Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
What the show ultimately found was a community college outside Pittsburgh with sufficient land around it and a regulation field—ninety feet between the bases and four hundred ten feet to the outfield. A lot of engineering had to happen before we could even start building the grandstand. First, we had to build a road to access the field. The field had a slope behind it, so we had to put in a retaining wall and a French drain. Only then could we pour the pad and begin. Matt Horan, the Supervising Art Director, handled the coordination of the structural engineers, the surveyors, the geologic team, the college, the location department, the infrastructure builders and various other vendors…a very complex job. The steel posts to hold up the roof were long delayed because of global supply chain issues. Ironic, waiting on steel in Pittsburgh! By the time the posts came, construction had the entire stadium built and stacked, so once the roof went up, construction went quite fast. Then the painters got their hands on it, and they really made the magic. The show had a brilliant team of painters, led by Mika Metz, who were out there rain and shine, aging and sanding. When the company arrived on the first day of shooting, the stadium felt like it was a long-standing, weathered grandstand from the early 1900s. In designing the show, the goal was always to be as practical and real as possible, everywhere. This was true in the grandstand as well; to find a sweet spot where enough extras could gather for most of the shots without needing VFX crowds added every time. The Art Department modeled numerous depths and sizes and heights. Set Designer Kate Bechak went through a huge number of permutations. We hit on a number around seven hundred seats, which felt right as the overall size. We could fill a section if we were shooting down the first-base line or fill the first four rows if we were behind the pitcher. We were very aware that Trayce Gigi Field, our costume designer, would be hard- pressed to dress seven hundred period extras. We never actually had a full stadium. C. STADIUM GRANDSTAND. SET PHOTO. D. PRESS BOOTH. SET PHOTO. E. BEYER FIELD. PRODUCTION STILL. F. PEACHES' LOCKER ROOM. SET PHOTO. G. PEACHES' LOCKER ROOM. DIGITAL MODEL BY JIM WALLIS. F G E