Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/929567
P E R S P E C T I V E | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 8 53 and finally, a scout with the film's creative team in which our resourceful Art Director Jesse Rosenthal and construction manager Whitney Yale held up posts to mark the boards' dimensions. Since there was a large fire scene at the billboards, as well as at the police station set, the Art Department worked very closely with the special effects department during prep. We collaborated to construct the billboards and sets from fireproof materials, and the experienced special effects supervisor Burt Dalton tested materials and set dressing to see their reaction to fire. There were many head of department meetings to collaborate and coordinate the shooting of the fire scenes, which in turn, led to a smooth and safe workflow on set. Next to the billboards, the largest challenge was the police station set. The location was an antique shop on the main street of Sylva, NC, which had a wide-open space on the first floor, but also a classic 1950s store façade that was very different from a police station exterior. In order to turn the existing location into a police station, and one that would withstand the damage of Molotov cocktails, a two-story fake façade needed to be constructed in front of the actual building. It involved fabricating fake bricks that matched the rest of the building and were fireproof, as well as exchanging the glass in the storefront windows and hiding special effects equipment within the walls. E. Putting finishing touches on the board on location in Black Mountain, NC. F. & G. Finished billboards on location. H. Shooting the billboards fire scene. E G H F