PROJECT
SUMBERLAND
Director: Francis Lawrence
Production Designer: Dominik Watkins
Year
2021
Water tank build at Pinewood studios Toronto
Plane build in three different environments
responsible for: underwater process work, centennial pool work, plane, goose, lighthouse portions
PLANE WORK (rolling on ground, gimbal, SPFX rig crashing through cinder block foam)
We started with an aircraft in extremely rough condition—honestly, it may have been easier to start from scratch. The Art Department redesigned it as a modular build that could adapt to several different shooting requirements.
The wings were intentionally omitted so the plane could fit on city streets, while the front and rear sections were removable for gimbal work. We also designed a low-profile winch rig so the aircraft could later crash through the men’s room set.
Ahead of the build, I 3D scanned the stunt doubles for each character so we could design the cockpit around their proportions. The seat was adjustable front to back, and Set Decoration did a fantastic job sourcing detailed cockpit clusters and components that helped make the finished aircraft feel believable.
WATER WORK
Production took over a public pool shortly before it was scheduled for demolition. We painted the basin black, and I scanned the shape of the pool so we could accurately plan each installation.
Working closely with Special Effects and Grips, we plated the bottom of the pool with rigging points so changeovers could happen more efficiently and the set pieces could be securely anchored once the pool was filled. We also tested materials in chlorinated water to understand how they would perform over several months of use.
A huge amount of preparation went into making sure the stunt team had enough time to rehearse with each configuration fully installed.
This was a massive coordination effort. We managed five separate set-piece changeovers, each of which had to account for draining, refilling, heating, filtering, installation, and rehearsal time. There were a lot of moving parts to keep synchronized — Gantts galore.
