Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/610353
30 P E R S P E C T I V E | N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Both of these sets had fully removable ceiling pieces which allowed for the wires of the stunt flying rigs to travel along the entire set, supported from trusses and tracks suspended above, and for lighting access. The actors flew on computer-controlled wire rigs and their movements through the set were timed to meet the hub ladder shafts, which were also computer-controlled, just at the moment where actual gravity assisted the actors' move down the moving shafts. Green screens were hung to camera to suit the action and the sets were lidar scanned and photometrically sampled in order to complete the sections where ceilings had been removed. The rec room and gym sets were designed with a curved floor and ceiling following the exterior wheel radius and were also able to rotate through 60-degrees at variable speeds on a massive steel gimbal. Both interior and exterior visual effects plates were shot of the rec room and gym as it rotated, with furniture and props either bolted or Velcroed down. Actors' and camera moves were timed with the set movement to create a sense of the wheel's rotation. Visual effects plates where also shot to complete the exterior of the ship digitally and to add exterior views of the rest of the ship which seemed to be rotating relative to the interior. Lights rigged on camera cranes simultaneously swung across from outside of the set windows and completed the illusion of rotation. Another stage was devoted to the Mars Ascent Vehicle exterior and interior cockpit set. The actors flew on Above: A rendered and lighted study for the Hermes gravity wheel by Art Director Matt Wynne, showing the air lock hub and module. Above, clockwise from top left: A study by Gábor Szabó of the air lock exterior, exploring how much needed to be built and how much could be added as a set extension. The air lock set on stage at Korda Studios, its top section removed for wire work. The highly detailed interior of the air lock set. The air lock being moved between stages in Budapest.