Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1539634
violence. The main set was a Pu'uhonua (a sacred temple of refuge), which he takes, invades and kills everyone sheltering there to turn it into his own personal heaui (temple). The script called for a bone hut, or some kind of structure designed to desacralize the remains of his victims. The Art Department had to take a bit of liberty and diverge from historical facts here to make the story more compelling and dramatic. We came up with the idea of treating this bone structure as a variation of the lele (offering structure), which is usually part of the heiau where offerings were made to the gods. These leles did not necessarily have the shape of towers, but when they did, they served as metaphorical antennas that could facilitate communication with the gods. The bone tower Kahekili ends up building thus becomes a strong symbolic representation of his thirst for war and conquest, offering the bones of his victims to the gods in order to fuel/quench this thirst. We also built Kahekili's living compound overlooking the bone tower and the ocean, thus reinforcing his obsession for war. This set was built on the coast of New Zealand facing south, an orientation similar to what would have been on the west side of the Kapahulu (Diamond Head crater) in Oahu. A. KA'U STRONGHOLD. CONCEPT ART BY ANDRÉS PARADA (PHOTOSHOP), RENDER ASSETS BY ANDREW LIMA (SKETCHUP, TWINMOTION). WE ENDED UP GETTING THIS AS A VFX SHOT ON LOCATION AT KAHANA BAY BEACH IN OAHU. B. KA'U STRONGHOLD. CONCEPT MODEL AND RENDER BY ANDREW LIMA (SKETCHUP AND TWINMOTION). C. KA'U STRONGHOLD. PLAN AND ELEVATIONS, DRAWN BY KARIJUS SCHLOGL. D. KA'U STRONGHOLD. FILM STILL. COURTESY OF APPLE. E. SACRED GROUNDS MAUI. SMALL HEIAU BUILT ON STAGE IN AUCKLAND, NZ. SET PHOTO, COURTESY OF APPLE. F. OAHU BONE TEMPLE (TEMPLE OF REFUGE), THE COMPLETED STRUCTURE BY KAHEKILI AND HIS MEN WITH THE BONES OF HIS VICTIMS. BUILT ON THE COAST OF AWHITU IN NZ. SET PHOTO BY JF CAMPEAU. G. OAHU BONE TEMPLE. ONE OF THE SCRIPTED PHASES OF THE STRUCTURE'S CONSTRUCTION. SET PHOTO. H. OAHU BONE TEMPLE. KING KAHEKILI'S COMPOUND IN THE BACKGROUND. FILM STILL COURTESY OF APPLE. F G H