Set Construction Update

Little video of the big Matt himself testing the stairs and the second story structure.

Now that you’ve enjoyed that 28-second moving image, let’s get to some news: MAMA WONG’S IS WELL ON ITS WAY TO COMPLETION!

It was a solid week of construction just to build the foundation for the second floor and stairs. That’s because it actually has to function as a real, code-compliant, safe structure. While one construction crew focused on that, the rest of the art team was busy offsite, building flats and decorations.

So after a full week of slow, structural work, it then only took two days to go from what you saw me walking up to this:

Awesome. The main walls are all in place. Over the next week or so, we expect the full structure of the set to be complete. After that, we’ll start bringing in all the decorations and furniture.

Well, not all of it. Right now, we’re bringing the set up to "rehearsal level", meaning we’ll start stunt rehearsals, previsualizations, blocking, and so on, for about two months in the space. So we need the big stuff like tables, counters, etc., but we can hold off on the fine details: graphics (like menus), smaller props, and other decorative elements.

There are a few reasons for that:

• Those items could get damaged during rehearsals.

• We want time to develop their look more thoughtfully.

• Some elements might evolve based on what we learn during rehearsals.

Speaking of decoration, Erik has brought on a fantastic Set Decorator, QiQi Wang, who’s already been gathering materials and putting together a gorgeous lookbook for the set.

I've attached the pdf of the look book, if you want to see the great work QiQi has done. Also, she is actually heading to China to visit family, and is looking to acquire some authentic items while she's out there. We are focusing on Mama Wong's feeling lived in, authentic, and less like a set and more like you are stepping into a old family chinese restaurant across town that you didn't even know existed.

This book is just her first pass at populating the set with items, so we’re using it as a starting point as we begin selecting everything as large as the moms shrine to something as small as the takeout containers.

As always, thank you for supporting the film, and lots more to come this week!