Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/765720
CORPORATE IDENTITY by Kevin Kalaba and Trey Shaffer, Graphic Artists The fundamental goal of the Avalon's graphic elements was to create a visual language which set a cohesive tone to all its environments. The spacecraft was in essence a traveling city comprised of a multitude of environments. These ranged from small private spaces such as crew living quarters, to enormous public areas such as the Grand Concourse. The initial effort was to chart and organize the various environments into zones, each with its own set of visual guidelines specific to the relationship of the passengers or crew members to the ship. The process began with a breakdown, cataloging the various sets based on how they would function on the ship. For example, specific areas were designed as crew-accessible-only environments while other sets, such as the various themed bars and restaurants, were designed to create a hyper-stylized immersive experience for the passengers. Although these individual spaces were conceptually very different, they were parts of the same ship. So it was imperative to create a visual thread expansive enough to keep all of the various environments cohesive, while at the same time helping to define the unique qualities of each. THE GRAND CONCOURSE by John Collins, Art Director The production was running out of space at Pinewood so other Atlanta stages were scouted for the film's largest set, the Grand Concourse. The scope of this set was so massive that two large stages at EUE/Screen Gems sharing a common wall were rented. That wall was demolished to open stage space that was 250'x150'. Scenery was packed into every square inch of that space. The Grand Concourse is the central hub of the ship, a giant multistory atrium space with a glass ceiling that looks out into space. There are also restaurants, bars, offices, communications rooms, sports facilities, a theater, elevators and a giant fountain that all needed to be connected seamlessly to the Grand Concourse. It was a challenge to coordinate all of these sets within nearly 2000' of curved walls spread across two stories with built-in lighting. The company ended up shooting twenty- five days on this stage with numerous overnight and weekend changeovers. The graphics team of Trey Shaffer and Kevin Kalaba produced hundreds of vinyls for this set: every wall panel, access port, doorway, window and station had a specific numbering system and design that tied everything together. The Grand Concourse is one of those sets that seems overly ambitious when you look at it on paper four months out, scares the hell out of you four weeks out because you think it won't get finished, and makes you feel proud as it finally comes together and looks amazing in the last four days before shooting.