Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1539634
P A R A D I S E | P E R S P E C T I V E 6 1 walls, creating a touchstone I return to throughout production. Research continues through prep, but these guidelines keep the vision cohesive. 3D modeling has also become integral to my process. Using Cinema 4D, I model and light all sets before construction begins, exploring camera angles and lenses with directors and the cinematographer. While this doesn't replace traditional white card scale models, time constraints often make digital previsualization essential. For Paradise, the previs process was crucial. Every episode required building sets into existing locations, so I used a technique of mapping location photography onto geometry in C4D, making the photo a 3D asset I could add scenery to and light. This allowed me to show directors exactly how our stage builds would integrate with location work. I could demonstrate how the dome's artificial sunlight would play across the buildings at different times of the day, how shadows would fall, and where we needed practical lighting supplements. The final composites, rendered in Photoshop, became our bible for the construction, paint and lighting departments. The Collaborative Effort The scope was staggering: the production built forty unique residential interiors, thirty commercial spaces, fifteen government facilities, and countless tunnels, maintenance areas and infrastructure spaces. Each needed to feel lived-in yet somehow artificial, comfortable yet unsettling. E. ABOVE THE DOME. EARLY CONCEPT RENDERING BY KEVIN BIRD IN CINEMA 4D AND PHOTOSHOP. Kevin Bird, Production Designer Felicity Nove, Helen Jun, Art Directors Amanda Knehans, Assistant Art Director Will Batts, Xi Yang, Set Designers Andrés Parada, Concept Designer Lori West, Graphic Artist Cindy Coburn, Set Decorator Every surface, every paint color, every piece of set decoration was chosen to reinforce the central tension of Paradise: a perfect place that isn't quite right. Leading this massive effort was the outstanding Art Director Felicity Nove. She oversaw all set design and stage construction on over one hundred and fifty sets shot on locations throughout California and at Paramount Studios. Construction coordinator Gary Christensen and his brilliant team made the impossible possible. None of this would exist without the show's carpenters, scenics and plasterers—I have deep respect for their craft. The Paradise production team has worked together for years, and I feel privileged to be a part of this family. This show represents what we can achieve when vision, technology and craftsmanship unite to build impossible worlds. I also want to acknowledge the hugely talented Art Department and crew that delivered hundreds of stage sets and locations. Along with Art Director Felicity Nove was Art Director Helen Jun, Art Coordinator Jennifer Stoefen, Graphic Artist Lori West, Assistant Art Director Amanda Knehans and Set Designers Will Batts and Xi Yang. As I finish reading episode 1 of season 2, my mind is blown once again. The world of Paradise continues to evolve, and I can't wait to reveal what lies beneath the surface of our perfect town. ADG E