Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512164
The challenge was also to provide Garth a 360-degree filmable set within this landscape. Similar to a documentary, the naturalistic approach called for being able to react and play with the elements at any given time. This meant containing the film crew and equipment within the perimeter of the set but making them invisible. At the time of the soft prep, I was back home in Montreal, which came in handy since the story takes place on North American East Coast farmland. The production wanted to be as genuine as possible to this aspect of the story and find the perfect farmhouse reference that we would be inspired from, and that the audience would believe had been in Junior's family for generations. A house that stands still in time or changes very little and fails to adapt… also a metaphor to mirror Junior's character. As it turns out, a couple of years before, when the project had first been initiated, Iain Reid, the author, had taken Garth to a 19th century farm close by to where he lives in Kingston, Canada. This property was quite unbelievable and had so many intricate details. I suggested that I would go to this location for a day trip and properly survey the house and farm buildings so that I could eventually capture its essence and work from plausible period details and proportions. In the process, I also ended up getting bit by a tick in the tall grasses and having to take antibiotics… But that's a long story… All good now. Working from this survey, I remodeled the house and surrounding buildings in SketchUp, started playing around with the interior and exterior layout and extensions to see what would work best for the storytelling, fluidity of movements, visual connections and as a contained film set. A house back extension was designed to accommodate and disguise video village, a barn to D. AARON PIERRE AND SAOIRSE RONAN IN THE FARMHOUSE DINING ROOM. PRODUCTION STILL BY ELISE LOCKWOOD. E. FARMHOUSE EXTERIOR. PRODUCTION STILL BY ELISE LOCKWOOD. E D