Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
48 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 design of the times, and also underscored the female nature of the scene. I even designed the salon tables and mirrors so that they would tie in seamlessly with the overall design. All the hotel rooms were constructed. They were as architecturally different from each other as they were in terms of their budget level. The initial scouts included a large number of motels and hotels, looking primarily for exteriors but also to see if any of the interiors could be useful. During this process, we were all able to delineate how low we wanted to go in terms of seediness––in fact not that low. We were helped in this regard by speaking with Billie Jean and other members of the original Virginia Slims Tour, who remembered staying mostly in mid-level, chain-style motels. In the course of this process, I got an education in the gamut of things that go on in motel life. There were so many hotel and motel sets that we gave them nicknames. At the highest end, the Bonaventure Hotel (nicknamed the French Farce) is a big, fancy hotel. Extensive shooting was done at the actual location in downtown Los Angeles. The hotel was actually built a couple of years after the events of the film, but it had the correct feeling. The lobby and the elevators, and the area right outside the elevators, were shot on location, but to achieve the French Farce scene of Larry and Marilyn going around in different directions, only to meet at the same time in front of Billie Jean's room, we needed to build the distinctive round hallway. The set was taped on the floor of the production office at various circumferences, and walked with Jon and Val and cinematographer Linus Sandgren until we finally arrived at the size that worked for the pacing of the scene. That became the size when the set was built on Stage 10 at Fox Studios. The set also included the distinctive pie slice-shaped rooms. While doing research for the show, I came across an issue of Interior Design magazine with an article and extensive photographs of the Bonaventure when it had just opened. This was a great resource for realistic detail such as, for example, the placement of light switches and radiator gills. Right: A wide view of Ms. Bratkowski and Mr. Contestabile's model of the Los Angeles Sports Arena, standing in for the Houston Astrodome, that was used to explore camera positions for the Battle of the Sexes scenes. Below: A view of the model from one of the entrance tunnels.