Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1332040
Sci-fi corridors are a stand-alone art form. We felt the pressure. Ours would anchor the spaceship, reconfigure for multiple scenes and increase visual tension. T-section returns in all directions, wild walls on boats (with working doors) and an atrium-like junction for a battle standoff, made shooting multiple scenes a puzzle-solving endeavor. With eleven kids running amuck and all manner of "squiggle monsters" giving chase, this set became a focal point and defined the ship's language. Alex Cunningham and I sat down for a pow-wow. I drew a barebones sketch. Two arcs. "Intersect these arcs at a two-thirds/one-third ratio. Make sure we can feel the through lines." One arc represented vertical "columns." The second inverted arc represented headers. Interlocking puzzle pieces would need to hide joints and seams and include lighting opportunities. With pinpoint aesthetic, Alex came back with a striking, fluid 3D concept render, and revealed a clear understanding of modeling for production. Our alien ship interior rocketed into the universe. Fifteen minutes with the right person…you can travel light years. How to crank out the corridor's components? We have a -foot x -foot bed vacuformer in the shop and began to imagine that technology. Only bigger. We weren't an industrial scale client, but we sure were custom. Which, for a vendor meansmore headaches. Who would be willing to work with us? Adam 3D-printed a model. With parts in hand, Steve, Paul Alix and construction coordinator Tom Ward took the 90-minute field trip south to San Antonio and met with the crew at Frank's Manufacturing. Frank's website features products like "Texas Best Lick Feeder" (for your Longhorn cattle) and "Open Top Tanks" for oil and pipeline work. "Specializing in heavy gauge, high-volume thermoforming." That sounded right. They were game. We were stunned. Could it be that simple? Back at the shop, fabricator Clare Surgeson laser- cut scale 2D figures to represent each cast member. Good thing too. What a great reminder of how quickly a space can fill up. With our chess board B. HEROICS TRAM LOGO. GRAPHIC BY SHAINA HEDLUND. C. MRS. GRANADA (PRIYANKA CHOPRA) AND HER HENCHMEN MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE MOTHERSHIP. PRODUCTION STILL. D. SHIP CORRIDORS REFINED. 3D MODEL BY ALEX CUNNINGHAM IN ZBRUSH AND MODO.. E. ALIEN SHIP CORRIDOR/ CATWALK MODEL. ADAM FONTENAULT BROUGHT ALEX CUNNINGHAM'S RENDERING INTO PRUSASLICER TO 3D PRINT COLUMNS.CLARE SURGESON DREW RAILING AND SCALE FIGURES IN ILLUSTRATOR AND CUT PLEXI PARTS ON THE EPILOG LASER. B C D E