Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774
tipping point. As supportive as the city was to our film, it just wasn't possible to close a mainline train station long enough for our needs. Location manager Jonah Coombes and his team went looking, trying to find the perfect overlap of a large station that felt right for the scale of London but quiet enough for the crew to close a portion and shoot. Hull Station (approximately five hours north) was the Goldilocks here, vast glass canopied and yet sleepy enough for us to close at least a platform. This gave Steve what he was looking for, the crowd of children massed to evacuate, and of course, the resulting chaos and confusion. Hull wasn't done there though! It's full of wonderful streets that work as great doubles for London. The production shot the bakery street, jewelry store street and Ife's night rounds there. Perhaps most importantly though, we found the shopping arcade there. Steve had the bold idea to make this the Empire Arcade, a celebration of empire production that roughly confronts George with imagery of exactly how people who look like him were often treated and viewed in this Empire. We pulled all the dressing and poster graphics from vintage Empire campaigns, right down to the walnut-covered elephant. Turning the tables, Steve took this exact moment and context to introduce Ife, who becomes a father figure and role model for George. One last location up north was the old Pilkington glassworks, which the crew transformed into the munitions factory where Rita works and sings for the BBC. It was the perfect size and finish—we built out the raised foreman's office and Anna Pinnock's team brought in every last bit of machinery. Steve Morris and his property makers went the extra mile, ensuring that each stage of the bomb making process was legit. Adam Somner rehearsed the background again and again to make sure the action felt authentic and purposeful. Opening Sequence One of the last puzzle pieces to figure out was the opening fire sequence. Even though it opens the movie, we planned and shot it nearly last. My thought was to double-use a couple of our big sets A. SHOPPING ARCADE STOREFRONTS. PHOTOSHOP SKETCH AND GRAPHIC LAYOUTS OVER LOCATION PHOTOS BY ERICA DORN AND KATREN WOOD. B. MUNITIONS FACTORY. STORYBOARD FRAME BY GABRIEL HARDMAN. C. MUNITIONS FACTORY OFFICE. BUILT SET PIECE ON LOCATION. SET PHOTO. D. MUNITIONS FACTORY FLOOR. SET PHOTO. E. HANWAY HOUSE NEIGHBORHOOD, OPENING SEQUENCE ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIOS CHRYSIKOS 3D STUDIO MAX MODEL WITH OVERPAINTING IN PHOTOSHOP F. BOMBED FACADE IN PROGRESS. SET PHOTO. G. BOMBED NEIGHBORHOOD. SET PHOTO. H. OPENING FIRE SEQUENCE. PRODUCTION STILL BY PARISA TAGHIZADEH. A C B D