Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/716619
by Ruth De Jong, Production Designer After reading Manchester-by-the-Sea and meeting with writer/director Kenneth Lonergan, I knew what my two greatest challenges on the film would be. First, I needed to integrate the town of Manchester on Cape Ann outside of Boston with the characters he created on the script's pages. The town itself was a character that needed to be understood by the audience without being a distraction. I wanted it to live in the subconscious of the viewer. The environment in which Kenneth's characters live, work and breathe is a significant part of their makeup. I'd argue that it defined who they were. The second challenge was fire. I needed to burn down Lee Chandler's (played by Casey Affleck) house and make that believable, horrific and utterly frightening. To achieve that on the limited funds of an independent film, I knew it had to be done practically, in camera. Opposite page: Manchester-by-the-Sea is a quiet New England town with a picturesque harbor and a wonderful beach on Massachusetts' Cape Ann, north of Boston. Bottom, left to right: Scouting was delayed on Cape Ann by a nor'easter which made driving impossible. The boatyards and the fishing industry are an important part of the culture of Cape Ann. The record-breaking snow covered the entrances and first-floor windows of many houses. Many local residents enjoyed sharing their stories and loaning their vehicles, boatyards, lobster traps and themselves to make the film more authentic. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA "It was a record-breaking year for Boston, more snow than they knew what to do with and it just kept coming. So much snow you couldn't see the front doors or first-floor windows of homes. Vehicles became large mounds of white everywhere you looked. I turned to Kenny and said, 'I think this snow has to be a character, I don't think it's going away.'" I was faced with an interesting dilemma when I arrived in Massachusetts. The entire landscape was covered in snow and it showed no signs of letting up. I traveled several weeks early to begin scouting with Kenny Lonergan but there was nothing but white. We were stuck in our hotel the entire first week, not able to drive in the blizzard conditions. It was a record-breaking year for the Boston area, more snow than they knew what to do with and it just kept coming. So much snow you couldn't see the