Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
Sanchez was instrumental in aiding the design and execution of a cantilevered second floor, a fully functional and shootable space. The law firm is a style of set that most designers have three versions of on their résumé: the first one, the worst one and the biggest one. I was able to create a new category for myself: the best one. Often a designer is burdened with production needs above aesthetic needs. I was given the creative voice and freedom to push things around, so the final design could be expanded and feel intimate when needed. In contrast to the harsh and heel-click space of Purifoy, Carlisle Perkins law firm serves as the legal man-cave of lead patriarch Stephen Carlisle, who has been the top lawyer in Atlanta for decades. It serves that his form is the epitome of style and established in his collection of art and acquisitions. I wanted the halls and offices to be filled with cultural art that is one of a kind; hence, the hand-carved seven-foot ceremonial tusks of ebony wood, or the painted triple gourds found only from a hybrid tree field in Southern Africa. The hallways create an endless loop when shot from one end to create longer walk- and-talks. The larger offices have infused the personal style and history of the main characters down to their ever-prominent involvement in the fraternity and sorority cultures in African- American academic families. It was important for Will Packer and myself to make their fraternal and sorority involvement a key part of who they are in their spaces. There are different schools of thought in the use of ceilings on sets. Ceilings are my first indication of realism in a room. As a purist in the ideology that I create environments and not sets, that holds true to my aesthetic. Heading down that pathway means that all departments have to be prepared to work with the ceiling (particularly the director of photography) even if it means extra work on the front end. The design options for this space became crucial as the halls had to serve multiple functions: light the actors, light the walls and look like they are not doing either on camera. As a result, something of a Frankenstein was created. It was a nice monster but a monster A B A. CARLISLE PERKINS. SKETCHUP RENDER BY SET DESIGNER JOHN VERES. THIS WAS USED AS A CONCEPT IMAGE TO SELL THE MOOD AND TONE OF THE LAW FIRM. B. CARLISLE PERKINS LOBBY. SET PHOTO. C. STEPHEN'S OFFICE AT CARLISLE PERKINS. SET PHOTO. D. STEPHANIE'S OFFICE. SET PHOTO. SET PHOTOS BY MICHAEL NEWMAN, SHANE MICHAEL PHOTOGRAPHY C D