Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1413503
driveway and began the -hour drive south to Atlanta. ne of the reasons felt so onfi dent in being able to hop straight onto another project after wrapping a superhero fi lm was the rather straightforward nature of Dear Evan Hansen. The sets were largely loation-based with fewer builds and the story took place in familiar residential homes and a high shool. n the page when d fi rst read the sript in anuary of it appeared to be one of the more manageable fi lms an rt epartment ould tae on. ast-forward si months and the advent of a global pandemic later, and this small and straightforward fi lm morphed into one of the most challenging work experiences of my entire career. I quickly learned there would be nothing reogniable about this fi lmmaing proess. This was made abundantly lear on our fi rst loation sout as we self-drove in an eight-ar aravan up orth. was already missing the reative discussions and collaborative conversations that are an inherent part of the scout van. Once we landed at each location, we were more concerned about spreading apart to form a full baseball diamond rather than huddling up to discuss architectural details. Throats were strained trying to shout to one another through double mass. rriving home late after the fi rst day of souting was hit with the sity-seven emails had no ability to respond to throughout the day of driving—and so it began. What followed was the realization that locations would be chosen largely based on their safety features. Many scenes that were originally sripted as indoors in had to be reonsidered. High school classrooms and weight rooms were replaced by outdoor playground swing sets and running tras. entilation beame the number one driving factor when choosing interior locations. Basements with doors and windows to the outside were like gold for housing crew and euipment. pstairs bedrooms beame unusable beause stairways werent wide enough for soial distancing, resulting in most of the bedroom sets becoming stage builds. We were lucky that one shool remained open to having us fi lm on their grounds while school was in session. Location manager extraordinaire Kyle Hinshaw and his C MAT FP TO BE DEVELOPED: SCREENED-IN PORCH LIVING ROOM BATHROOM DEN OFFICE KITCHEN 35'-0" MAT A. HANSEN HOME FIRST FLOOR. LIVING ROOM. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY SHANE BAXLEY USING MAYA, OCTANE, AND PHOTOSHOP. B. HANSEN HOME FIRST FLOOR. DINING AREA. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY SHANE BAXLEY. C. HANSEN HOME FIRST FLOOR. DIRECTOR'S PLAN DRAWN BY BRITTANY HITES. D. HANSEN HOME FIRST FLOOR. BUILT ON STAGE AT BLACK HALL STUDIOS IN ATLANTA. SET PHOTO. A B D