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MONSTER MASH www.postmagazine.com 20 POST SEPTEMBER 2015 olumbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation release Hotel Transylvania 2 on September 25 th — a follow up to the popular 2012 animated feature about a place where monsters go to relax, away from the presence of humans. The new CG film brings the hu- man and monster worlds closer together, as Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Johnny (Andy Samberg) marry and give birth to Dennis, leaving Dracula (Adam Sandler) to wonder if his grandson is at least partially a vampire? The film also features the voice talents of Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key and Mel Brooks. Mike Kurinsky is a production designer at Sony Pictures Animation (www.sonyp icturesanimation.com) and spent two years working with a team to develop and refine the look of the film's environ- ments, characters and props. Here, he talks to Post about his work on the film and a number of its visual highlights. Did you work on the original Hotel Transylvania? "I worked a little on the initial film at the end. I came in at the end to work on the lighting and color script. I do painting that informs lighters on how scenes and sequences should look. That's all I did on the first one." Can you elaborate on the role of a production designer? "A production designer oversees the overall look of every aspect of film — from the environments, to the characters, color and lighting, and texture — making sure it's consistent with the style that had been set. In this case, I had a first movie that was already set by a different production designer. The rules of Hotel Transylvania were already set. I wanted to beholden to those rules, but also find ways to put my own touches on the movie to make it feel fresh and new." What were the guidelines? "I inherited things that would not change. You have a castle, and it's iconic. It's almost like a character in the first movie and you don't want to change that, but are there ways to make it look and feel different? Yeah. Lighting is always a way you can take an environment and com- pletely change it." Where were you able to put your own touch on this film? "In this movie, I had many opportuni- ties, after reading the script. There were sequences in the script where I went, 'Oh my gosh! A wedding that takes place in the hotel?' Johnny and Mavis get married and have a child, so we have a wedding sequence. Every day you have these C mash up BY MARC LOFTUS Worlds collide in Hotel Transylvania 2