For 13 Lives, manufacturing designer Molly Hughes was tasked with constructing a set primarily based on the Tham Luang cave system in Thailand. The problem was making a flooded cave system tight sufficient to be real looking, however giant sufficient to suit the actors and cameras. Directed by Ron Howard, the movie relies on the true story of the Thai soccer staff trapped in a flooded cave, and the courageous volunteer rescue divers who saved them. Though the occasion was extremely documented, there was little documentation of the cave system, so Hughes as an alternative centered on what would work finest for the story. Early on within the manufacturing, the actors determined that they wished to do the dives as an alternative of stunt doubles.
DEADLINE: What was the method of rebuilding that cave?
MOLLY HUGHES: It’s fascinating, as a result of we had a lot analysis of the folks, proper? That is an occasion that was seen everywhere in the world and there have been so many pictures. There have been so many journalists there from everywhere in the world, so two years later you could have entry to images upon images upon images, however what you don’t have is images from contained in the cave, as a result of there was no visibility. So, there are just a few images of the doorway and some images, most likely of an inside chamber or cavern, however that was type of it. Lots of people didn’t understand this, however we constructed the doorway and the steps as effectively and the bottom camp was constructed. We had a lot freedom as a result of we have been ranging from scratch, so I used to be in a position to orient the cave entrance in order that it labored for our script and for the way in which scenes transpired. In a means, there was quite a lot of freedom in that design, which was really fairly nice.
DEADLINE: How do you create the chambers in a means that permits the cameras to movie?
HUGHES: That was most likely the largest problem. As soon as we discovered our location for the outside, we acquired that engineering course of underway and began drawing that. Then we moved on to this problem of how we construct these underwater units to allow them to be accessible and fascinating. How can we shoot in what’s presupposed to be the darkish? So, we began with what occurs when Saman dies and what occurs when Chris loses the road. We wanted a second the place Chris loses the road and he will get misplaced. So, a tunnel filled with stalactites appeared like an applicable place for that, as a result of it’s complicated and you’ll’t inform which course you’re going. So, I designed this lengthy tunnel, It was about 90 ft lengthy, with an space in it the place the road might get so excessive that he couldn’t attain it. You had to consider peak and all these issues, after which with an space that had sufficient area so cameras could possibly be on the left or the best or above trying down.
The tunnels all had digicam ports in them, or 5 ft of the facet lacking on one or two. One among them was 90 ft lengthy, and the entire facet was out so it was flat. It was known as the lengthy flat tunnel, creatively, and it was so flat that you just needed to go in your abdomen and the kid both needed to be beside you or in entrance of you in locations, and so they have been by no means beneath you, which was how they wished to hold them, ideally, within the taller areas. So, in these areas, the digicam could possibly be on the facet. Now, one factor occurred because the lead actors determined they wished to do their very own stunt work, which occurred fairly quickly into the movie course of. They have been handed a digicam, so then as they acquired extra snug within the water, you’d have Colin holding a digicam himself, swimming horizontally by way of, and that basically helped get some nice tight footage throughout the area. Nevertheless it actually was about them. They have been actually prepared to go for it. And we had this wonderful stunt staff, an unbelievable dive staff, who would simply let me push boundaries.
DEADLINE: If you have been first constructing the units and planning every thing, did you count on the actors to resolve to do their very own stunts?
HUGHES: No, we have been ready for doubles in these areas. However a part of my design can be face masks, choosing the right face masks and ensuring you may see the actor’s faces by way of them. We ended up with these clear masks that each one had clear sides on them in order that the sunshine might get by way of, and you may see their faces. So, we wanted these moments and it was scheduled to be sure to might get moments, reactions on the faces, after which there can be doubles, which you may by no means see their faces. And I feel the actors intuitively realized it might be so a lot better if it was them and there can be a lot extra footage to make use of for the viewers to be proper there and see who was going previous.
