Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521244
but achieved with elegance and simplicity in Catherine Gaum's set designs. In cladding over the sloped decks, and straightening the lines of the ship, we were also indebted to the knowledge and experience of veteran construction foreman Gary Brown, who had previously built all the ships on the lot, and who managed to achieve the extensive turnaround in the scheduled eight weeks. The finished ship was unrecognizable from the old galleon, whilst the fabrications team added the Bulldog figurehead. As only a few shots would be from the exterior, we sculpted the top half, VFX adding the rest when needed. The Going Merry is the hero ship in One Piece, and would be a focus of the fan's attention, so its appearance was crucially important. I inherited a previously built version of the ship, which required serious adaptation to make it credible, while some of the deck architecture needed redesigning to create filmable playing areas. The main remodel was to the figurehead, and the sculpted horn motifs that clad the ship. This is an icon of the manga, and beloved by fans, so for the design, I again turned to storytelling, with the figureheads embodying their characters' attributes. Luffy is strong, unconquerable, and always laughing in the face of danger, so a laughing ram brought the cartoon figurehead into the real world. Once again, Keanu's team of sculptors captured the expression perfectly. The production response to my design for Nami's sloop was, "There's no money to build it, you'll have to figure it out"; sound familiar? My art team came to the rescue and unearthed the unfinished hull of a Chinese junk boat stored on the lot. Set Designer Marcel Bryard adapted the original design, inspired by the elegant Bermuda sloop- style common in the 18th century, to the new hull and created a unique vessel, perfect for Nami's character, complete with a cabin that worked for exterior and interior. Construction foreman Hennie Goddard sensitively realized the build, and ironed- out, the natural problems of adapting the design to an existing hull. The stage sets presented their own problems. "I'm not a bloody magician" were Supervising Art G E. GARP'S FIGUREHEAD, EXQUISITELY REALIZED BY ROSS MELLING'S FABRICATION TEAM. THE BOTTOM HALF WAS EXTENDED IN POST. F. THE 3D MODEL OF THE GOING MERRY FIGUREHEAD WAS A CRUCIAL STEP TO CREATING THE FINAL DESIGN. 3D DIGITAL MODEL BY FRANS ODENDAAL. G. NAMI'S SLOOP WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A BERMUDA SLOOP SHIP, FROM THE EXISTING HULL OF A JUNK. SECTIONAL ELEVATION BY MARCEL BRYNARD. H. NAMI'S SLOOP. THE SHIP WAS DESIGNED TO FLOAT IN THE TANK, AS WELL AS BE SHOT ON STAGE, WHERE THE MAST ONLY JUST FIT. SET PHOTO. E H F