Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1474575
ecause Theranos was so secretive, there weren't a lot of existing photos beyond a few publicity shots from Glamour magazine and other profile pieces on Elizabeth. I found a few empty oce photos from the Glass Door website and some original renderings from Clive ilkinson, who created the interior design for Theranos. The original plan was to find a modernlooking oce and merely decorate it in the style of these images. ut with COID, this was immediately shelved because it was a time when companies thought the world was still weeks away from going back to work, so no one would let us shoot in their oces for the two months that were needed. The production started looking for an undeveloped oce building with no tenants and no development, ust a shell building. e found a space, it even had a finished lobby and cafeteria. The tenant turned out to be the Siemens company, which was ironic seeing as Theranos had used modified Siemens machines to defraud investors and deceive patients. I got lucky with the design because my husband knew a scientist who was currently working in the old Theranos building. e acquired a diagram of the oce space and great photos of the interior. It had not been redecorated, so, I had a fairly good idea of what it should look like. My personal vision was to create a set that spoke to the excesses of hightech oce design. uge open plan, a veritable fishbowl's worth of glass, podlike "breakout" rooms, three conference rooms and a brainstorm room. Of course, Theranos already had giant quotes by oda and others written on the walls. Truth is stranger than anything I could have invented. I knew I would need a computer model for production to understand the scope of the space. The show's Set Designer, eanPaul Leonard, is an expert in Sketchp and created a beautiful model and technical drawings. I had very little time to supervise because of scouting, so ackie ay, the rt Director, became indispensable in updating me on the progress. The budget was approved. e arranged for five weeks of installation, which turned out to be not nearly enough time. I have been working in the rt Department long enough to know that there is a nofail policy. I have never worked on a show where a set didn't get finished in time to shoot it. Too much money is involved to let this happen, even if mistakes are made. So, I was a little foolhardy when I scouted the A. 2004 APPLE STORE EXTERIOR. RENDERING BY CAT SMITH IN PHOTOSHOP. B. 2007 APPLE STORE INTERIOR. RENDERING BY CAT SMITH IN PHOTOSHOP. C. THERANOS OFFICE- EAST PALO ALTO. SKETCH BY LORIE WALLICK IN SKETCHUP AND PHOTOSHOP. D. THERANOS PAGEMILL LOCATION BEFORE— PACIFIC CONCOURSE WESTCHESTER. LOCATION PHOTO. E. THERANOS PAGEMILL PRELIMINARY SKETCHUP MODEL BY JEAN-PAUL LEONARD. F. THERANOS PAGEMILL PRELIMINARY SKETCHUP MODEL VIEW BY JEAN-PAUL LEONARD. G. THERANOS PAGEMILL PRELIMINARY SKETCHUP MODEL PLAN BY JEAN-PAUL LEONARD. A B C