Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/974985
5 0 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 8 was fortunate to lure Supervising Art Director Maya Shimoguchi into the fold. Maya introduced me to Set Decorator Amanda Serino and Assistant Art Director Gustaf "Goose" Aspegren—all three of whom had just rolled back into town from Vancouver after working together on War for the Planet of the Apes. And I was reunited with my very trusted friends and allies from past projects—Assistant Art Director Mike Piccirillo, Graphic Artist Ellen Lampl and construction coordinator Chris Snyder. Many more talented crew members joined up in the weeks to follow. Due to the inherent budget constraints, it was important that everyone be realistic about our capacities from the start. As my mentor and friend Ed Verreaux is known to say, "You always want to ride the horse in the direction it's going." Elaborate sculpting and casting, custom metalwork, extensive cnc routing, expensive laminates and substrates would not be in the cards on this one. Fortunately, Chris Snyder's team can make anything look like anything—their millwork was exceptional and the paint finishes (under the supervision of Tom Brown) were outstanding. GUIDING PRINCIPLES It was clear in our early discussions that Julius and I were gravitating toward some common guiding principles: A. & B. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF THE ESCAPE POD BY JOSH VIERS. C. X-DECK ILLUSTRATION BY FABIAN LACEY. D. X-DECK ILLUSTRATION BY NATHAN SCHROEDER. E. SET PHOTO OF X-DECK. A B Think of the space station as a living, breathing organism. As the human characters in the story manifest physical and emotional trauma, the station should also react as a body under stress… with its vulnerabilities and viscera exposed. Rather than articulating an aesthetic of hyper- slick futurism, we wanted to peel back layers of a utilitarian skin to expose a vascular system of familiar technology inspired by current-day particle accelerators. Reflect Reality. While shaping the aesthetic, the design team was adamant that our language reflects the imperfections and limitations of the universe as premised by the story. There should be nothing precious about this space station. After all, it was built under very extenuating and desperate circumstances—the Earth was experiencing an existential power shortage, countries were bracing for war and civilization was poised for complete breakdown. The notion was embraced that the degradation taking place on Earth be reflected in the body of the Cloverfield. Build It and They Will Come…Since the script was "under construction" during preproduction, it became clear that our sets needed to serve the function of supporting a narrative, a director and a crew on a journey for which the map was still being drawn. As Rick Carter would emphasize early