Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504681
to show as much detail and history of Wednesday's character in as few strokes as possible, all under the veil of her dark facade. With the exterior balcony, which was built composite to the dorm room, I started to bring in another of the key elements of Nevermore, gargoyles! Dwindling budgets and crushing schedules had led to a large decline in the use of traditional sculpting and plaster work in the Romanian film industry, but it was clear from the outset the production was going to need them in force. A great deal of time was spent recovering the trades and assembling a team of the best sculptors and plasterers available. Headed up by Bogdan Olariu, the sculptors generated hundreds of elements that helped bring Nevermore to life in all its Gothic splendor. From the statue of Edgar Allan Poe to the central tree and the myriad of gargoyles, or the huge Gorgon fireplace in principal Weems' office, their exceptional work is everywhere. Often having to withstand relentless fire, or incorporate complex SFX rigs, the team excelled. One set where their work is most evident is the quad. One of the harder sets to design and certainly one of the most complex to build. Constantly referred to in the scripts as "The Quad," it became clear that a square courtyard space is hard to make interesting and original. It was only when it was agreed to C. DORM ROOM— WEDNESDAY'S SIDE. ILLUSTRATION OVER 3D MODEL BY KAN MUFTIC AND ROXANA ALEXANDRU. D. WEEM'S FIREPLACE IN PROGRESS. BUILT INTO EXISTING OPENING AT MONTEORU HOUSE LOCATION, BUCHAREST SET PHOTO. E. WEEM'S STUDY. MONTEORU HOUSE LOCATION, BUCHAREST PRODUCTION STILL. ignore this premise that things got interesting. Ironically built in "a quad" between the stages in Buftea, supervised by Art Director Silvia Nancu, the set was built on two levels and was more than thirty feet tall. At the center, the crew built the reflecting pool out of cast concrete, with gas lines buried underneath. These fed into the tree in the center that was also cast in concrete, with gas nozzles spread throughout. These would feature heavily in the final episode, where the tree would have to burn on set for multiple days of shooting. The set also included the mechanical statue of Edgar Allan Poe and a host of gargoyles all designed to represent many of the different characters at the school, including a clue to one of the mysteries of the show. The rest of the academy had to continue to fulfil the expectations of the Addams Family aesthetic while still being something new and fresh to discover. To quote the show runners, it had to be "ooky & C D E