Exclusive: Part Three of Our Chat with One Tree Hill's Production Designer, Alan Hook
Concept drawing for Dan's mayor office. Photo courtesy of Alan Hook
Here’s part three of our three-part interview with Alan Hook, One Tree Hill’s production designer. Be sure to check out the updated photo gallery -- he sent us some great pics of Dan's mayor office, and the concept drawing that got it all started.
Missed a week? Read part one and part two!
CW Source: Tell us more about filming the Season Three finale: The wedding, the car crash into the river -- it seems to have been challenging to shoot, and a real change of pace!
AH: It definitely was. We had a lot of fun with it.
We found an old Southern plantation that had these beautiful azalea gardens. Everything was in bloom, and it was beautiful, so we decided to set the renewal vows outdoors. We made the gazebo area -- we brought in rose petals covering everything. There was something in the neighborhood of 20,000 rose petals to throw. The reception was in a tent that we had set up on location, but we also set the tent up on stage and shot the interior.
CW Source: What do you mean, on stage?
AH: The sound stages. We put the tent inside so we could control it – in case we had rain or bad weather, but it was lit in a way to make it look like you were outdoors. But we were inside.
CW Source: How did you set up the car crash?
AH: We had a lot of lead time to figure that out. We had to find a location that would allow us to close down the bridge for a week. We found a location sort of up in the middle of nowhere, this swampy location.
There were a lot of factors going into picking this location. [We needed:]
*A bridge that would allow us to do this.
*Water deep enough to allow the car to sink.
CW Source: So that was a real limo.
AH: It was a real limo.
We coordinated with our special effects guy, Steve Lanier. No one was driving the car, obviously. But it was on a cable rig that pulled it along the rail and pulled it through so it went over.
Originally, the car was supposed to crash over the side, hit the water, and sink. But it was supposed to stay right-side up. We had scenes where Nathan/Lucas jumped in and tried to save people.
But on the day of the shoot, the car flipped over and fell on its backside. So we had to figure out a way to make it seem like the car was upside down. Mark was directing that episode, and he made the call to roll the camera over underwater, to make the car feel like it was rolling underwater and then flipped over again.
We had a real limo. We also took a limo that we cut in half. We only had the front seat section. We were able to film that in a controlled environment.
CW Source: Were the actors really in their seats?
AH: They were. Not when we crashed the car over the bridge, but the half car. Nathan really had to dive underwater to bang on the window. The actors were sitting on their seats, and they had scuba gear under their seats so they could take a breath.
It was a good way to end the season. It got everybody sort of jazzed about doing something fun and different.
CW Source: How is it filming in Wilmington as opposed to LA?
AH: This show is set as a Southern show – in North Carolina in the fictional town of Tree Hill. There’s a lot of architecture that’s unique to the South that we’re able to take advantage of and use. If we were in LA, we would have to try and build it. Here, we can use the real thing.
Certain elements would be hard to reproduce. One of those things is the river court. It’s across from downtown Wilmington. We laid the asphalt and put the basketball court over it. That’s one of the iconic sets of the show, I would say.
Being [in the South], it just makes everything a lot easier.
CW Source: Are there challenges, being there as opposed to a larger city?
AH: It’s written that Tree Hill is a larger city than what Wilmington actually is. We have to fake that some of the time.
CW Source: What’s an example of that?
AH: Say we had to film a scene in NYC, for example. We’ll digitally add a mat to make it look like there are high-rises, get NYC cabs, etc.
CW Source: So those scenes when the gang went to NYC were also filmed in Wilmington?
AH: We film it all here. A lot of times, those kinds of challenges make you come up with stuff that’s better. Sometimes those limitations bring out your creativity.
I think [fans will] be surprised and excited by the new season. It’s a whole new show, new storylines -- same characters.
Comments
when is one tree hil comeing back?
Posted by: Robert | September 22, 2007 11:00 PM
great interview!! i can't wait to see what else is in store for next season, creatively with set design, AND storyline-wise ;) you all have done great these past four seasons with the sets you've built, so can't wait to see what interesting changes to sets may have happened in Tree Hill, over 4 years :)
-amanda
Posted by: amanda | September 14, 2007 3:53 PM
i loved the interview thanks for the inside view...i wish u were coming back for a full season!!! see u in the spring
Posted by: megan | September 13, 2007 2:34 PM
great interview . Loved hearing how they got the special affects and all.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 12, 2007 8:19 PM