Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/716619
residence." My response was, "Absolutely." Set decorator Florencia Martin and I went to Pratty's Bar that night and began our journey into what makes up Cape Ann. One local in particular was a godsend, a fisherman right out of the pages of Kenny's script. I spent the next week with him riding around in his truck visiting all the marinas and wharves, meeting the men, women and children that make up the landscape of Cape Ann. He enjoyed teaching us about the fishing industry and the culture that surrounded it. My team and I were introduced to so many people in the area who were invaluable to the film. We created the canvas of the film through these local residents, using their own vehicles, boats, shops, lobster traps and so much more. As for the fire, I explored early on the idea of acquiring and burning down an existing home that had been abandoned or was for sale, cheating the interiors in a separate location, knowing we didn't have the budget to build a complete interior/exterior house and then burn it down. There were several issues with burning a structure in town, which lead us to search for rural land where an exterior of the house could be built to match the Chandler's house location we had found in town. Kai and Alex found farmland where a replica façade of the hero house could be built and eventually burned. This allowed us to grade a driveway and landscape the home identically to the house in town, also providing a place to park all the firetrucks, ambulances and police cars the scene (and safety) called for. The actors and crew could get quite close to the fire, making it that much more real for the performances as well as for the camera. The snow also contributed to the safety of burning down the house, eliminating any concern of it spreading. The Art Department worked closely with the special effects team, lead by Mike Ricci, to achieve this burn. It was a gift to find this land where the structure could be burned, since a fire in town was not an option, nor was creating it all in post, which would have been far less believable, given the budget we had. Ultimately, designing Manchester by the Sea was about connecting the place to the story's characters and the characters to the place. They were who they were because of where they lived. My Art Department and I were able to achieve that through the local residents that make up Cape Ann. ADG Ruth De Jong, Production Designer Jourdan Henderson, Art Director Matthew Nutter, Graphic Designer Helen McCarthy, Charge Scenic Artist Florencia Martin, Set Decorator This page, clockwise from top left: As the façade nears completion, it is faced with the ubiquitous cedar shingles found throughout the area. The façade completed and prepared for flames on burn day. The nighttime fire itself. The aftermath, dressed with burned furnishings and debris.