Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774
seamlessly exists in the exterior courtroom explosion set. He's thrown into a car, and tumbles out running in downtown Gotham, where we literally handed the camera off to a running operator. The courthouse steps were at Centre Street in NYC. Since the production knew we weren't staging an explosion in downtown Manhattan, we realized that we had to build the exploded exterior side of the courthouse as a set. This decision was late in the making and came at a time when most of our budget was used up. Ultimately and somewhat ironically, we repurposed the prison yard and tortured it into a courthouse. By stripping the structures and making some adjustments, it worked better than expected. As a result, we were able to reuse a great deal of materials and save a lot of money and time. And the planet. I'm now very focused on the reuse of as much material as possible, and am working with other designers to try and share more and save more. After all these dark institutional sets, it was a great relief to create the fantasy sets. People liked the White Wedding, but my favorite part of the process was working with artist Ed Strang on the painted backdrops for the Hotel Arkham rooftop. Old school. Analog. By hand. On a recent Spike Lee remake of High and Low, we made a 200-foot x 30-foot video wall as a backdrop. It was dynamic and cool, and it could do a lot of things. But, it lacked the poetry of paint. The rooftop drops were expressive and very beautiful. Fantastical. The art in Art Direction. Designing Joker: Folie à Deux was special. A WB Hollywood musical-ish set in an asylum and a courtroom contrasted with colorful fantasies. A bold return with a new approach to an iconic story. A mostly invented world following up on one that was mostly found. A new team in a movie city on a storied lot. A unique experience that I am grateful to have had. ADG E. WHITE WEDDING CHAPEL. STAGE SET WITH HAND-PAINTED BACKDROP. STAGE 16 AT WB. PRODUCTION STILL. F. HOTEL ARKHAM ROOFTOP. THE FOLIE À DEUX WALTZ. PRODUCTION STILL. Mark Friedberg, Production Designer Dan Webster, Super vising Art Director David Meyer, Lauren Polizzi, Sydnie Pontic, Gordon Stotz, Erica Hohf (NY), Jared Patrick Gerbig (NY), Mike Fails (NY), Art Directors Wylie Griffin, Assistant Art Director Al Hobbs (Lead), Sarah Contant, Noelle King, Hogan Lee, Jane Wuu, Set Designers Yuri Bartoli, Julia Kodl, Paul Martersteck, Sydnie Pontic, Illustrators Hugh Sicotte (Lead), Maciej Kuciara, Anna Podedworna, Concept Artists Erica Hohf, Graphic Artist Karen O'Hara, Set Decorator F E