Highlights for you from the Inside the Set with SETDECOR conversation Jan Pascale SDSA had with Set Decorator Rob Hepburn SDSA and Production Designer Mark Scruton about the gothic sets of Nevermore Academy, created within a Romanian castle and on stage in Bucharest during the height of the pandemic, and the "New England" town that they and their teams built from scratch in the hills of Romania as well!
VIDEO
Click on the video here for the fabulous coversation!
Enid’s half of the shared “dorm” room... she has all the exuberance Wednesday disdains.
Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Enid asking Wednesday for a fashion choice?? Well, it is for a date with a Gorgon...who accidentally looks into a mirror, thereby turning himself to stone and unintentionally standing her up. Set pieces do help propel a story! Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair. Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Wednesday [Jenna Ortega] in her half of the room, eschewing modern tech...Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Wednesday’s desk includes a crystal ball in a traveling case so her family can communicate directly with her. Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Wednesday’s half of the “dorm” room...well, it is in a castle! Exquisite desk and details. Be sure to click on the Inside the Set video for great stories that Rob & Mark share about this set and more! Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Behind-the-scenes. Yes, those are real candles, the camera is on a boom getting an atmospheric detail shot of Wednesday trying to contact her ancestor, the witch Goody Addams. Fire is an important element in their story. And the vessels are a gorgeous mixture of finds perfect for a ouija-séance. Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Behind-the-scenes. In the background, the overturned desk chair and papers strewn on the floor suggest there’s been a disturbance. For camera close-up, Jenny Ortega as Wednesday and Victor Dorobantu [in blue bodysuit] whose hand portrays Thing, work closely to convey the close relationship and communication they share. Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Behind-the-scenes. Wednesday’s & Enid’s dorm room was a complete build, both interior and exterior. The balcony offers a poignant setting. The window depicts the difference between the two sides of the room. In the first episode, Wednesday rips off the colored gels on her half of the window, to the shock and dismay of Enid who had created the design. Photo by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
After visiting several castles throughout the region, Director/Producer Tim Burton chose Cantacuzino Castle, Busteni, Romania as the basis for the look he envisioned becoming Nevermore Academy. Mark, Rob and their teams expanded the exteriors, even building a 2-story quad within the grounds, with custom-made 5’ hanging lanterns. Image courtesy of Netflix © 2022
The Nevermore Academy gate was also custom built, befittingly incorporating the ravens of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem. Image courtesy of Netflix © 2022
The hidden library and portrait staircase at Nevermore. Rob recalls, “We sourced as many original frames as we could. There was one antique shop in town, and I think I bought every lamp they had and every frame they had.” Inset: Sculpture of the Academy’s inspiration, Edgar Allan Poe...with a raven, of course! Photos by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
Behind-the-scenes at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s parents had attended the Academy, standouts in their day. Here, Luis Guzman and Catherine Zeta-Jones prepare for a scene in the Principal’s office. See the video for the incredible fireplace and the story behind it! Director Tim Burton, top right, on the landing of one of the magnificent staircases, and bottom left, in his director’s corner, with the scene reflected in the enormous mirror behind him. B/W photo by Tomasz Lazar/Netflix © 2022, color photos by Vlad Cioplea/Netflix © 2022
