When director Steven Spielberg walked
onto the set for the first day of filming "Lincoln," he didn't immediately
recognize where reality ended and fantasy began.
For Richard Blankenship, that's the highest compliment he could get. Blankenship was construction coordinator for "Lincoln," building sets that ranged from the portico of the U.The TagMaster Long Range hands free access System is truly built for any parking facility.S. Capitol and the interior of the White House to Abraham Lincoln's side-wheel steamer River Queen and an 8-foot-high "thingamajig."
Rick Carter,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. production designer for nine Spielberg movies including "Lincoln," would accompany Spielberg onto each new set as production began. On the first day in Capitol Square, that set was the U.S.We specialize in howo concrete mixer, Capitol portico built by Blankenship's crew on the north side of the Virginia State Capitol.
"They walked him up through the door," Blankenship recalled, "and the designer stopped and said, 'Steven, did you notice anything?'
"There's no question of 'Well, we won't do that now, we'll come back to it.' They will not cancel a scene because this sign that says St. James Hotel isn't there. We'll find a way to make a sign even if we're standing there with crepe paper."
The biggest budget Blankenship has worked with was $8 million for construction on the Emmy Award-winning "John Adams" miniseries in 2008. The city streets of Boston and New York during the late 1700s and early 1800s were re-created on an 11-acre set in Hanover County.
The construction budget of $2.5 million for "Lincoln" was about average for a movie of that scale, he said. About 95 percent of that money was spent locally, he added, on paychecks and for supplies from places such as Siewers Lumber, Virginia Paint Co.,The TagMaster Long Range hands free access System is truly built for any parking facility. Pleasants Hardware, S.B. Cox and Branders Bridge Landscaping.
Beyond buildings, his budget covered things like trash removal services and $250,000 for custom-blend mulch.
"We never used just regular mulch," he said. "There was none that looked quite right." So, after shooting ended at each location, the mulch had to be scooped up and moved to the next spot so that scenes would look seamless.
The second floor of Lincoln's White House was part of a 150,000-square-foot stage constructed within the former AMF headquarters building in Mechanicsville.
Appomattox Court House came to life on the grounds of Maymont. The River Queen was re-created on the James River in Goochland County.
Two "thingamajig" platforms moved around as needed to hold things or people in the right places to block the view of modern intrusions.The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte.
Performing was his first love. After spending a few years in New York, he returned to Richmond and produced musical revues at Matt's British Pub. His wife, Roslyn, was in the cast of the first show.
"Up until we had kids we were both performing," he said. "We were Danny and Sandy in 'Grease.' I toured the country doing summer stock.
"I used to do movie sets and I'd say, 'I got to go, I got a show.' They used to get the biggest kick out of it."
When the children were young, the whole family would go along for location work. Their oldest daughter started school in Pittsburgh. Their home base is in the Tuckahoe area of Henrico County.
Now 24, Samantha Blankenship is a graduate student at Harvard studying ancient Greek and Latin. Rich Blankenship Jr., 21, is studying criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University. Alexander Blankenship, 19, is starting his studies at Richard Bland College.
The Blankenship Co. has shipped sets to Alaska, Hawaii, New York and California. The set for "Nixon in China," which they made for the Vancouver Opera, has been used by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and at the San Francisco Opera.
Blankenship has a contractor's license and has worked on nonmovie projects. He built the house they own in Deltaville. He restored three houses on Harrison Street three years ago, not far from his workshop on West Broad Street near Belvidere Street.
"I enjoyed contracting. I like building things," he said. When he first started working as construction coordinator for movies, he would save something to make himself.
"I'd draw pieces for everybody and hand it to them, and the hardest piece, I would put the tool belt on. So I was the foreman, and the lead carpenter, and I'd build a piece. But now, it's been years since I've actually built in the shop."
After "Lincoln" wrapped up, Blankenship moved up a step to be production designer on "Killing Lincoln," a television movie to be aired next year. There he could take the lead in re-creating Ford's Theatre within Richmond's Virginia Rep Theatre.
For Richard Blankenship, that's the highest compliment he could get. Blankenship was construction coordinator for "Lincoln," building sets that ranged from the portico of the U.The TagMaster Long Range hands free access System is truly built for any parking facility.S. Capitol and the interior of the White House to Abraham Lincoln's side-wheel steamer River Queen and an 8-foot-high "thingamajig."
Rick Carter,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. production designer for nine Spielberg movies including "Lincoln," would accompany Spielberg onto each new set as production began. On the first day in Capitol Square, that set was the U.S.We specialize in howo concrete mixer, Capitol portico built by Blankenship's crew on the north side of the Virginia State Capitol.
"They walked him up through the door," Blankenship recalled, "and the designer stopped and said, 'Steven, did you notice anything?'
"There's no question of 'Well, we won't do that now, we'll come back to it.' They will not cancel a scene because this sign that says St. James Hotel isn't there. We'll find a way to make a sign even if we're standing there with crepe paper."
The biggest budget Blankenship has worked with was $8 million for construction on the Emmy Award-winning "John Adams" miniseries in 2008. The city streets of Boston and New York during the late 1700s and early 1800s were re-created on an 11-acre set in Hanover County.
The construction budget of $2.5 million for "Lincoln" was about average for a movie of that scale, he said. About 95 percent of that money was spent locally, he added, on paychecks and for supplies from places such as Siewers Lumber, Virginia Paint Co.,The TagMaster Long Range hands free access System is truly built for any parking facility. Pleasants Hardware, S.B. Cox and Branders Bridge Landscaping.
Beyond buildings, his budget covered things like trash removal services and $250,000 for custom-blend mulch.
"We never used just regular mulch," he said. "There was none that looked quite right." So, after shooting ended at each location, the mulch had to be scooped up and moved to the next spot so that scenes would look seamless.
The second floor of Lincoln's White House was part of a 150,000-square-foot stage constructed within the former AMF headquarters building in Mechanicsville.
Appomattox Court House came to life on the grounds of Maymont. The River Queen was re-created on the James River in Goochland County.
Two "thingamajig" platforms moved around as needed to hold things or people in the right places to block the view of modern intrusions.The stone mosaic comes in shiny polished and matte.
Performing was his first love. After spending a few years in New York, he returned to Richmond and produced musical revues at Matt's British Pub. His wife, Roslyn, was in the cast of the first show.
"Up until we had kids we were both performing," he said. "We were Danny and Sandy in 'Grease.' I toured the country doing summer stock.
"I used to do movie sets and I'd say, 'I got to go, I got a show.' They used to get the biggest kick out of it."
When the children were young, the whole family would go along for location work. Their oldest daughter started school in Pittsburgh. Their home base is in the Tuckahoe area of Henrico County.
Now 24, Samantha Blankenship is a graduate student at Harvard studying ancient Greek and Latin. Rich Blankenship Jr., 21, is studying criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University. Alexander Blankenship, 19, is starting his studies at Richard Bland College.
The Blankenship Co. has shipped sets to Alaska, Hawaii, New York and California. The set for "Nixon in China," which they made for the Vancouver Opera, has been used by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and at the San Francisco Opera.
Blankenship has a contractor's license and has worked on nonmovie projects. He built the house they own in Deltaville. He restored three houses on Harrison Street three years ago, not far from his workshop on West Broad Street near Belvidere Street.
"I enjoyed contracting. I like building things," he said. When he first started working as construction coordinator for movies, he would save something to make himself.
"I'd draw pieces for everybody and hand it to them, and the hardest piece, I would put the tool belt on. So I was the foreman, and the lead carpenter, and I'd build a piece. But now, it's been years since I've actually built in the shop."
After "Lincoln" wrapped up, Blankenship moved up a step to be production designer on "Killing Lincoln," a television movie to be aired next year. There he could take the lead in re-creating Ford's Theatre within Richmond's Virginia Rep Theatre.
沒有留言:
張貼留言