Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/765720
80 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N UA RY / F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 7 horizontal tunnel leads to the 64-foot x 80-foot main room. I wanted this final chamber to remind us of a classroom, as it was important to create subtle connections between the aliens and linguist Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams). I also wanted to create a contrast between the peacefulness inside the dark chamber of the ship and the chaos felt by the military and political personnel inside their white military tents, not understanding the events that were taking place. There had to be a soothing atmosphere within the alien chamber, not unlike the work of conceptual artist James Turrell. Top, right: An ink drawing concept for the alien language—the Earth character—by Martine Bertrand. Above, top to bottom: Ian's office (Jeremy Renner) between the cryptography and the science tents. His office and Louise's office were made out of transparent plastic, designed to represent fishbowls in the middle of chaos. The logogram generator and analysis software as designed by Aaron Morrison, shown on the cryptography tent set built on Stage C of Mel's Studio in Montréal. The graphic design for the waterfall of logograms, the gift from the aliens, by graphic designer Carl Lessard. "We all have some preconceived idea of what an alien ship should look like. I wanted to take a different route and explore unconventional shapes at first. After all, we are talking about a world that is supposed to be alien to us. Theoretically, there is a good chance that we have very little in common with their species." Besides the classroom connection, I wanted to go further with the idea of linking Louise's world with that of the aliens by exploring various themes and elements. The university location where she teaches is a work of brutalist architecture. You can see the same vertical lines from the spaceship as she walks through the school corridors. The whiteboard in her classroom reflects a similar one used in the main interview chamber of the ship, as well as the large