Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/834282
P E R S P E C T I V E | J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 1 7 69 constant threat of rain. To make matters more difficult, with fifty-plus productions in one small city, the best locations were double, often triple-booked. To sell the illusion of a celebrity lifestyle in Los Angeles, as much as possible needed to shoot in Southern California or on soundstages. With two stages full of permanent sets and locations at a premium, the location team struggled to find environments to create a Hollywood setting for the show. As the end of production neared, aerial shots were still needed to establish Kyle's home on the Malibu coastline. It became apparent that the best tool would be a drone to capture aerial-motion plate shots of the coastal bluff to match the house onstage in Vancouver. The visual effects team at Artifex Studios would then superimpose a computer-generated image of Kyle's house over the plates. Since I had lived in Malibu before, finding the right coastal bluff was easy. I had already worked out the Top: Another SketchUp rendering by Ms. Baesa, this time of Kyle's bedroom. Above, left and right: A photograph of the bedroom from the same perspective as the rendering above. The completed set for the lavish bathroom in Kyle's house. perfect location to build a house. The Point Dume State Marine Reserve is a beautiful coastal bluff protected from development, so to toy with the idea of building a house there was, in my case, a unique opportunity. Next, I needed to design a virtual 3D model of the entire property, including the architecture, landscape and driveway. For me, the challenge was designing a home that felt architecturally significant. In the real world, a firm would have years to develop the architectural esthetic of a project like this. However, within a few weeks, Myleen Baesa and I created a 3D model ready for the VFX team to import into their virtual reality. All they needed were the aerial plate shots. I wrapped the Vancouver office, packed my bags and flew home. Back in Malibu, the drone pilot arrived early with his crew for the usual epic sunrise over Point Dume. This familiar coastal bluff was now a movie set with a small crowd of park rangers and sheriffs to keep everyone off the endangered flora. It was showtime.