Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535796
The crew plugged and built out certain sections of the AMC with more period-appropriate materials of stone and warm woods, while also tying in as much of the existing scenic work and architecture as possible; the concession and ticket stands would become a casino bar and cashier desk, built-in movie poster light boxes would become ads for shows and acts playing at the hotel. Drapery would also prove to be an invaluable asset in masking and expanding the casino floor with period accuracy. Using the carpet's color scheme of mauve, mustard and lilac as a base, I worked with Graphic Designers Adam Tankell and Chelsea Alden to develop the branding of the hotel and casino. The campus at RSI Locations in Pomona was invaluable to the film's extensive and varied set needs. First and foremost with the catwalks which needed to not only feel accurately connected to the casino floor set, while also providing an alluring canvas for passions to ignite. Art Director Kate Weddle's SketchUp model of the existing loft space and our design proved invaluable when collaborating with the DP and his team about how we wanted to adjust, expand, light and create the maze-like feeling of the casino catwalks, along with the VFX plan to connect the two-way mirrors and ceiling panels of the two sets. Julius and Henry meet in the shadows of the catwalks and their friendship blooms in the blaring lights and noise of the casino floor, but their most intimate and honest moments take place in the motel room they share. The Squaw Motel was another location we found at RSI. I was initially drawn to the space because of the existing floor to ceiling window that looked out onto not only a parking lot, but a concrete and clay breeze block wall staircase unit that felt period-appropriate for the type of roadside motel they could have afforded at the time. Construction added an additional exterior breeze block wall to give the feeling of a private patio for the room, an interior window plug wall to shrink the space down and allow for more lighting options, a warmer and cozier carpet, and another paneled wall door unit to create a faux bathroom within the space. The slight sheen of the dressing, wall papers, window treatments and key practicals from Melissa provided a truly magical space of light for the budding romance of Julius and Henry. Throughout the film, Julius's wanderlust leads him to living a life on the margins; while finding himself in spaces accessible to queer people of that era. He is also often putting himself at great risk, the culmination of this impulsivity leading him to the backstreets of Tijuana. During his heroic search for Henry, the sets of Tijuana needed to not only match the scale of place, but his desperation and desire. My research led me to two defining characteristics that would help us sell his grand journey with our limited means: street vendors and signage. Transforming a row of one-story dilapidated storage units at RSI into the side streets of Tijuana was a true cross- departmental effort of strategic placed picture A. EL KAROO CASINO INTERIOR. DIRECTOR'S PLAN DRAWN BY KATE WEDDLE. B. LAS VEGAS SQUAW MOTEL INTERIOR. BUILT ON LOCATION AT RSI. SET PHOTO. C. LAS VEGAS SQUAW MOTEL EXTERIOR. SET PHOTO. D. TIJUANA BACK STREET SET. DIGITAL SKETCHBOOK DRAWING OF SCENIC CALLOUT AND GRAPHICS PLACEMENT BY ERIN MAGILL. GRAPHICS DESIGNED BY CHELSEA ALDEN, LORIE WALLICK. E. TIJUANA STREET. SHOT ON LOCATION AT RSI. PRODUCTION STILL. F. HEY DAY CAFE. SHOT AT THE DISNEY RANCH. PRODUCTION STILL. G. SAN DIEGO BOARDING HOUSE. SHOT AT RSI. SET PHOTO. H-J. KANSAS FARMHOUSE. SHOT AT DISNEY RANCH. SET PHOTOS. DIVIDER WALL PLANTER UNIT DIVIDER WALL PLANTER UNIT DIVIDER WALL PLANTER UNIT DIVIDER WALL PLANTER UNIT CRAPS TABLE CRAPS TABLE CRAPS TABLE WHEEL OF FORTUNE S S S S S S TEXAS HOLD'EM TEXAS HOLD'EM TEXAS HOLD'EM TEXAS HOLD'EM TEXAS HOLD'EM BAR COUNTER COUNTER UP ELEVATOR 0 15 25 FT SCALE: CASHIER UP DW LOCATION: REL 01/04/23 AMC PROMENED, 21801 OXNARD STREET, WOODLAND HILLS, 91367 SCALE: PRODUCTION DESIGNER: ERIN MAGILL DATE : SET NAME: SUPERVISING ART DIRECTOR: KATE INT. CASINO 1:150.00 01/03/2023 ON SWIFT PLAN - INT. CASINO FLOOR S C A L E : 1 :1 7 5 .0 0 TECH A C B