The March (Production Designer, 2011)
 
Synopsis: The March is a film inspired by the historical fiction novel that takes place in Savannah, Ga. in late 1864 and early 1865 near the conclusion of the American Civil War. The story follows General William T. Sherman’s march through the heart of the South, as he accumulates a nearly unmanageable population of freed slaves and refugees who have nowhere else to go.
Concept: Using color, light, and period decor, the aim was to juxtapose the joy and hope of the poor but freed slave people against the rigid austere lives of the politically and socially-elite. The exterior film sequences with the slaves are portrayed as bright and open while the interior sequences of the wealthy class reveal a dark and ornate Gothic environment as a symbol of heaviness and social tradition.
Process: Research and photographs were gathered from actual historical sites where the story occurred and inspired initial concept sketches and storyboards. One of Savannah’s famous squares served the location for the exterior scenes, while the dining room at the Green-Meldrim House (museum and actual site of General Sherman’s headquarters) served as the interior inspiration for the studio-built set. Storyboards were created with graphite and watercolor in order to suggest composition, camera placement and lighting. Drafting plates for the dining room were created using AutoCAD.