Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1400113
(Which may or may not be the case given that I am not the best sweeper…) and importantly, it is also a chance for me to spend time contemplating the space, getting to know it and thinking about what it needs. I am at my best with a broom in my hand. The production built sets on five stages and the backlot at Shepperton. Walking between the stages was excellent for my daily step count but I had never before been so stretched. The stage walks could take hours, particularly when I left my notebook or my phone on a set and had to circle back. I had to accept that I couldn't be everywhere that I wanted to be, and I relied on the team around me. Again, the referencing and research was the crucial guide. The look of Cruella had been clearly mapped in those first few weeks so we all had a visual touchstone we could return to again and again. Over those weeks, I came to realize more and more that no matter how strong a process is or how wonderful the ideas, we are only as good as our collaborators. I am so grateful to every one of them for what they brought to Cruella—the florists, the sculptors, the greens team, the dressing team, prop makers, the vehicle department and more. I had the good fortune of having Martin Foley as Supervising Art Director with a team of wonderful, creative and calm artists working with me to design the sets. Tim Dutton, Kevin Timon Hill and Hannah Weissler-Leas are just some of those who elevated my ideas and brought me constant inspiration. Dan Crandon was the construction manager and the brilliant Bruce Gallup, the head scenic painter. He oversaw the hand dipping of five thousand pieces of 'marble' tile for Hellman Hall. Concept Artist Katren Wood was a revelation. She brought the sets to life and helped me resolve them while they were still sketches on a page. Action props buyer Lizzie Bravo found and created so many of the exquisite details E. THE 'DESIGNERS ROOM' UNDER THE STAIRS IN THE BARONESS' WORKSHOP. F. THE HOUSE OF BARONESS' WORK ROOM BUILT AT SHEPPERTON STUDIOS. G. & H. THE BARONESS' OFFICE. E F G H