On Deck with Pirates of the CaribbeanBy Lady Killigrew, Ship's CommodoreHave you ever dreamed of getting the chance to walk on the same sets as your favorite actors, or wished you could hold even just one of the props someone will be holding in a movie? Well, I've recently done both. I was given a wonderful chance to visit the Universal and Disney studio sets of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 earlier this year. Let me tell you, the sets need no special effects to be amazing; the amount of detail on every inch is astounding and if it weren't for the modern day pieces visible outside of the sets one might think they were actually about to sail off to Port Royal or maybe even Tortuga. Want the details? Well properly warned ye be, thar be a write-up ahead.
On March 21st I went to the Disney Studios to meet up with the rest of the folks invited on the set tour. After some chatting and introductions we were on our way.
The first sets that we visited were on Universal's back lot, so we all hopped into a van and headed over. Our first real hint that we were actually going to see some awesome things was when we saw none other than "Bootstrap" Bill (Stellan Skarsgard, from "Exorcist: The Beginning") walking toward one of the sets. His costume was simply phenomenal. We saw him first from the back and got a good look at his long and shredded overcoat and his coral encrusted shoulders, and the front of his costume was no less fantastic; he was wearing quite the tattered outfit and seemed to be covered in all manner of sea life and I could have sworn I saw a starfish stuck to the side of his face. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to actually converse with the actor, but he was really just a teaser for what we were going to see next.
Now I'm sure everyone has heard of the Flying Dutchman, it is a ship of great myths and the point of much speculation. It's also partially located on one of Universal's sound stages. Surrounded by a screen with a murky sky painted on it the Flying Dutchman looked like it had surfaced from the ocean's depths only moments before. (From what I heard that may also be how it appears in the movie.)
After looking wide-eyed at the ship from the ground level we were allowed to board and wander around the deck. Everything was covered in mollusks and barnacles and dripping sea slime. I was actually dripped on a couple of times due to the moisture that was being pumped into the air. The moisture also put a haze over everything I could see making it all the more eerie. We stepped cautiously over uneven and rotten looking boards and we stepped by barrels and cannons that looked like they'd not been used in decades. The attention to detail was mind-boggling; not an inch of the ship was left untouched, down to the shards of glass left over from what used to be window panes.
As many of you know, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy--"Underworld") is captaining the Dutchman, and one of the members of his crew is the mysterious "Bootstrap" Bill. In the movie, Davy Jones' crew will consist of sailors whose souls he's taken, and as every year passes they deteriorate in appearance, becoming more like creatures of the sea.
Image © Disney
While this is not the first sign of the supernatural we've seen in the Pirates movies, we were told that they were going to be drawing even more on known legends from pirate and sea mythology (such as tales of the kraken) throughout the next two films.
Several questions were asked about the characters and situations that would be in the movie, but we were left mostly with very nebulous answers. We did learn that neither Johnny Depp nor Keira Knightly had appearances on the Dutchman (their cast chairs weren't even there). Also, oddly enough, the third film has never been 'officially' confirmed, regardless of the fact that the cast chairs list both movies on the back.
We were informed that most of the original production crew was back for these movies with only a few additions including production designer Rick Heinrichs, who most recently won an award for his work on Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events". They are also going to be working once again with the illustrious ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), as there are already over 800 effects shots for Pirates 2 (Pirates 1 only had about 300+).
When we left the ship we were allowed to handle a couple of 'hot' props. For those of you who don't know what a 'hot' prop is, it means that the prop is still to be used in the filming and has to be kept completely intact and ready for its next usage. The props we held were a couple of crusted swords with bits of sea vegetation growing on them. Under the swords were a few more made out of what looked like bones and teeth, like a flat club with the teeth sticking out like teeth on a chainsaw.
On our way out we got a look at racks of costumes and some technical equipment, and when got outside we saw several men dressed in grey body suits and other special pieces that are used to film actors in scenes that would later need computer manipulation.
To give you an idea of just how fast production can go, I was on the sets for the 16th day of shooting and was informed that several sets had already come and gone. In fact the only set to visit on the Universal lot was the Flying Dutchman, so it was back to the Disney Studios once more.
Those of you who have been to Disneyland and have ridden the original Pirates of the Caribbean there are going to love the next set, and the next huge nod to the ride. Bayou anyone? Inside one of Disney's sound stages was an enormous bayou set with trees, little shacks and water -- dingy, green, swamp water. While we were there the set was being slowly deconstructed with trees walking out the door past us.
Bordering the set was a painted backdrop of a tree-intense bayou. The first part of the set we wandered into, or rather up to, was the shack of a new soothsayer character for the movie known as Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris-"28 Days Later"). This was no ordinary shack and we were told we should have seen it before the deconstruction began. It was still a marvel regardless. Not only was the shack filled with clutter but it also had tree trunks running through it as if it had been built around them. When I say clutter I mean it: rugs, crocodile skins and heads, bottles, hung herbs, and so on.
Our guide told us that all of the principle characters would be in the bayou scenes (Sparrow, Turner, and Swann). Then we were invited to step onto the shack's back porch for an overall view of the set. It was so real, I could have sat between the roots of the trees and sworn I was really in the bayou. The water was even about four or five feet deep and there was a boat resting on the dirt across the way.
More amazing is that we were told it looked just like the location where they're also going to be filming at known as the Indian River, which is located in Dominica. We were also told not to worry about the lack of fireflies, they would be added in later via CGI (computer generated imagery).
When we were done at Tia Dalma's shack we wandered over to the second shack across the way. The shack there won't be playing a real role in the movie beyond atmosphere, but inside there were still set dressings of rope and fishing nets. A couple at a time were allowed out on the porch of the second shack and we could see melted candles resting in various places making it look like it had truly been inhabited. I could almost hear the banjo playing 'Oh Susanna' from the bayou in the ride at Disneyland.
So what about the Black Pearl --Is that ship going to be back in the movie? I can safely say that it will be as I've been in the Captain's cabin. They did not recycle any of the sets from the first movie, they have been completely rebuilt from the ground up. There are no words to describe how precise the continuity was; just walking in the door to the cabin we noticed splintered wood from being hit by cannonballs in the previous movie.
Generally movie sets aren't made of authentic materials, but I know that part of the furniture in the cabin set is made from actual mahogany and that the glass in the skylight is imported from overseas. There is also an amazing amount of ornamental work from the carved figurehead-like women at the door to the golden faces of what looks like a sea god gracing some of the walls to the sconces and lamps scattered around -- and this was with half of the set under blankets to keep it from getting messed up. Peeking out from the blankets were parts of sea chests and candles, and there were rugs laid out on the floor.
I noticed that there were also a lot of books scattered around and I wondered if those were real as well. Lifting up the cover to one of them I glanced inside to find it was called the 'Konversations Leksikon' and it was indeed a real book through and through.
Image © Disney
Glancing outside the window at the back of the room you could see not the blue of the ocean, but the blue of a screen for special effects to be added later on.
The next set we got a look at was the rebuilt Port Royal jail. When we got there I stepped into one of the cells briefly and noticed hay and dirt on the ground. It definitely looked like it wouldn't be a place anyone would want to spend the night in.
Now this next part is a bit of a spoiler, but I did get confirmation of one actor who will be returning to his role from the first film: the dog with the key ring in the jail will be back. I'm sure the fans will be glad to see him again after being so well received the first time.
After the jail we went to see the cabin of an all new ship for the film called the Edinburough Trader. While the ship will not be playing a large role it is still going to be played by a well-known ship from long ago, the HMS Bounty. Yes, the one used in the Brando film, and I'm told it will be the first time it's been seen in a movie since then.
The cabin was mostly clear of all its set dressings, but it had been covered in nautical charts and maps and packed with other similar navigational furnishings. What was left of the furniture was softly aged and made of a pale wood. It looked a lot more true to real life than some of the other ship's cabins from the movie(s).
After this set we saw a couple more areas of the Black Pearl. We had to be careful where we went and weren't allowed in a few places since they weren't done filming there quite yet and the sets had been rigged for some special effects and stunt work. Again what we could see of the sets were huge and most of them were on gimbals. (A gimbal is what is put under a ship set to simulate movement on the ocean.)
We were allowed on part of the cannon deck. As we were walking up to it I noticed that just outside of the soundstage door there were a couple of piles of cannonballs that were mostly hollowed out pyramids made to look like real cannonball stacks. Walking into the cannon deck was fascinating. It was very closed in and very dark, but you could see all of the realistic wood -aging and the rust around each bolt.
Hanging from the ceiling were net-baskets containing rough sponges that would have been used to wipe down cannons on a real ship. I tapped on one of the cannons and it sounded incredibly hollow, like plaster, and it could have been just what it was. As real as any of the sets looked, most of it was still movie magic.
When we left the deck I was given the chance to hold a prop cannonball which couldn't have weighed more than a pound or so, nothing like the dead weight of the real thing. However, if launched at someone it would look no less real and would probably have them running for cover.
Walking around the set we got to peer in at the lower deck. (We couldn't go in because it was going to be used shortly.) Sitting on the ground outside was a bag of onions and a box of bananas for set dressings, again proof that not everything in the movies is fake.
So that was it for the sets, and they'll be gone from the lots soon enough, if they're not gone already. Don't be sad, though-- it will leave room for even more sets in the future and more of the pirate-goodness that we all crave. It's all well worth it, because I can say without a doubt that the next movie(s) will be as visually stunning as the last if not even more so.
So if you're worth your salt you'll be pulling into port on July 7th, 2006 for the next astounding movie in the "Pirates" trilogy.
