Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1529668
8 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 film, but I worried it would be a challenging project to resurrect. Happily, remarkably, almost a year from the day I left Prague, we were all settling into our offices at Barrandov Studios. The dream was real. We were making Nosferatu. During our first kick at the can back in 2017, Rob scouted most of the old Hanseatic League cities on the Baltic Coast. What he found was not a surprise to either of us. The dirty streets from the 1830s that he hoped to see didn't exist. The cities had been destroyed by war and rebuilt several times over, and although many individual buildings were interesting, there wasn't a streetscape that would work for the shots he had in mind. Most streets had modern buildings and other features that were simply wrong. Nearly as bad, at least for our purposes, was that the historic districts were also beautifully cleaned up for the tourists. "Almost steam-cleaned" was a comment I heard at the time. For these reasons, Rob felt achieving the desired atmosphere would be difficult, if not impossible, and tasked me with designing and building the streets of Wisburg on the backlot at Barrandov Studios. In Prague, I had a fantastic crew. I can't thank them enough for all of their hard work and dedication. For the exterior streets we built, Senior Art Director Rob Cowper ran point for the team. A year before, I had worked on the concept art for the neighborhoods of Wisburg, so we had a small head start. We looked for the best spot to place the set on the backlot and discussed the sun's path with director of photography Jarin Blaschke. We laid out a plan for the streets, and after some adjustments to accommodate the budget, we were ready to go. Construction started grading the terrain on the backlot to accommodate the sets, and Rob Cowper and his team continued the daunting task of drawing all of the details for the town. Rob C.'s suggestions and keen eye were invaluable to this project. It was important to me that all the buildings have their own unique character while still fitting into the Brick Gothic esthetic of a Hanseatic town. For the streets to feel right, I didn't want the buildings to be perfectly square or plumb. The older medieval buildings should have a certain amount of sag to them. The Art Department A. PLAN AND ELEVATIONS OF THE STREETS BUILT AT BARRANDOV STUDIOS, INDICATING WHICH DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE PRACTICAL, WHERE PLATFORMS ARE NECESSARY BEHIND THE FACADES, AND THE BACKINGS REQUIRED BEHIND THE WINDOWS. DRAWN BY KATERINA RADAKULAN IN AUTOCAD. B. HARDING HOUSE EXTERIOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. C. THE STREETS OF WISBURG, SEEN DURING A PLAGUE, WERE BUILT ON THE BACKLOT OF BARRANDOV STUDIOS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC. PRODUCTION STILL. D. ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF MARKET STREET, SHOWING THE TOP- UPS OF THE BUILT FACADES FOR THE VFX TEAM. DRAWN IN AUTOCAD BY RATISLAV HRONSKÝ. B C A