Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/765720
about 105,000 square feet) that is capable of holding eighty thousand cubic meters of water (approximately 21 million gallons). The ceiling is supported by a maze of columns each nine meters high (thirty feet). There was nothing straightforward about this construction—there were constraints around every corner, the main one being that (unlike the original cistern which had a water depth of twelve inches) this set, due to the action played in it, required three-to- four feet of water. We ended up building a concrete tank on the studio floor, 37.6 x 37.6 meters (123 feet x 123 feet). There were also several set changes as the scene transitioned from the entrance, where a twenty-four- piece orchestra played on podiums submersed in the water with an audience perched on walkways listening...before an explosion takes place. As the story moved through the cistern, set changes were made along the way, achieved by reconfiguring the walkways and changing the lighting stands and other set dressing attached to the walkways. Each time, this required the tank to be emptied, the old set pieces struck and rebuilt with an allowance to let the paint cure, the tank refilled and the water heated, all in a very short space of time. Allowing the paint to dry was extremely important as we were also shooting underwater and couldn't afford any contamination that would prevent us from seeing clearly. A filtration system was running 24/7 to help alleviate this, and a team of people constantly skimmed the water surface with fishnets to gather any residue lying on the surface. The scope of the set was enhanced by using blue screen around two sides of the tank for set extensions. Because of the modular and repetitive nature of the set's design, different areas were able to be cheated in the same spot, allowing more flexibility. One of the attractions of designing any movie is that no one job is ever the same and to that extent, this one was like no other. I was privileged to discover and work in wondrous places and to collaborate with such a great director. ADG Top: Three separate plans of the cistern set, drawn by Assistant Art Director Bence Kalmár, showing how the catwalks change for each configuration. Every change required the set to be drained and then refilled. Left: Elevations, also drawn by Mr. Kalmár, of the raised catwalks across the cistern's surface. Bottom, left to right: The cistern interior under construction on stage at Origo Studios in Budapest. The set nearing completion and filled with water.