Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
5 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 alternative to just saying no. That unused oversized balcony saved the day on many occasions and gave the set a usable fourth wall. Down home. In the neighborhood. A fixture in the community. All the descriptive phrases that were presented to me during concept. But everyone knows this place. No matter how or where they grew up, everybody had a Thelma's. It's that place that always had the same people working there long enough that the pictures on the wall were faded with them in them. Also it is a place that has layers of history and unexplained quirks to be discovered on the many visits made over time. Thelma's restaurant serves in this story and the last piece of history in the neighborhood that is being gentrified by developers. It was important to create a patina in its look and its socioeconomic maintenance over the years. It was important that I showed a 'shade tree' approach to minor repairs in its construction and upkeep. The Farmhouse Flip by Kedra S. Dawkins, Art Director In the beginning, the main challenge was space. Before the Art Department had a script to work off of, we had only a lengthy bible that suggested a substantial number of permanent sets. Fortunately, we were able to repurpose a freestanding "farmhouse," located on the property of Tyler Perry Studios, for two of the largest sets. The farmhouse provided two stories and eighty-five hundred square feet to work with. Intentionally built for film use, it has infrastructure in place to make shooting easier. This includes power grid capacity and easy access to panels through false closets, four false fireplaces, wide doorways, staircases, vaulted ceilings and easy access to attic space. Production Designer Korey Washington was the one to come up with the idea to divide this space to create the homes for both of the main families, the Lancasters and the Hughes. The design was executed in such a way that it was possible to split the facility in half, utilizing rooms, hallways and entrances on one side of the farmhouse for the Lancaster residence, while the bathrooms, kitchen and bedrooms on the other side were used for the Hughes residence. A B C A. DOOR TO THELMA'S PLACE WITH LOGO. B. THELMA'S PLACE. SET PHOTO BY ELI ADE. C. THELMA'S PLACE. PHOTO BACKING. PHOTO BY SCOTT KINNEY. A C