Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512164
M A E S T R O | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 2 1 not only directing the movie but also playing Bernstein himself, so the environments I was tasked with creating were that much more personal to Bradley the actor than Bradley the director. When designing a period movie, getting the technical aspects of the era correct is critical (the furniture, props, the signage, color palette, architectural details, even the flower arrangements), but it's equally important to use the design to capture the emotional essence of each scene—and that aspect of my work had nothing to do with "period." Another thing to remember when designing a period movie is that if a scene takes place, say, in 1946, the sets would never be dressed entirely with elements and props all dating from 1946. In reality, a 1946 kitchen would have appliances from ten years and five years earlier, so there would be layers of history and a patina to that set. Given that Maestro unfolds over many years, the challenge was to make each set reflective of the specific period and the couple's milieu at the time, but also to reflect where they were emotionally in their marriage. Getting the details of the Bernstein's family life right was critical in order to create the intimacy Bradley was striving for among the various characters. Fortunately, the Bernstein children were very involved, and they provided us with visual references from their lives: They shared scrapbooks, personal photos and press clippings with me early on in my process. On top of this, the family allowed us to shoot in the Connecticut country house that their parents bought in the 1962. For a while, we were scouting other houses that offered some advantages technically and logistically to stand in for the actual house, but in the end, we kept coming back to the idea that nothing would feel more authentic than the real thing. So, we shot in the house, cottage studio, and grounds where the Bernsteins spent family time on weekends and in the summer. The house and grounds were remarkably unchanged since 1989, when the film A. THE DAKOTA. LIVING ROOM. ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX CHRYSIKOS. 3D STUDIO MAX AND PHOTOSHOP. B. THE DAKOTA. DIGITAL MODEL BY ALEX CHRYSIKOS. 3D STUDIO MAX. B