Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546606
we knew there was going to be high expectations from audiences familiar with the design from the 1980s animation. One particular moment in the original animation stood out for Travis and me, when Skeletor uses the open mouth of the snake's head as a dramatic balcony. This was an image we very much wanted to recreate. After my initial sketching phase, I took the design to be rendered as a detailed Rhino model by Art Director Chris Lees. From this digital model, we were able to create set-accurate concept art to present to Travis and the team. I collaborated on the texture and color tests with DP Fabian Wagner so we could perfect the vivid red color of the interior stonework. Fabian and his team used the Sony Venice 2 digital camera, as well as an array of LED lighting setups, to enhance the vivid nature of the colors. We found that using matte paint allowed the surfaces of the set to absorb the colored light in a much more effective way. During dailies, we noticed that the surfaces of the sets appeared to glow rather than simply look lit from a traditional reflective source. This technique became one of the signature lighting techniques for the film. Snake Mountain was constructed on a large soundstage. It was one of the more complicated set builds due to the organic nature of the carved stone design. The long interior walls and ceiling were carved as an exposed spine and ribs; the main chamber housed many intricate snake sculptures. There were a series of corridors branching away from the main chamber that led to other parts of Snake Mountain, including the main entrance with the snake-designed iron portcullis, a grand entry staircase, barracks for the Evil Horde, a hangar for Skeletor's arsenal of Rotons and Fright Fighters, and a prison cell complex. The script described the city of Eternia as being positioned at one side of a large open bridge with Castle Grayskull positioned on the other side, slightly removed from the city. The '80s animation's architecture had always been rendered as a series of silhouetted pastel- shaded domes and towers positioned at the top of A. SNAKE MOUNTAIN THRONE ROOM. PLAN AND ELEVATION BY JOHN KING. PENCIL DRAWING FOR EARLY CONSTRUCTION PLANNING. B. SNAKE MOUNTAIN THRONE ROOM SET IN PROGRESS. SET PHOTO. C. ETERNIA BAILEY FACING SOUTH. ILLUSTRATION BY JAKUB VYOUKAL. D. ETERNIA BAILEY FACING NORTH. ILLUSTRATION BY JAKUB VYOUKAL. E. ETERNIA COURTYARD FACADE. SET PHOTO. A B C