES AND SPELLS. GRAPHICS BY ANAIS MULGREW. B. VILLAGE EXTERIOR. SET PHOTO. C. GRETEL'S JOB INTERVIEW. PRODUCTION STILL. D. HOLDA'S KITCHEN, DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION DONE IN PHOTOSHOP BY JONATHAN MCGONNELL. E. HOLDA'S KITCHEN. SET PHOTO. F. HOLDA'S KITCHEN. PRODUCTION STILL.