Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1332040
Art Director Greg Allison. This allowed the Art Department to design the complex and contained the geography we created to provide maximum coverage for filming, while maintaining the landscape as a constant backdrop. Sightlines—the camera's focal length and the relationship from one point to another were crucial in designing the Hokitika set. We made models and spent many hours on site, pegging out structures and checking lenses prior to the start of construction. We then focused our attention on the interior and exterior details garnered from the reference images and applied them to each set. The final result is a culmination of the research and visual reference and our specific palette, tone and style. The landscape was created entirely from the ground up and involved the work of landscapers, carpenters and scenic painters for months before the final dress could take place. A large crew supervised by key greensman Roger Allan cleared the land, laid roads, drainage and installed water tanks, just as one would in an actual town. They also installed hundreds of tree trunks as part of the dress, to indicate where the trees had been milled to provide timber to build this new town. The result was a large 'living set' chosen for its ability to provide 270-degree coverage during filming. I remain proud of the world the series created, the result of which is unlike anything seen before on screen. It is a presentation of a uniquely Antipodean period in history. A 'New Zealand gothic,' rich and with layered ephemera, local flora, fauna, landscape and architecture. As a New Zealander of Mori and European descent, it was a great privilege to be part of the creative team that brought The Luminaries to life. ADG E. HOKITIKA STREET. INTERIOR/EXTERIOR LOCATION BUILD. F. HOKITIKA, CROSBIE HUT. G. HOKITIKA, CROWN HOTEL. INTERIOR STAGE SET. H. HOKITIKA, GASCOIGNE COTTAGE. LOCATION BUILD. SET PHOTO. Felicity Abbott, Production Designer Gary Mackay, Supervising Art Director Alistair Kay, Greg Allison, Art Directors Mike Becroft, On-Set Art Director Jennifer Hitchcock, Assistant Art Director Marina Stojanovic, Zahra Archer Minogue, Set Designers Conor O'Leary, Nick Nocera, Draughtsmen Filippo Valsecchi, Lead Concept Artist Sue Mercer, Sarah Dunn, Polly Zee Walker, Graphic Artists Daniel Birt, Set Decorator E F G H