Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
The Blockhouse Damien Chazelle had scripted Babylon's fearsome blockhouse as a freestanding squared building sitting ominously in the middle of the desert. The crew found the perfect location; however, it was a four-hour drive away and we couldn't afford to incorporate a travel day. Location manager Chris Baugh presented us with a large single-tunnel option bored into a mountain, although a massive change, it rewarded us with a new concept. We shifted our design research to the development of the underground sewer lines dug at the time and Set Designer Chris Cortner drew up an impressive four-story maze of what these underground realms would have been. Space and budget constraints set in, and we landed on building a single floor that would be converted into multiples by changing the entrance and exit points and by working closely with cinematographer Linus Sandgren on the lighting mood of each floor. We worked closely with lead plaster Eric Stahke and his team; watching him apply massive amounts of cement onto those set walls was awe- inspiring. Knowing the walls would be caked in plaster, construction coordinator Mike Diersing repurposed walls from a sitcom set, allowing us to make this set possible. Each floor had its own story and set of rules, and as the action descended to the final floor, Damien wanted it to feel medieval, like the knight reaching the dragon in the fable. The lower depths were designed as a sculpted dynamite-blown tunnel lined with practical fire torches. Making a movie is never easy, something of a theme that runs through Babylon. The dedication of this tremendous crew led them to more than rise to the occasion, and the opportunity to tell this story about our collective filmmaking history with director Damien Chazelle is sure to be a highlight of all our careers. ADG D. NEW YORK STREET. PARAMOUNT BACKLOT. PRODUCTION STILL. E. BLOCKHOUSE. ILLUSTRATION. F. BLOCKHOUSE. ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA BUSH. F D E