The Great Gatsby is an upcoming 3D movie based on famed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel by the same name. The movie is being directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke.
The story revolves around the life and times of millionaire, Jay Gatsby and his neighbor, set in the backdrop of the roaring twenties. Architectural Digest took a short trip to the classic sets of the legendary movie.
For the movie, director Luhrmann's wife, designer Catherine Martin oversaw 42 separate locations in and around Sydney. Apparently, it took the set designing team around 14 weeks to do up the sets in the chosen locations. The Gatsby Mansion, the library, the entrance hall, the ballroom, the terrace and even the master bedroom have all been done up to achieve the authenticity of the period.
Excerpts from the Architectural Digest:
"Designs for the residence were based on the great early-20th-century houses of Long Island's North Shore-places like Oheka Castle, La Selva, and Beacon Towers. "Looking at images of Beacon Towers, there's something that gives it the feel of the Disneyland castle, and Baz referenced that-the idea that Gatsby was building a fantasy," Martin says. Just as the music plays a key role in establishing the tone, the sets are central to establishing character, "showing the inner world in an outer way," she adds.
For the exterior shots of Gatsby's estate, the Gothic Revival building of the former St. Patrick's Seminary in Sydney was used, with faux ivy applied to the first two floors and a temporary fountain constructed in the courtyard; plus, in postproduction, soaring turrets were added digitally. As for the interiors, the grandest creation is Gatsby's vast ballroom, the site of his legendary parties. Consistent with turn-of-the-century mansions, the space features a gold-filigreed ceiling hung with ornate crystal chandeliers, a marquetry floor (with Gatsby's monogram inlaid at the center), towering columns between the windows, and a serpentine staircase-a flourish presumably installed by Gatsby. "We talked about somebody coming in with a lot of money and what changes he would make to certain rooms," Martin says."
Check out pictures of the sets, here.