Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1526889
T H E D E L I V E R A N C E | P E R S P E C T I V E 3 9 It was clear from the stunts described in the script that the two floors of the house would be set builds on raised decks, four foot high for the first floor, five feet for the second floor. We placed them side by side so that a single front yard Rosco day/ night backing could travel on a dumbbell-shaped track to wrap around the first-floor set or travel across the stage to wrap around the second floor. A custom backyard backing could do the same. Those scripted stunts involved flying rigs, fire effects and demonic children walking on the ceiling (actual stunt little people, not digital effects). So, in the end, whole sections of the living room and dining room ceilings were rigged to fly out, including crossbeams and even a section of the center archway between the two rooms. Once the ground plan was taped out for a walkthrough, the team immediately felt the footprint was too small (although it was already one-third bigger than the location's footprint). We quickly added another four feet to both the length and width of the set, though it now crashed into the existing steel columns of our stage. I was leery of growing the space too much and risk losing its humble working-class roots; Lee always wished we had enlarged it further. I was especially proud of our staircase design with its rear half-stair down to the kitchen. That detail matched a similar layout in a house I grew up in outside Philadelphia. Not only was it an evocative detail of a certain kind of classic house, but it offered great options for camera angles shooting those tricky stair sequences. When it came to wallpaper, paint and set decoration, that old question of how well-off are these folks came up again and again. Lee kept pushing the interior to feel more posh; his belief was that Ebony's friends could supply her with "boosted" (stolen) goods to keep the decor looking chic and elevated. We could justify fresh paint because we see Ebony rolling on the paint in the opening scenes. Lee urged us to go bold with the color scheme: vibrant emeralds, burnt oranges and cream trims throughout the first floor. Lee had an instinct for a hot lemon yellow on the kitchen walls that made me nervous. We did serious camera tests with that yellow and the skin tones of our cast before committing. Sure enough, the minute it was on the walls, he agreed it had to go. A deep paper- bag taupe replaced it, to everyone's relief. The spine of my ground plan was a long hallway that connected the front foyer to the rear kitchen. A series of cased portals gave this critical alley a creepy sense of foreboding, especially when it became a torture course for one unfortunate cast member at the hands of the demon. The hall held one moldy, warped door to the basement that kept opening on its own. It would be the only spot in the house that did NOT get a fresh coat of paint. Upstairs the sailing was smoother. In the script, the oldest son witnesses a key scene in the front yard from the bedroom window. So, I proposed E. JACKSON HOUSE EBONY'S BEDROOM SHOWING THE FINAL PRISTINE WHITE DECOR. SET PHOTO. F. OBSERVATION ROOM CONCEPT SKETCH BY STEVE SAKLAD. THE ROOM BEYOND THE TWO-WAY MIRROR WAS BUILT TO BE REPOSITIONED IN 90-DEGREE TURNS TO LET THE PATIENT CLIMB THE WALLS. G. OBSERVATION ROOM, INSTALLED UPRIGHT FOR CONVENTIONAL GRAVITY. SET PHOTO. F G