Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1332040
8 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 Dunedin Streets Dunedin represents the connection to Europe and is the port of arrival for the characters Anna Wetherell and Emery Staines. From Dunedin, prospectors make their way by land or sea to Hokitika and the West Coast of the South Island. The absence of period-correct streets meant this set was built from scratch. The Dunedin exterior streets were constructed in the car park outside the production office. The result was a wonderful collaboration between construction, greens, set decoration and scenic teams. This set went up quickly, in a matter of weeks. It was then partially re-configured and enlarged, to create the Dunedin quay set. The exterior of The House of Many Wishes was part of this exterior set build. During the research phase, I discovered a photograph of the former 'Oriental' hotel of Dunedin. This became the inspiration for the exterior set build. A four-story timber building in an ornamental 'continental' Gothic style, with oriel windows and Tudoresque-style chimneys, The House of Many Wishes exterior stands tall in the completed Dunedin streets set, an eccentric contrast to its architecturally conservative neighbors, with its elaborately ornamented façade. Hokitika The town of Hokitika is key to the setting of the story and is known to Mori as Te Waipounamu, or 'the Greenstone Waters,' a direct reference to the South Island being the source of treasured pounamu (greenstone). On the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Hokitika was first settled in 1860 after the discovery of gold. It was a vital river port and many ships came to wreck on the notorious 'Hokitika Bar.' Ten key images from the National Library collections formed the basis of the design concept and set build for the township. It occurred to me during the research phase, we were creating a distinctive genre: a wet' Western. Many of the film's cinematic and historical influences for similar gold rush towns were from markedly dry landscapes. With its spectacular Alps, picturesque fiords and subtropical forest, the New Zealand landscape is best seen in the misty rain, under a diffuse blanket of white cloud. A far cry from the dusty 'Western' resonances I discussed with the director, such as Once Upon a Time in the West and True Grit. The Hokitika sets were built over a four-month period on a private farm in West Auckland, led by A. DUNEDIN QUAY. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY FILIPPO VALSECCHI. B. HOKITIKA TOWN. SET MODEL BY ART DIRECTOR GREG ALLISON. C. DUNEDIN QUAY WITH THE GODSPEED BARQUE. SET PHOTO BY KIRSTY GRIFFIN, BELLA PACIFIC MEDIA. D. DUNEDIN QUAY WITH THE GODSPEED BARQUE. SET PHOTO. A B C D