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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2025
whether it was at Laurel Valley Plantation or the train depot, we had to have
that red dirt. Not a lot of directors would care about that level of detail, but
Ryan does. It mattered to him. It mattered literally from the ground up."
Getting that dirt meant that they would have to source it, then truck it
in and lay it down—a task that fell to Lead Greensman Scott Bovina. But it
wasn't that simple.
"You don't just pin-roll it and make it flat. Things back in those days had
texture," Howard explains. "You know, most period piece movies, they'll
lay dirt down and I've had production designers that wanted to use horse
manure to give it texture. People don't realize that, back in those days,
nobody's shoes were clean."
That dirt may seem to be an unusual expense for a film but having it made
a huge difference on the film in Howard's view. "When you see it on camera,
it just radiates. It's almost like you're looking at the surface of Mars," he says.
The problem with trucking in the dirt is that, as soon as it rains, it all just
turns to mud, and Sinners shot 75%-80% exteriors. The team knew two things
for sure: "It was gonna be hot and it was gonna be rainy," says Howard.
Throughout production, the cast and crew faced temperatures in excess
of 100° and up to 90% humidity with severely rainy weather!
Juke Joint set location after brush clearing.
Photo courtesy of Elston Howard/LMGI
