Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546033
The Modern Movie Theater As the script unfolded across cities, with Frank and The Bride frequently visiting cinemas, we needed theater locations in New York to help build their journey and provide a sense of place. When they entered the 3D film in Times Square, we used the modern theater in Manhattan, designed by Joseph Urban. Completed in 1930, it had an elliptical layout and was among the first International Style designs in the US. Originally, a speaking and concert venue, it lacked a proscenium or screen, so we installed a Screen- o-Scope, similar to one at the Film Guild Cinema in 1929. Designed to appear like an eye, it removed the traditional proscenium arch frame between the audience and the film, appearing to expand outward, enveloping viewers and blurring the boundary between the walls and the projection. Tattoo Shop Designed as an intimate moment in the film's dreamy love story, this scene was built like a photograph—capturing a moment. The design team researched 1930s tattoo shops, discovering details, from barely sanitized tattoo equipment to framed flash pieces and photographs that covered the walls. We included personalized notes, warnings, a worn dentist's chair and aging walls. This set, along with the Wild Late Night Club and street environments, was a natural place for us to lean into the outsider punk aesthetic. New York Grand Ballroom Constructed on Stage 26 at Steiner Studios, the ballroom was built to stage complex stunt and dance sequences. The Bride and Frank, on the run, stumble through a busy underground kitchen set into an opulent, Ruhlmann- inspired Art Deco hotel ballroom—luxurious and imposing. Frank's illusion shatters when he encounters his Hollywood idol, Ronnie Reed, while The Bride recognizes a figure from her past and voices her thoughts, culminating with Frank dramatically pulling down a massive chandelier. C. TIMES SQUARE. SET EXTENSION CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY QINGLING ZHANG WITH GRAPHICS BY KERRY HYATT. D. TIMES SQUARE BACKLOT SET EXTENSION PREVIS STEINER STUDIOS LOT, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK BY ALEXIOS CHRYSIKOS IN 3D STUDIO MAX AND ARNOLD. E. TIMES SQUARE BACKLOT SET. ELEVATIONS BY JON COLLINS. GRAPHICS BY EDDIE IOFFREDA. F. TIMES SQUARE BACKLOT SET. SET PHOTO. G. MODERN CINEMA. SHOT AT THE 1930 NEW SCHOOL THEATER IN MANHATTAN. ILLUSTRATION. H. TATTOO PARLOR. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIOS CHRYSIKOS IN 3D STUDIO MAX AND PHOTOSHOP. I. TATTOO PARLOR. SET PHOTO. J. GRAND BALLROOM. CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS BY LAUREN ROCKMAN. G H I J