Martian Throne Room
Originally I conceived that the throne room in which the girls meet Queen Zha Zha
would be a limited set (the dais area) and opened up with a matte shot. However,
recently I realized that a perfect location exists near my current residence in
Oakland, California!
The old Parkway Theater nearby me has this great Hollywood-Egyptian motif
around the procenium, and a stage before the screen. I realized that it looks
remarkably like an old biblical epic movie set, which is exactly the kind of
place a cheesy 50's B-movie would be shot. (For example, Roger Corman would
write films specifically to use sets built for other films prior to their being
torn down.)
Throne Room Concept
The Parkway is perfect for several reasons:
- No theater seats. The seats have all been torn out to make room for tables and couches. This furniture is easily moved out of the way.
- The stage. A perfect location for a throne!
- Side doorways in matching style. These doorways, although to the left and right, could be filmed in isolated shots to represent the entrance opposite the throne.
The above image is the actual Parkway interior, with the following modifications digitally added:
- Carpet leading to...
- 3 step stair.
- Black drape over movie screen.
- Black Mars symbol with nine bulbs providing backlight.
- Martian Hunks (for scale).
Throne Room Door
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