Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/765720
THE HIBERNATION BAY by Luke Freeborn, Art Director The Hibernation Bay was to appear infallible. Josh Nizzi masterfully illustrated an inspired concept that set the bar for what we were to expect—automotive shapes and finishes reaching as far as the eye could see! Set Designers Randy Wilkins and Patrick Dunn-Baker were next. Randy took on the set volume while Patrick worked on the pods. Even though it had to be polished and flawless, it also needed to function as a set. Randy and Patrick would eventually team up with Dan Sudick and his SPFX team to address the movement of the pods as an in-camera effect. While the pods were being prepared by Lewis Doty at Independent Studio Services in Sunland, CA, construction coordinator Bob Blackburn (and team) managed to carry off a number of cutting-edge fabrication methods to achieve the acres of set and fields of finish that the set required. Final touches by decorator Gene Serdena filled the space with believable detail and technological complexity. Seven days of the shoot schedule were dedicated to this set and ensured that every square inch was scrutinized. Top: A digital illustration by Josh Nizzi of the hibernation tree, showing Jim and Aurora playing a game called "guess their occupation in life." Inset: Jim (played by Chris Pratt) moments before he wakes up. Senior Art Director Luke Freeborn oversaw the production of twenty-four hibernation pods, manufacturing them in Los Angeles to maintain quality before they were shipped to Pinewood Atlanta for the shoot. Extremely patient performers were favored over dummies for the background pods. Center: A photograph of the Hibernation Bay shows a large pressurized loading door. Passenger pods would have been prepared and sealed on earth before being transported up to the Avalon. Bottom: A photographic overview of the Hibernation Bay.