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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 6 81 photographs to show my crew the framing that is planned for the film. Since construction on location was limited to five weeks for one town and six weeks for the other, we needed to figure out a way to speed the aging process and the warping of the lumber. Construction coordinator John Richardson contacted several lumber mills and had all of the siding material milled to 3/8" thick, which would cause it to warp quickly since it was green lumber. Material like this was used on almost every exterior. That also allowed Scenic Artist/lead painter Bob Warner an easier method for aging the wood and siding. The construction and paint crew numbered into the hundreds for almost four months. It can sometimes go unsaid, but constant cooperation from every department is necessary on a film this size, from the beginning to the end. Cinematographer Mauro Fiore, assistant director Joe Camp, costume designer Sharen Davis, visual effects supervisor Sean Devereaux, stunt coordinator Jeff Dashnaw and Antoine himself were all partners of the Art Department from the beginning to the end. We spent long hours on scouts, meetings, watching various films and having many discussions on weekends in Antoine's war room that we created for the film with a wall of all of the location photographs as well as the sketches and renderings for each scene in the movie. One thing that seems to go without much discussion, is the importance of the greens department on a Western, or any film with a lot of exteriors. Billy Nutt and his crew planted crops weeks in advance so that the towns looked real; brush and branches covered the messes of all of the other departments, hiding the Gator tracks, electrical cables, boxes and lights. They mask cameramen and anything that is not period or should not be in the movie. A top-notch greens department, and a great on-set dresser like Don Clark, are essential to keeping things in the right place. Coordinating the stunt gags with Jeff Dashnaw and his team, with all of the gunfights and horse riding, was a constant meeting. The special effects crew had daily conferences with Leslie McDonald and John Richardson. Costume designer Sharen Davis was set up in the construction building along with Antoine's war room and the large model. We only had one slip-up on the film, but it was caught before the scene actually shot. Set decorator Merissa Lombardo found the perfect sofa for the Sacramento mansion of the evil land baron Bartholomew Bogue; it just so happened to be made of the same fabric that Sharen had selected for Bogue's wardrobe vest. Can you imagine, had the communication not been rigorous, the main actor showing up wearing the same fabric as the furniture? ADG Above, top to bottom: The town of Volcano Springs, where the Goodnight Robicheaux and Billy Rocks characters are found, was built at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiú, NM; it's shown here in a sketch by Ms. Yingling and a photograph of the completed set. This mountain cabin, built in Louisiana, is where the Vasquez character is found; also shown in a Kathryn Yingling sketch and photograph of the completed set.