Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/916056
110 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 8 Agreed. Check! Exciting. A chance to create a compelling environment for this action-oriented unit. Another important notion was placing this S.W.A.T. world a generation or two ahead of what exists now in Los Angeles. Not cyber, but using tech in a cool way, more in line with the European Special Forces, the GSG-9, and the Russian Spetsnaz. The challenge would be how this contemporary notion of S.W.A.T. would depart from reality without seeming gimmicky. Research and reality are important in any project, versus what is cinematic and engaging. S.W.A.T. is a true Los Angeles concept. It was created in the mid- 1960s in response to the Watts Riots to assist the LAPD with situations they felt required more expertise and firepower. Hence the acronym: Special Weapons and Tactical. My pitch was to use this history as a starting point, recalling the takedown of the Black Panthers in 1969, the siege of the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974, the North Hollywood shootout in 1997, and countless other scenarios that conjure up images of men in black tactical uniforms brandishing heavy arms, and make S.W.A.T. visually cool and consistent. The first order of business was twofold: lock down one location that would establish our exterior for the public image of S.W.A.T., and find a second location to build our interior S.W.A.T. headquarters environment. LOCATION - EXTERIOR S.W.A.T. HQ After scouting the fringes of downtown Los Angeles for a covert exterior for S.W.A.T. headquarters, we landed on the Vernon police station. The Vernon police station buildings have some great Brutalist detailing, however, it did not convey the powerful image of what I thought S.W.A.T. should be. I pitched the notion of placing our S.W.A.T. headquarters on top of the parking structure as a purely digital extension. The interior set would then be built at another location that would be tied together with visual effects. LOCATION - INTERIOR S.W.A.T. HQ My first choice for the interior was the parking structure of the L.A. Convention Center. A forest of enormous three-foot-diameter concrete columns, a 25-foot- tall, 160,000-square-foot space, it seemed like the perfect starting point. This space would also be able to accommodate an 18,000-pound armored vehicle driving into the heart of the space. Unfortunately, restricted lead times canceled this location, so I showed Justin Lin the disused Edison substation building in Commerce, CA. The large open central space and adjacent areas offered the perfect balance of industrial aesthetic and the scope that Justin is always trying to create. This option, however, would require an extrapolation of the existing structure to ground the design, and it would have to marry with our exterior, which became a process of mashing up the location's distinctive industrial markings with some strong Brutalist expression. Once these locations were locked down and an execution framework was devised, I set about generating a series of key frames that would tell this story with Concept Illustrator Jamie Rama. Having worked with Jamie on numerous projects, we were able over one week to produce four key frames that I felt told the visual story of S.W.A.T. I always love this part of the design process. It is a time when you are free to create, and not bogged down with fiscal or production realities. These four images became the visual bible for the show, and helped inform all departments. In both the exterior and interior visualization of these worlds, we would lean heavily on visual effects for assistance. Having previously worked with Justin Lin on the Star Trek Beyond reshoots, I knew he was very comfortable A. S.W.A.T. headquarters exterior at the Vernon, CA, police station. B. S.W.A.T. HQ exterior with visual effects set extension. C. S.W.A.T. HQ exterior. Photoshop illustration by Jamie Rama based on a Sketchup model by Set Designer Easton Smith. D. Edison Substation location in Commerce, CA, with redline sketch by the author of the interior buildout. E. S.W.A.T. HQ elevations by Set Designer Easton Smith. F. Finished location build of the S.W.A.T. HQ interior. G. S.W.A.T. HQ with visual effects set extension. A B C