Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1480624
Another advantage to copying this warehouse was that it gave the Art Department a virtual library of research for the set. Much of our task thus became to find the best application of the textures, colors, materials and details the space offered. We were not slavish about making an exact copy in our approach; rather, we were after an authentic interpretation of the space using the building's own visual language (turned, of course, to the needs of filming a TV show). Several practical problems presented themselves during the initial design of the set for Bottom Dollar Productions. As mentioned, the stage size was a challenge. Besides the issue regarding available space (not enough and too short!), the existing rigging system was an ad hoc collection of mismatched pipes and set points of dubious provenance—a distinctly unhealthy menu of rigging choices. Grips and riggers got to work to make sense out of the chaos. Tied to the stage space conundrum was the question of how to interpret the factory windows that were a dominant feature of the original warehouse location. Besides the obvious appeal of the look, the windows offered a banquet of choices in controlling lighting and mood for the action (crucial elements in a home set that might have to live through five or six seasons!). And I was committed to seeing out of these windows as much as possible, which meant that a serious chunk of the precious stage footprint was going to be devoted to space for the backdrops and backing walls that would sell that sense of depth. So, saying goodbye to notions of "saving a little corner" for other uses, the Art Department designed the set to completely fill the large stage at Tamarack. A much A A. BOTTOM DOLLAR SECTION AND MODEL VIEWS. DETAIL OF A SKETCHUP LAYOUT DRAWING BY XI CHEN CHOU. B. BOTTOM DOLLAR BULLPEN-SHIPPING AREA. THE WINDOWS LOOK OUT ONTO A DIMENSIONAL EXTERIOR FACADE. SET PHOTO. B