Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/974985
D After fires, the show's most common major event involves some form of collapse. Early this season, I received a script in which the majority of the action centered around a structural collapse in a parking garage. Exterior and interior scenes at the garage both before and after the collapse were needed. Changeover time from before to after collapse would be minimal for both. As is often the case, much of the design of any stage set would be driven by a practical location needed for the exterior scenes. The script required a central entrance to collapse, and perhaps a secondary collapse point where a rescue would take place. Within the limited scouting period, I quickly realized how difficult it would be to find these elements at a garage that would allow a main entrance to be closed for the extended time required. After a bit more scouting, a residential tower was found that would allow the needed access. I wasn't happy with the newness or scale of the structure. In addition, for the action to work, the director would need a fairly large collapsed section constructed in front of the building, and by this point, the shoot was five days away. The crew had a jump on the interior stage set design, and crews would have to be doubled and work straight through to deliver a now increased location build. A large partial collapse facade piece was designed for a lower street level and a smaller platform piece over an entrance above that would play both intact and collapsed. The collapsed sequence would shoot first, then the set pieces would be struck or replaced to provide the before look. Given the amount of work required for the interior stage set, this exterior build had to be streamlined as much as possible. Even so, it needed to look proportional to the building and formidable enough to keep a crew of twenty firefighters at bay for the duration of action the script required. The stage set was relatively straightforward, just large in scale. The script required it to feel like a confined space, but it also had to accommodate numerous characters, entrances and exits, scripted beat elements and the crew that would need to spend five days filming in it. I fought my director's inclination to make a small, densely cluttered space and instead pitched a larger, more layered set that would feel visually dense, but provide sufficient space. The numerous crew members (and director) who thanked me after their five days in there made me feel like I made the right decision. Because of space limitations on the burn stage a large section of the garage set would need to be built under a permanent mezzanine structure. It is a 24-foot x 62-foot clear span deck assembly used for multi-story sets. This would allow the deck structure to support numerous cantilevered ceiling pieces. In addition, it would provide a working platform for the effects crew needed to drop debris and dust on the action below. The drawback was that the set would need to be designed around eight existing I-beam support legs that held up the structure. D. SKETCHUP DIAGRAM BY CRAIG JACKSON SHOWING THE LOWER LEVEL LOCATION BUILD FOR THE EXTERIOR PARKING GARAGE SET. E. PHOTO OF LOWER LEVEL PARKING GARAGE SET DURING FILMING. E