Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
Stevenage Shopping Centre Stevenage Shopping Centre was the perfect base for the Gloucester and Lear reunion. The greyness of the 1960s new town architecture, benches and signage gave the scene an anchor in the reality of a soulless town. The proximity of Stevenage to Hatfield House was also a consideration, the production also looked at Hatfield Shopping Centre which was good too but didn't have the strong perspective and enclosure of Stevenage. We changed signage, added benches, dustbins, deserted shopping trolleys, push bikes and prams. Setting the scene in a 1960s shopping centre brings the story into the reality of modern Britain, places people recognise and feel familiar with. G. THE PASTORAL SUBURBAN FRONT YARD CREATED OUTSIDE THE HUT. H. BREAKAWAY ELEMENTS TO BE USED DURING THE WAR SEQUENCES. I. & J. STEVENAGE SHOPPING CENTRE. I WANTED THE STORY TO REFLECT CURRENT SOCIETY AND THE ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, THIS SHOPPING CENTRE IS TYPICALLY ANONYMOUS, CONCRETE, BRUTAL AND UNINVITING. AN IMPORTANT SCENE IN THE STORY, LEAR COMES ACROSS GLOUCESTER WITH HIS SON, EDGAR, NOW BLIND, DESTITUTE AND HOMELESS, SITTING ON A BENCH. THE BLEAKNESS OF THE LOCATION FIT THE SCENE PERFECTLY. G H I J