Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1539634
1 4 P E R S P E C T I V E S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 and the kapu, which is crucial to the traditional animistic Hawaiian religion. I see it as a clash between the poetry and grace of the mana, which recognizes a spiritual power in all living things and forms a very strong link with nature and the land, an experience we all seem to crave so much these days, and the kapu, a strict set of rules of conduct established by men and leading to violent conflicts and retributions. It is this juxtaposition of poetry and violence, the beauty of the land and its inhabitants vs. a type of brutality intrinsic to humanity that lies at the core of what the production tried to achieve. Execution/Bringing the Concept to Life With the expression of the mana as a conceptual North Star, the creative team recognized that shooting in nature was essential. With Jason Momoa, Pa'a Sibbett, showrunner Doug Jung and director Justin Chun, we therefore agreed to approach the series in a very naturalistic way, trying to keep VFX to a minimum and shooting in real landscapes as much as possible. The challenge we faced was twofold: We needed to find these untouched landscapes and also build very large, complex sets in situ. When building entire worlds like this, a Production Designer can understandably be tempted to go for the controlled environment of a studio backlot. This story, however, was all about the land, which meant that the production had to be out there, doing all our big builds in remote locations, and complementing these pristine landscapes with all the infrastructure necessary to make them even more spectacular. The epic nature of the series, the desire to build these elaborate sets to illustrate a civilization that thrived in the Hawaiian archipelago at the time drove the decision to split the shoot between the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand. This made a lot of sense, as the Maori and Hawaiian cultures are both part of the Polynesian Triangle; which the renowned waterman and Hawaiian surfing icon Brian Keaulana strikingly describes as being "not divided by land, but united by water." I thus found myself involved in a process of scouting and designing back-and-forth between New Zealand and Hawaii, which was demanding for sure, but also incredibly gratifying. Authenticity For all the show's builds, of course, the crew had to respect modern-day norms and regulations, while at the same time, trying to do everything in line with the traditional Hawaiian craftsmanship (which, by the way, is incredible). There was much more to it than just feather capes for the nobility. Most of it, in fact, revolved around everyday life: like making A. WA'A DOUBLE-HULL CANOE SEEN IN THE OPENING SCENES OF EPISODE 1, NAVIGATED BY KA'IANA, SHOT ON THE NORTH SHORE OF OAHU (MAKUA BEACH). FILM STILL. COURTESY OF APPLE. B. KOHALA TEMPLE DETAIL, WITH THE KI'I OF KANALOA (GOD OF THE SEA) TRADITIONALLY POSITIONED WITH HIS BACK FACING THE OCEAN. SET PHOTO. C. KOHALA TEMPLE DETAIL, THE MEETING HUT. SET PHOTO. A