Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/716619
Every successful Art Department involves crossovers between props, set dressing, set design and costumes to create a cohesive overall look for the weapons, sets and even the vehicles such as this project's Delta 88 (the beloved vehicle of the main character, Ash Williams, played by Bruce Campbell). The Art Department is a sum of many parts and they all work together to make up the look of the show. INSPIRATION For this season of Ash vs Evil Dead, I was fortunate to take a trip through Michigan, the home state of producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Because the series is filmed in New Zealand, season one was based in large part on internet research and listening to the three of them talk about Michigan, what it was like to grow up there, and the spirit of the state. It was a huge advantage for me to get there finally and see it firsthand. Once I had experienced what Michigan was actually like, I put a spin on the prior season's look to make the series feel even more authentic. The architecture of Northern Michigan has a unique quality; I was fascinated by the history of the buildings, of how they had been repurposed over time. There was a retrofit quality to them that I wanted to capture. The harsh environment takes its toll on the buildings and the landscape. The small towns had a Wild West feel that I couldn't ignore. Opposite page: The fictional town of Elk Grove is warn and weathered with the atmospheric feeling of perpetual autumn, faded colors and peeling paint. Above, left: Nick Connor's SketchUp ® drafting of the elevation of Brock's house, built as an interior/exterior set on the warehouse stage. Right: The finished set has the look of thirty-plus years of complete and total neglect. Below, left and right: Two views of Ash's bedroom set on stage, a very focused trip down Michigan memory lane. Nick Connor Niall Burgess S3 INT / EXT ASH'S HOUSE EXTERIOR FRONT ELEVATION ASH_06a 0 1 2 3 4 5 10m ASH'S HOUSE - EXTERIOR FRONT ELEVATION SCALE 1-50@A3 1 06 RL+00 FLOOR RL+625 INTERIOR FLOOR 175 KERB 2344 1069 5322 85 BOW IN ROOF 600 68° 4000 WINDOW TYPE 1 REF DWG#ASH_12 + SHUTTERS WINDOW TYPE 1 REF DWG#ASH_12 + SHUTTERS 3625 1000 600 ROOF AS VFX EXTENSION 200 200 SPOUTING STYLE REF MARLEY 'CLASSIC' 'AS' TWISTED DOWN PIPE 'AS' 100mm WEATHER BOARDS EAVES BRACKET DWG# ASH_11 770 ROOFING 'AS' ASPHALT SHINGLES CELLAR 'AS' MASONRY - DETAIL T.B.C. 44° 115 2445 70 380 EAVE EAVE 150 NON-EXTERIOR SET INDICATED 1 07 a - 6.1.16 - 600mm extension Time has been cruel to the main setting for season two, a fictional village called Elk Grove, in the equally fictional Kenward County, Michigan, a dilapidated small town with peeling paint. A 1980s kind of horror aesthetic is on tap, very atmospheric and moody, with fritzing electric lines that cause the town to flicker in and out of darkness. The season has a real texture to it, faded colors and no straight lines. BROCK'S HOUSE Creating Brock's house was entirely up to the Art Department. The script provided some information, but in the end, I took a working-class kind of standard Michigan kit home, like the ones I had seen during my road trip, and put the Evil Dead spin on it. It felt right to me that Ash had come from humble beginnings. He is a true comic book hero. For full control of light and atmosphere, this house was built as an interior/exterior set on stage. The look is thirty-plus years of complete and utter neglect on top of what was probably an already run-down dwelling. The construction department had great fun throwing away the spirit level to create this twisted and warped home. ASH'S BEDROOM Ash's bedroom is a time capsule. It's a little piece of '70s and '80s nostalgia, a very focused trip down Michigan memory lane. In many ways, its tones are © STARZ!