Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
Creating a home base for the dysfunctional characters proved to be a challenge in itself. Having scouted various locations around Atlanta, it was clear that there was one standout contender. The Georgian Revival Briarcliff Manor (built in 1922 by the Coca-Cola family) exemplifies unconventional elegance. Time has performed irreversible deeds upon the once proud and mighty mansion. The three-story Music Hall of Briarcliff can easily be described as high Gothic revival style, with its intricate stone fireplace, giant chandeliers and wood paneling. With no plumbing, electricity and a rotted leaking ceiling, it was Michael Hanan who not only made it picture worthy but helped to restore it to its former glory. After years of neglect, Michael and the Art Department spent weeks restoring the interior. It was the location at Briarcliff that helped to determine the style, scope and scale of the other sets that would become stage builds, such as the grand hallway, the second-floor hallway and dorm complex, and the chief's lab complex. The rule of thumb that all narrative designers follow is "design to the character." This rule became imperative for Michael because two of Doom Patrol's leads (Larry and Robotman) had masked faces; consequently, their environments G D. PRODUCTION STILL OF CLIFF'S ROOM WITH FULLY DEVELOPED SLOT CAR TRACK, THIS SET WAS PART OF THE 2ND-FLOOR HALLWAY SET BUILT ON STAGE. E. ORTHOGRAPHIC STUDY OF CLIFF'S ROOM PREPARED BY DAVID ENSLEY IN ILLUSTRATOR AND PHOTOSHOP. THIS SECTIONAL VIEW SHOWS CLIFF IN CONTEXT WITH THE SLOT CAR PLATFORMS. F. MODEL VIEWS OF LARRY'S ROOM (ALSO PART OF 2ND-FLOOR HALLWAY BUILT ON STAGE) PREPARED BY ALLEN COULTER IN SKETCHUP. G. PRODUCTION STILL OF LARRY'S BEDROOM IN HIS AIRLOCK. THIS IMAGE EXEMPLIFIES THE COMIC BOOK OR GRAPHIC NOVEL AESTHETIC WITHIN THE SHOW. needed to be particularly expressive. Larry and Cliff had well-developed backstories in the pilot, which were the key to the design of the sets. — Michael Hanan: "I wanted Cliff's set to be large enough to accommodate his size. (He is massive.) Several slot car environments were created on this set to help tell the story of his rehabilitation over a passage of time. With Larry an airlock would be needed, and a way to insulate the rest of the house from the radiation that he would transmit when he took off or changed his bandages. The solution was to line his room in lead. I had to come up with an airlock to get into the bedroom and then the lead system itself. The task was to come up with a way to still make this room feel like it had been part of the house at one point. The dormer windows do the trick for this." Doom Patrol, unlike many TV shows, was shot using the anamorphic process. This meant that Michael had to design for scope with all of the sets having to be wider and bigger. — Michael Hanan: "Our use of the anamorphic format is what sets this show apart from virtually all others on television. Due to the nature of their construction, anamorphic lenses take in a horizontal angle of view twice as wide as a F