Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 51 Many of those Virginia Slims matches were filmed in one location in Long Beach, the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, including the match between Billie Jean and Margaret Court at the larger Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and the still larger "Mother's Day Massacre" (the match between Bobby Riggs and Margaret Court) at the StubHub Center in Carson. Despite the seeming ubiquity of tennis courts in Southern California, it was a long process of scouting and accessing to find ones that met the required criteria of scale, ability to present the period and accessibility. The film concludes at the Astrodome, where the Battle of the Sexes took place in 1973. The production explored filming at the actual location in Houston, but sadly, years of neglect had rendered the facility unusable. Every large stadium in Los Angeles was considered, and ultimately, the Los Angeles Sports Arena was chosen, which in scale and architecture most closely resembled the Astrodome. This film was the last production to film there and in fact, the last event at the historic arena, which was demolished soon after. Photographs of the Battle showed the tennis court and spectator seats set up in one area of the Astrodome. I had a scale model of the Los Angeles Sports Arena built and we studied the angles from which it could be shot, finally arriving at the right size and placement to reproduce exact angles used in the match broadcast. Coincidentally, while looking through an old issue of Life magazine, I saw an article about the building of the Astrodome with an accompanying photograph of an architect placing figures in a scale model of the structure. Of course, visual effects were used to add crowds, extend height and create the roof of the Astrodome. Re-creating most of the match in-camera, including the seating and the platform the court was on, was among the technically challenging aspects of the job. Sometimes more than challenging. The Sports Arena was sometimes used as a hockey rink, and at one point, a laborer accidentally tapped into a hidden valve, unleashing a flood of refrigerant into the shooting area. It was a huge cleanup. This film was filled with reunions. It was great to work again with Alex Wei and Charge Scenic Artist Anne Hyvarinen. I've done several projects with Linus Sandgren and I love working with him, not just because he is a great cinematographer, but also because we have developed many of the same references and shorthand through our shared experiences. We trust each other and both have a strong desire to make a powerful and original cinematic experience. Viewers who know him may spot our in-joke: he was the model for the church basement mural in the Gamblers Anonymous scene. This was my second film with Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Our first was Ruby Sparks, and during that wonderful experience, I saw firsthand their unique sensibility and how inspired they are as filmmakers. They are continually surprising me with unknown (to me) references and I've learned so much from them. They are wonderful collaborators who surround themselves with a team that reflects them. (The only tech scouts I haven't dreaded are the ones on Jonathan and Valerie's films.) And, as anyone who has ever met them knows, they are two of the nicest people in the world. It was the first project I worked on with construction coordinator Lars Petersen, and I wish everyone could be as articulate, skilled, knowledgeable, reliable and artistic—my vocabulary fails me, but Lars never does. I am currently working with him again. ADG Judy Becker, Production Designer Alexander Wei, Art Director Alec Contestabile, Assistant Art Director Kelly Hemenway, Graphic Designer Camille Bratkowski, Set Designer Matthew Flood Ferguson, Set Decorator