Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
7 0 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 To give greater scope and visual interest to the plan, I developed it with no aisles at right angles to each other, no walls parallel, and using forced perspective. The director pointed out that phony clearance-approved business names would strike a false note, and wisely insisted that all the stores be real-world concerns. However, this resulted in constant rebuilds of signs and dressing changes as various promotion deals came and went and came and went right up until shortly before shooting. Like the North Pole set, the volume of items, the amount of labor and the attention to detail that it took to dress the set was prodigious. There were many visual parallels between the North Pole and Phoenix that were fun to put into the sets, but which served good visual purpose. For example, the mall had its own bridge, which served as a visual anchor, was shot as a foreground cutting element, was a place for staging actors and extras, and made sense of point of view shots down onto the set. A As is usually the case on tax incentive projects, my remit was to hire completely locally, which, on a movie of this size and complexity, gave me pause. I have a very talented group of Art Department regulars that I hold close whenever I can. I went to Vancouver never having worked in the city and without bringing a single person I had ever worked with before. However, the line producer, the patriarch of Vancouver production, directed me to and procured for me one of the best crews I have ever worked with. Top to bottom they were all excellent, hardworking, talented people, and, however stereotypical it might be to say about Canadians, the fact is that they were all very lovely. Combined with a script that allowed me full creative reign; a director who is one of the nicest people that I have had the pleasure to work with and who wrote a joyous script; a visual effects supervisor of immense skill; and a director of photography who is not only a major talent but a gentleman as well; I can honestly say that Noelle was one of the most satisfying and happy experiences that I have had in the movie business. ADG A. PHOENIX MALL. UNDER CONSTRUCTION. B. PHOENIX MALL COMPLETED. FOURTEEN STORES, ALL WITH SHOW WINDOWS AND ALL ALLOWING ENTRANCES AND EXITS; SOME WITH COMPLETE FULL-SIZED INTERIORS; PLUS A BRIDGE, EXTERIOR WALLS AND DOZENS OF SPECIALTY ITEMS. C. THE GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT TURNED OUT HUNDREDS OF SIGNS AND ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE STORES AND THE WALLS OF THE MALL. D. DETAIL OF THE HOLIDAY MALL DRESSING. E. PINKBERRY STORE. THE DIRECTOR INSISTED THAT ALL THE STORES BE REAL- WORLD CONCERNS. F. TO GIVE GREATER SCOPE AND VISUAL INTEREST TO THE PLAN, IT WAS DEVELOPED WITH NO AISLES AT RIGHT ANGLES, NO WALLS PARALLEL, AND WITH FORCED PERSPECTIVE. G. THE BRIDGE SERVED AS A VISUAL ANCHOR, WAS SHOT AS A FOREGROUND CUTTING ELEMENT, WAS A PLACE FOR STAGING ACTORS AND EXTRAS. H. SANTA'S COTTAGE AT THE PHOENIX MALL. I. AERIAL SHOT OF THE FINISHED NORTH POLE VILLAGE. DIGITAL GRAPHICS WILL BE USED TO EXTEND THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS. PHOTOS BY MAHER AHMAD. B