Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
30 P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 Prison Camp Backlot After tucking the apes into their new home, the next order of business was to conceive and design the massive prison set where they would be held captive by a rogue army of humans. Over half the film takes place in this prison camp and the script had very specific demands; certain sightlines needed to be supported, the positions for various tunnel entrances were critical. A complex web of points in space needed to be wrangled in addition to creating a space of tremendous scale and power. The set had to have sufficient presence and strength to support the idea that these humans could actually contain the power of the apes. We explored the idea that this place had been a weapons depot before the Simian Flu Pandemic that caused the worldwide collapse of human civilization. The depot had since been converted into a human quarantine Top: Joe Studzinski's Photoshop illustration of the prison camp, a backlot set built in Richmond, BC. In the film, the prison camp was supposed to be located in the hills below the Whitney Portal, above Lone Pine, CA. Above: Another view of the Richmond backlot prison camp, this time drawn by Illustrator Nathan Schroeder in Photoshop and Maya ® , showing the prison's depot exterior. Right: Assistant Art Director Goose Aspergen worked with Model Maker Brett Phillips to develop this physical model of the prison camp wall that the apes were tasked with repairing, allowing them to do what they do best—build with large timbers. The physical models were key in helping the crews organize the chaos of the construction.