Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535796
Grady (another Mad Men recommendation from property master Gay Perello) had both previously worked with our director on various Ryan Murphy shows over the years and this existing rapport would also prove invaluable on a project with little room for error. The two grandest sets of the film were also pivotal story points and therefore, the highest priority out of the gate to get director approval on: the racetrack where Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) ever so slyly begins to explore a less traditional life and the Las Vegas casino where Julius, her brother-in- law (Jacob Elordi), is able to pursue his rebellious desires more aggressively. Because I had recently shot at Santa Anita racetrack for another film, I knew that it was not only film-friendly, but period-appropriate for this world. However, this was also the beginning of a few discussions about where the film would deviate from the original text of the novel for a variety of reasons. San Diego would remain as a main destination, but we would be taking liberties with the racetrack itself because of budget and legal concerns; Santa Anita would stand in for the Del Mar-inspired fictitious Bel Vista racetrack. The existing color scheme at Santa Anita was not only period-appropriate, but a perfectly sun-bleached shade of green and yellow. A palette I would further incorporate into Muriel's world because I felt it acutely represented her growing malaise with the notion of a nuclear family and what her husband had hoped the journey west would bring them. The pivotal Vegas casino where Julius takes chances in life and love was written in the novel as the Golden Nugget, and while we initially explored a few locations that could mimic the aesthetic of this stalwart of Fremont Street—the DP and I pretty immediately saw potential issues with the "eye in the sky" scenes where Julius has conned his way into a security job traversing the casino catwalks. In the shadows of this world, he would also meet a kindred spirit and eventual love interest Henry (Diego Calva). My research into the early days of Las Vegas, most notably with Larry A. SAN DIEGO BEL VISTA RACETRACK GRAPHICS DESIGNED BY CHELSEA ALDEN. B. CHAMPAGNE COURT AT THE BEL VISTA. SHOT AT SANTA ANITA RACETRACK SET PHOTO. C. CASINO SECURITY CATWALK STUDY. SKETCHUP MODEL BY KATE WEDDLE. D. CASINO SECURITY CATWALK. SHOT ON LOCATION AT RSI. SET PHOTO. E. CASINO SECURITY CATWALK. PRODUCTION STILL. F. CASINO CATWALK - DOUBLE-SIDED SECURITY MIRROR POV. SHOT AT AMC PROMENADE MALL. PRODUCTION STILL. G. EL KAROO CASINO PROP GRAPHICS. DESIGNED BY CHELSEA ALDEN AND ADAM TANKELL H. & I. EL KAROO CASINO INTERIOR. SET PHOTOS. A C B D