6 NOMINATIONS including Best Picture - Academy Awards 2014
NEBRASKA
Directed By Alexander Payne
Production Designed by Dennis Washington
Being a native Nebraskan I had been exposed to small town living from an early age, so getting dialed in to the fictional town of Hawthorne was not difficult. Making designs work in Black and White was not so simple. Payne's desire to make a stark, basic film was only augmented by going black and white. However, shooting digitally and then dropping the color meant experimenting with the colors and contrast levels. In color, many of the shots looked quite bizarre, and sometimes jarring. Ultimately it turned out to be one of the most beautiful films I've seen.
The My Million Dollars letter was THE PROP. It needed to look official to Woody and a joke to those who thought him a fool.
5 NOMINATIONS including Best Picture - Golden Globes 2014
The signs of Hawthorne were so unique and sort of succinct to the location. We kept stripping away more and more until we got to the bare minimum of what was needed. Many of the actual signs from the town were left as is, so blending in what we added to the existing was even more important than making them look good in B&W. I worked with the talented scenic artists to get a perfect finish.
Dennis Washington is an incredible illustrator. His sketches were ever present and it was amazing to watch him work.
The Hawthorne Republican newspaper was quite a project. The scripted action required me to create eight full pages of vintage newspaper, including copywriting several articles so that any closeup shots would look authentic and be filled with actual stories.
An early version of Woody's Prize Winner trucker hat appears on the show logo.
Color shots of "Hawthorne" courtesy of location scout Jamie Vesay.
When I watch this film I get transported. Though I know what work was done, what existed and what we added, I never even think about it. Everything ended up looking so natural. If I didn't know better I would think you could go to Hawthorne, Nebraska and get a Monster Tan. Home of the Farmers Tan Special.
NWC