Location scouting for a period film can be difficult, since you can’t always use the original location due to modern elements.
Luckily production designer Grant Major was able to transform a small plot of New Zealand into 1925 Montana for The Power of the Dog.Benedict Cumberbatch stars as wealthy Montana rancher Phil Burbank in Jane Champion’s adaptation of the Thomas Savage novel The Power of the Dog.
Phil runs a ranch with his brother George (Jesse Plemons), whose decision to marry Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and raise her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) causes turmoil between the brothers as Phil torments the mother and son.The ranch was the main setting for the film, and which was built from scratch by Major and his team.
Since they built on an empty plot of land, they also needed to build access roads and kill the grass to give it a barren landscape.DEADLINE: Where did you draw inspiration for the ranch?GRANT MAJOR: The movie of course is based on the book and the book itself has a longer time span than the film.
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