Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504681
I Smell Another Rat, aka "Dreams in the Witch House" Another H.P. Lovecraft fable, this one essentially had a house as one of the main characters: the crazily crooked, vine twisted Witch House. Layers of etched plaster that literally pieced together the story of the Salem witch Keziah. The crew used real beams, real lathe, layers of thick and heavy plaster on wheeled wild units, almost everything had to be wild for the camera. It was an incredibly intricate and detailed set that showcased the work of our scenic painters and carpenters. It included small rat holes and cupboards that opened to forest tunnels (a practical build, not VFX). The fantastical strange forest came out of many deep research dives into oddly formed forests that director Catherine Hardwicke and I did together. We landed on one image in particular, of a damaged forest of truncated twisted trees that looked like sad tuning forks with their upper limbs missing. It felt exactly like the forest of "Lost Souls" that we wanted to create. We showed Guillermo and he agreed. It was a challenge to quickly build and carve each of the twenty or more trees. Digital models were used to create a physical backing of the same trees which surrounded the stage, artfully enhanced by visual effects in the end. The trees were formed by layers of sculpting, taking molds from the bark of actual trees (using trees on the exterior of the childhood home location from the opening, subtly connecting the two worlds), welding together underlying metal armatures and adding an amazing layer of greens top dressing to the forest. From initially considering shooting in an actual forest…in November, in Ontario, with child actors, and fog etcetera, etcetera…the crew created a studio forest that really spoke to a different realm and supported the strange dreamlike quality we wanted. Stoner's Revenge, aka "The Viewing" "The Viewing" was a nostalgic leap into Brutalist architecture, circular geometry and a celebration of 1970s oranges, browns and ambers. The Art Department created the concrete, bunker-like mansion of a wealthy recluse as a kind of rich man's A. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" EXTERIOR WITCH'S HOUSE. VXF OVERLAY ON ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PENNA. B. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" EXTERIOR WITCH'S HOUSE. STAGE BUILD IN PROGRESS. C. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" FOREST OF LOST SOULS. ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PENNA. D. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" FOREST TREES IN PROGRESS. E. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" SECRET BUILDING. ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PENNA. F. "DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" GILMAN'S FLAT. ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PENNA. A B C D