Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512164
G U A R D I A N S O F T H E G A L A X Y V O L . 3 | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 1 5 This may come as a surprise, but I wasn't a big fan of superhero films in the past. I would join friends to see superhero films and leave feeling disconnected when characters or environments felt ungrounded and overly computer generated. While I could get wonderfully wrapped up in the tangible worlds of The Dark Crystal, early Star Wars and Mad Max, the modern superhero film and its video game-esque aesthetic just wasn't for me. That was until my partner Russell Barnes took me to see the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, promising me it would be different—and my mind was blown. From the moment Peter Quill danced across the craggily parts of Morag, till the very end when the characters enveloped each other and said, "We are Groot." I was in awe of this colorful, textural and emotionally rich world. Thus, my love affair with this genre began! James Gunn, the creator and director of the Guardians franchise, is a true believer in doing as much in-camera as possible. This was conveyed to me when I first got the call to interview for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2017. Upon meeting James, I was overjoyed to hear him talk so passionately about the importance of physical sets, real stunts and special effects, practical SFX makeup, and even animatronics; all of which is rooted in the firm belief that audiences are pulled out of a story as soon as things look, and feel, fake. The few items that are left to be entirely CG (a certain raccoon and a walking tree, for example) are meticulously finessed to a degree where even the most skeptical heart can't help but feel love for these virtually real characters. Though preproduction began on Guardians Vol. 3 in 2018, the team took a brief intermission and made The Suicide Squad with the same filmmaking philosophy. In 2021, we returned to Guardians with over one hundred sets to design, the vast majority of which were builds. The production was lucky to have twelve stages at Trilith Studios in Georgia, as well as a backlot, and we filled every square foot with built scenery, continuously striking sets and building new ones in their place throughout the shooting schedule. We were incredibly fortunate to have both Alan Hook and Dave Scott as dual Supervising Art Directors. This film would not have been possible without their genius, diligence and absolute grace under pressure. While the film had its fair share of blue screen for extensions (the movie does take place entirely in outer space, after all)—almost every set was physically built to at least the 20-foot height mark. For a superhero film, or truly any fantasy/ sci-fi film, this is a staggering fact. By the time the A. THE BOWIE SECTION VIEW OF STAGE SET. B. THE BOWIE PILOT BAY. ILLUSTRATION BY SEBASTIAN MEYER. C. THE BOWIE PILOT BAY. ORIGINALLY CONNECTED TO THE ENTIRE SPACESHIP SET THEN SEPARATED TO BE PUT ON GIMBAL. SET PHOTO. C