Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
T H E L I G H T H O U S E | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 0 7 In November of 2017, Robert Eggers contacted me with a new project. A black-and-white film shot in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio. It was set on an island off the coast of Maine in the 1890s, with two lighthouse keepers locked in a battle of wills. I had designed The Witch for Rob a few years prior and knew I wanted to work with him again. We had, in fact, been in discussions about another film that had just fallen apart. I was disappointed, feeling that it could be a while before we had another opportunity to work together, when he sent me the crazy brilliant script he and his brother Max had written for The Lighthouse. With the other project gone, he now had time to do The Lighthouse, and it seemed to be coming together quickly. Rodrigo Teixeira from RT Features was on board and willing to try to get it done in the coming year. But Rob wanted to film in the early spring when the snow would have just melted on the East Coast, and the vegetation would not have burst into leaf yet. We needed a bleak, unforgiving landscape in which to set the story. The clock was ticking. I started doing my research. Technical Challenges I looked at hundreds of standing lighthouses, but none of them fit the criteria the film needed. The film required a period lighthouse on a spit of land that could convincingly play as an island, but would still grant easy access. An actual island would be a logistical nightmare that the budget couldn't accommodate. Early research and scouting was not promising, so as the search continued, I started putting together a plan on how to build a 70-foot tall lighthouse, with a 22-foot base, that wouldn't fall over in a windy marine locale. The next challenge was the Fresnel lens. The lens was an intrinsic part of the story, and a second or third order Fresnel lens from the late 1800s was needed. Most lighthouses from that era have had their lenses removed. In the early days, when retrofitting a lighthouse, they simply smashed the lenses to get them out. Now they are quite rare, and when one is removed, it is moved to a climate- controlled museum. Even if I could find one (there was one in Australia), it would weigh over a ton, so I started designing and trying to find someone A. THE LIGHTHOUSE. BUILT ON LOCATION ON CAPE FORCHU, NOVA SCOTIA. PRODUCTION STILL.