The Motueka man behind Thor’s world
When director Taika Waititi first offered Dan Hennah the production design role for the blockbuster movie Thor, he had to decline.
‘‘I had another project lined up,’’ Hennah said.
‘‘When that fell over about two weeks later, I was just lucky that the role [on Thor] hadn’t been filled.’’
Hennah, who lives in rural Motueka west of Nelson, called Waititi, got the job and started working on it straight away.
Hennah’s involvement in film isn’t exactly behind the scenes, but you probably won’t recognise him from the movies he works on: his job is one that is destined to be taken for granted.
‘‘As a production designer you’re creating a world, and if it works, if you’ve done your job properly, it’s a world no one even considers,’’ he said.
Though many may not know Hennah’s name, almost everyone has visited one of his worlds, from Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies to Alice’s wonderland in Through the Looking Glass.
A lot of work goes into making the scenes that fade into the background. Hennah estimated that a single set filling one studio, from concept art to finished set, would take 12 weeks.
‘‘Nothing happens by accident in the process,’’ he said. From the architectural design to the interior decorating, everything is painstakingly planned. A team of 60 people could take up to two weeks just to assemble the studio.
Hennah is fresh from a succession of Thor: Ragnarok premieres which he finished at the 3D opening at Motueka’s State Cinema on Wednesday.
Compared to the Los Angeles red carpet premiere the scale was somewhat smaller, but ‘‘the same rules apply’’.
Hennah said all premiere events were enjoyable, but there was a ‘‘grounded, down to earth experience’’ at the State Cinema in Motueka that you don’t get in Los Angeles.
Thor is so far one of the bestrated films in the Marvel stable, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97 per cent and reviewers the world over praising it for its writing and style.
Thor: Ragnarok offered Hennah a chance to revisit and build on his childhood favourites.
‘‘The great thing about Thor, for me, was I read all of those comics when they first came out in the 60s and 70s,’’ He said.
‘‘Mainly the work of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who were the main Marvel comic people at that time.’’
The retro design of the film was inspired by those original Kirby comics.
‘‘The first really strong design indication [Waititi gave] was, he had a painting of a Jack Kirby helmet and he said ‘I want the people to look like this’.’’
Hennah knew exactly what he meant.
‘‘I totally got where he was coming from,’’ he said. ‘‘I was able to expand on that and able to give it life.’’
Though his filmography so far is primarily in fantasy settings, Hennah said it wasn’t difficult to switch to the science fiction elements in Thor.
Though spaceships are a far cry from Hobbiton, Hennah said the essence was still the same: to cre- ate a world with depth, following the general design of the project. So how do you design a retro alien spaceship?
‘‘You start with maybe a ‘65 Cadillac, and start the design process from there,’’ said Hennah.
The end result is a bright, retro, comic-book film with backgrounds that ‘‘leap with detail and verve’’.
Now that the Marvel blockbuster is done, Hennah said he’ll be at home for a while, unwinding in the Motueka Valley countryside.
‘‘While I love working in film, it is a high-stress situation,’’ Hennah said. ‘‘What I find is to come home and go for a walk in the forest ... is so energising.’’
‘‘Listening to a few bellbirds in the morning is a hell of a difference from driving on the 405 in LA.’’
He said he would be looking after his sheep, chickens, and ‘‘sadly neglected’’ little vineyard, waiting for the phone to ring with the next project.
‘‘I have no idea what it will be.’’