Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541514
on an agricultural fair field outside the city (the same field on which we built the carnival for Nightmare Alley, a space known to us… tried and true), an interior tower lobby set, the interior main lab, Victor's quarters, the top of the tower, the tower pinnacle, and the underground vaulted-ceiling crypt where the Creature was chained. Additionally, there were four miniatures built by The Magic Camera Company, led by Jose Granell in the U.K.: the full tower for wide establishers at 1:40 scale (we called it a maxi-ture instead of a miniature at 11-foot, 6-inches tall), two even larger partial exterior towers rigged for pyrotechnics at 25-feet high (1:20 scale), and a full interior lab at 1:4 scale, also for the explosion scene. Guillermo's choice to have miniatures constructed was very much in keeping with the hand-built feel of the entire project. Although our visual effects team did an excellent job of bringing all these elements together seamlessly, using the miniatures brought a remarkable and credible level of detail and realism to the final look. Along with these substantial builds, we were faced with creating a timeline of different looks for each set. The lab itself went from an abandoned water tower to "under renovation" to the completed lab with a complement of unique battery towers that stood some 16-feet, 8-inches high and turned from green glass to red lit with a complement of dials, valves, pipes and steam. The lobby set evolved from a vine-covered abandoned space to post-exploded wintry ruins in a matter of a couple of weeks. Inspired by our U.K. tour, I yearned to create a set with vaulted Gothic-style ceilings. The Creature's crypt, set underneath the tower at the edge of the cliff, was the perfect setting to reimagine some of that Gothic and Victorian architecture. In terms of the sheer quantity of design involved in the lab and lab tower, I had to rely heavily on my excellent crew of both designers, scenic builders, sculptors and Scenic Artists to see it through expertly, elegantly and speedily. We drew and redrew as the lab took form in our story and was continually adjusted to fit Guillermo's A. EXTERIOR LAB TOWER FULL MINIATURE. SMALL TOWER FOR WIDE ESTABLISHERS 1:40 SCALE, SO 11-FEET 6-INCHES HIGH WITH A SECTION OF LANDSCAPE CREATED THAT WAS 20-FEET X 16-FEET X 6-FEET HIGH. B. LAB CREATION MOMENT. ILLUSTRATION HAND-DRAWN OVER 3D MODEL ON DIGITAL PLATFORM USING PHOTOSHOP BY VICKI PUI BASED ON A 3D RHINO MODEL BY SET DESIGNER SORIN POPESCU. C. LAB AS ABANDONED WATER TOWER (FIRST LOOK) ILLUSTRATION HAND- DRAWN OVER 3D MODEL ON DIGITAL PLATFORM USING PHOTOSHOP BY VICKI PUI BASED ON A 3D RHINO MODEL BY SET DESIGNER SORIN POPESCU. B C A