Dominic Cooper Warcraft

Dominic Cooper Warcraft

Cast: Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Daniel Wu
Director: Duncan Jones
Genre: Action, Adventure

Synopsis: From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comes Warcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment's global phenomenon.

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home.

So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.

Warcraft
Release Date: June 16th, 2016

About The Production

Introduction To These Worlds

In Azeroth, light and dark magic are the life force of this extraordinary world and part of the natural order that shapes the fates of all who live on this planet. The human realm is ruled by King Llane (Cooper) and his queen, Lady Taria (Negga), both benevolent monarchs who reside in the resplendent, peaceful city of Stormwind.

The one who has fought by King Llane's side since childhood is the mighty warrior Anduin Lothar (Fimmel), Commander of Azeroth's military forces. This peaceful kingdom, which has enjoyed prosperity for years, is watched over by a council of mages known as the Kirin Tor"elite spell-casters who maintain the balance of power from faraway Dalaran, a gravity-defying citadel high in the clouds.

Medivh (Foster), the Guardian of Azeroth and its most powerful wizard, together with King Llane and Lothar, has been ordained to protect its citizens at all cost. But a young mage, Khadgar (Schnetzer), is determined to rebel against the ancients of the Kirin Tor in search of a higher truth. With Azeroth on the brink of war, his quest will cross paths with Commander Lothar, ultimately reshaping all their destinies.

On another side of the multiverse, Draenor serves as the home world to a race known as orc"a proud, savage people who have never known a life without war and strife. Tusked warriors who stand eight feet in height, with customized armor and a range of brutal weaponry forged in steel, they are monoliths of combat, born to fight and bred to survive. But the orc planet is dying and, if their kind is to survive, they must abandon their homes and travel to another world. If it must be conquered in order for them to survive, so be it.

Their leader is the cunning, tyrannical shaman Gul'dan (Wu), who may be orc-kind's salvation. Using a dark and dangerous magic, he has opened a portal to a new world. Supported by Blackhand (Brown), the orc's fiercest fighter and war chief, he unites the desperate orc clans into an invasion army known as the Horde. And although all other clan chiefs comply with Gul'dan's directives to invade Azeroth and vanquish its people, one orc stands apart.

Durotan (Kebbell), beloved leader of the Frostwolf Clan, remembers a simpler, nobler time before Gul'dan came to power. Though suspicious and uneasy of his de facto ruler, Durotan, his wife Draka (Galvin), second-in-command Orgrim (Kazinsky), and the entire Frostwolf Clan join their brothers and sisters for a mass exodus through the Dark Portal to Azeroth. They fear the death magic that allows them passage, but what choice do they have if they hope to continue the survival of their people?

Once his displaced kind arrives in Azeroth, Durotan begins to wonder if there might be a more benevolent way to make this world their new home. And he is not alone: warrior Garona (Patton)"a bewitching half human, half orc"is an unbroken survivor of these two worlds who belongs in neither. Where will her loyalties ultimately lie: to the tribespeople who've enslaved her or the enemy who've freed her?

As the Dark Portal opens and brings these two great armies into direct conflict, one side faces imminent destruction and the other, devastating extinction. In the shadow of an invasion that threatens global annihilation, two heroes from opposing sides, Lothar and Durotan, rise to question if war is the only answer.

About The Characters

Garona
A slave of the orc Warlock Gul'dan, Garona is a stunning half-orc who is born of two worlds but belongs in neither. Broken bones heal stronger, and Garona's are stronger than you could ever imagine. She is a survivor. An outcast caught between two worlds, Garona fights for acceptance and a place to belong. She has turned suffering into strength to become a self-sufficient warrior and understands that one must be feared in this lifetime to stay alive. But once she finds herself attracted to the human Lothar's bravery and charms, she vows to fight by his side.

Anduin Lothar
Lothar is a fearless warrior loyally fighting for his king to stop a world-ending war against an impossible enemy…in order to keep his people safe and to protect his only son. Having sacrificed everything to become the protector Azeroth needs him to be, he is driven by loyalty to his country, often at the expense of his personal relationships. Although reluctant to let anyone in, Lothar stands for those who have pledged their lives to his king and kingdom. A slightly unhinged maverick with effortless swagger, the human hero is as talented riding a horse as a gryphon…and impossibly brave in battle. He WILL determine the fate of Azeroth.

Khadgar
The bookworm and adolescent hero Khadgar's power lies in his knowledge. Although he wears the fated mark of the Kirin Tor, Khadgar, a former Guardian-in-training, fights to live a normal life. However, despite turning his back on the destiny prescribed to him, Khadgar will ultimately be drawn into the mystery around the invasion of Azeroth and learns to live up to the adult responsibilities that come with his power. As he fights to find his place among a band of heroes, Khadgar learns the secrets of his own power…and the dark forces that lie just underneath.

Durotan
A beloved leader astride his Wolf mount, Durotan is fighting for a place to call home, one where he can forge a future for his family. Durotan battles for the survival of his clan and his expectant wife, Draka. He believes in his kind and in what they once were before Gul'dan came to power: creatures of brute strength driven by a natural order, whose discipline and honor to their kind was unquestionable. He knows that if his people are to survive, he and Draka must lead the charge for the orcs to make a home on Azeroth.
Medivh
A Guardian who serves Azeroth as the ultimate magical weapon, Medivh has paid a high price for channeling such mystic power. The most powerful mage of all, he is the unequivocal Guardian of this land and is uniquely tasked with the ability to use magic to protect its citizens and restore balance to the natural order in the realms. When not called upon to defend the world, his life is an elusive one"where he contends with forces beyond our comprehension from a high tower built upon a nexus of powerful leylines. He exists to protect Azeroth; it is his sole purpose.

King Llane Wrynn
Every king inherits the challenges of the age"for the noble King Llane, that inheritance may be the greatest war in Azeroth's long, storied history. A benevolent ruler, Llane must rally the other leaders of Azeroth (dwarves, elves and his fellow humans) to fight the orc army descending upon their world…before annihilation is inevitable. Fighting to unite the realms, Llane is certain that if the people of Azeroth do not join one another against this enemy, they will perish. He will battle to the ends of their earth to keep his kingdom safe and protect his people.

Lady Taria
Taria is a wise and just queen, and in an age of beasts, brutes and battlegrounds, her grace and diplomacy provides a beacon of hope to the people in their hour of need. A skilled peacemaker who uses her feminine intuition to earn the trust of Garona, Taria knows that the people of Azeroth must unite if they are to end to this conflict. She knows that 'strong chiefs must earn their clan's trust," and she is certain they must earn that from Garona. Happily married to Llane Wrynn, her king, Taria is mother to their son, Varian. Their marriage is one of two equals, and they have true respect for each other.

Orgrim
Orgrim wields the mighty Doomhammer, one of the deadliest weapons in all of orc-kind. Handed down to him through the generations, his ancestor's bloodline of great warriors is a lineage that fuels his rage and prowess on the battlefield. War is his legacy. Forging an allegiance to Durotan through many battles and hunting beside him on the Frostwind dunes, he remains fiercely loyal to his Chieftain and his people, and is one of the driving forces within the Frostwolf tribe. But as they march into Azeroth, the old world is left far behind.

Draka
Brave companion to Durotan and mother of their only infant son, Draka would fight to protect her family and her people until her dying breath. Fighting alongside her mate and Chieftain, she and Durotan have forged a love that has survived a dying planet and carried them to a new world. Standing by Durotan whatever happens, she carries their child into an uncertain future.

Gul'dan
A cunning, ruthless and all-powerful villain who sees power as absolute and irrefutable, Gul'dan fights for world domination on Azeroth, no matter what the cost. Rising to unite the orc tribes into a destructive invasion force, he will suck the life from any being in order to supercharge his army. Driven by the urge to conquer, for Gul'dan, all life is simply fuel for the Horde.

Blackhand
If orcs are bred for war, then Blackhand the Destroyer is war incarnate. Clothed in brutal armor chained together with the skeletal remains of his kills, he embodies everything orcs respect: strength, fearlessness and honor. A ferocious fighter whose booming voice alone can strike terror into his opponents, he is the living weapon Gul'dan will need to lead the assault on humanity.

Before The Production

A Global Phenomenon: Warcraft Takes Flight
Since its inception, more than 100 million players have experienced the dazzling and compelling mythology that is the global phenomenon known as World of Warcraft.

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, created by Blizzard Entertainment in 1994, was a breakthrough smash success that served as the first chapter in a trilogy that, for many fans, redefined the real-time strategy genre. The second and third, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, further stoked fascination and imagination in its players, as did the best-selling novels and other popular merchandise.

But it was the fourth title in the series that was, literally, the game changer. In 2004, Blizzard released the massive World of Warcraft, a subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)"in which vast numbers of players throughout the world can adventure alongside one another in the same universe. The game, in which players are able to select a character within the Alliance or Horde faction and control its actions, forging bonds with other characters in a dazzlingly detailed setting, went onto become one of the most successful fantasies in the history of gaming.

Today, more than a decade later, World of Warcraft boasts 100 million registered users, maintaining its ranking in the top-10 most popular MMORPGs in the world.

Since that time, five expansions to World of Warcraft have been released, the most recent being World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. By embarking on the ever-evolving chronicles that are Warcraft, a player can engage in thousands of quests and limitless adventures amid a fantastical backdrop of myth, magic, mighty kingdoms and dangerous battlefields.

Conflict is at the center of the Warcraft lore and when Blizzard and the filmmakers began discussions about bringing the property to the big screen, the challenge was not only to be faithful to countless legions of fans throughout the world, but also provide a riveting narrative for audiences unfamiliar with these fantastical environments and characters.

Ultimately, they chose to return to the very beginning of the Warcraft saga and focus the creation on two contrasting worlds: Azeroth, beautiful and serene, and Draenor, a dying planet whose inhabitants face extinction"as well as the odyssey of two heroes on opposing sides whose fates were drawn together by destiny.

About The Production

Small Screens To Large: Warcraft Begins

In 2006, Legendary Pictures announced it had acquired the Warcraft film rights and entered into a development partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to produce a live-action motion picture.

During this process, blockbuster producer Charles Roven and his producing partner, Alex Gartner, were approached by Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni to partner in the production of a movie that would do justice to this remarkable entertainment franchise. Legendary and Atlas had worked together since the production of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, and Warcraft would be their next monumental project together.

The filmmaking team, along with partners at Blizzard, brought writer Charles Leavitt on board to distill the franchise's complex mythology into a feature-length epic-adventure drama. A strategy emerged to tell the story predominantly from the perspective of the Alliance, with a brand new hero being introduced into the character array. Naturally, in the ensuing decade, development ensued, as other premises and the ideal director were considered.

Then, in early 2013, it was announced that filmmaker Duncan Jones was on board to direct. Finding this perfect storyteller would ultimately prove to be easier than the producers first imagined. Best known for his BAFTA award-winning masterpiece Moon, as well as the twist-a-minute Source Code, Jones had another valuable asset to bring to the table: his intimate understanding and deeply personal love for the game.

Of the development, producer Thomas Tull reflects: 'Blizzard took the time to create an entire history. They did a lot of the heavy lifting, and we were able to stand on their shoulders. I think they felt from us a genuine love for the property and a desire to tell, not just a good story, but a great story in the universe that they've created."

Thomas Tull offers massive respect for the story creators and the team's collaborators. 'The people that are making videogames are astute storytellers," he says. 'We're now in a place where we can use these worlds that they've created, and these characters that people want to spend more time with.

Frankly, at the end of the day it's all storytelling, whether it's based on a short story, a graphic novel, or a comic book. So anywhere that storytellers can find inspiration, we get excited. We absolutely have that inspiration in Warcraft."

Producer Charles Roven discusses the team's process in securing the director: 'We worked hard to get the screenplay right and, quite frankly, it was Duncan Jones who came to us with the missing ingredients. One of the things that makes Warcraft such a great game to play, besides the environment it is set in and the innovative things that the characters can do, is the fact that you can pick which side you want to be on.

'You can choose the avatar, whether it is from the Horde, which is made up of orcs, or the various humanoid races from Azeroth," he continues. 'So, Duncan Jones raised the fact that if you can play either side, he wanted to make sure that we tell the story from both sides"good and bad"and let the audiences root for both points of view."

Charles Roven's producing partner at Atlas Entertainment, Alex Gartner, long believed it was key for the filmic version of Warcraft to celebrate players' experiences and welcome those unfamiliar with Draenor and Azeroth into these imaginative worlds. He reflects that it all began with one simple rule: 'What guides our films are characters. The story has to come from incredible characters, ones you want to go on a journey with. I don't care how elaborate, amazing and visual the world is, if you don't have characters that you want to be on the ride with"and ones who you want to stay with after the film ends"then you don't have a movie."

For Atlas, the production of Warcraft would offer, according to Alex Gartner, 'the marriage of live-action filmmaking, digital filmmaking, big sets, elaborate costumes, world creation and fantasy." He reflects on the genre's importance in entertainment, as well as this film's exploration of themes of 'survival, love, protection of family and fear of the unknown." Says the producer: 'Fantasy can be an opportunity to explore things in a different way that can often have a more subtle, and sometimes more informative, resonance than perhaps dealing with them right in the face."

Director of the well-oiled machine known as Warcraft was Duncan Jones, a devout gamer and World of Warcraft player for many years. The filmmaker admits he was very excited about the prospect of a Warcraft film long before he was considered to direct it. Given the opportunity to meet with Blizzard and reveal his alternate approach, he recalls: 'If you're a player of the game, you know that part of its appeal is that you can be a hero, no matter what side you're on. So my pitch was that the film should mirror that; it should be a war movie, one which shows the heroes on both sides and treats them with equal respect."

Producer Fenegan, himself a passionate player from the beginning of the Warcraft franchise, has partnered with Duncan Jones for many years, since their days together in the commercials industry. Fenegan offers why he believes the source material is so powerful and has such epic film potential: 'One of the most amazing things about Warcraft is the fact that it's not a linear game in which you are forced to play a particular character. You have this sense of community, and I feel that's why it exploded and went so huge all over the world. You have this opportunity to create your own character; you step into this environment but instead of interacting with computer-generated, non-player characters, you have this social experience with people from all over the continent in which you're playing."

Chris Metzen, senior vice president of story and franchise development at Blizzard, recalls the day they met with Duncan Jones and Fenegan to discuss bringing the series to the big screen: 'Duncan Jones was talking about his experiences, the things he loves about Warcraft and how long he had played, and there was this immediate kinship. The more he talked about his vision, and his instincts on what was possible, I knew we were in good hands."

It was this exchange of ideas and possibilities that drew the filmmakers to conclude the best place to begin the epic, 20-year-in-the-making Warcraft narrative was with the 1994 inaugural game, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, in which a portal from the dying planet of Draenor delivers a brutal and desperate orc army to Azeroth's doorstep.

Chris Metzen explains: 'For all the stories that you can tell around the fictional events of Warcraft, especially given all the players' experiences in World of Warcraft, which happens some 30 years after the events of the film, we thought that going back to the start and showing the origins of the Alliance and the Horde"and how these first conflicts shaped the events of the modern era"would be the common point in everyone's experience. It seemed clear to start at the start, where both of these factions that define so much of the franchise's modern era began. In that way, we created the best possible primer for what Warcraft is to everyone, regardless of what race they're a part of."

Producer Jashni agrees with his team that this take was spot on. He gives: 'The challenge is that you need, as filmmakers and as storytellers, to take a position. How are you able to show both sides of an issue or both perspectives on a world and also, simultaneously, root in a more-traditional narrative interwoven with heroes, villains, treachery, betrayal and emotion? Duncan Jones found a way for us to start thinking about all this in fresh and relevant ways."

With the approach and shooting script now finalized, the filmmakers began a rigorous search to find the actors who would portray some of Warcraft's most iconic characters.

Orcs and Azerothians: Casting the Film

Charles Roven reflects on bringing the exact right cadre of performers into the movie: 'Warcraft is a story that can really immerse you as a film. It's taking you to a place where you can't go in real life, and we all love to be transported that way. Certainly, however, the most important thing is that, even when you're in these amazing worlds, you have to connect to the characters, and that transcends all great films."

Bonding with these characters would be impossible without the audience connecting with the actors who portray them. In the human world, the pivotal role of the valiant Commander Anduin Lothar is assumed by Australian actor Travis Fimmel, well known for his portrayal of Ragnar in the blockbuster drama series Vikings.

Lothar, a formidable soldier, has always put the interests of the realm and his king before all else. Raves Thomas Tull of Travis Fimmel's performance: 'I was blown away by Travis Fimmel in Vikings. When he walks into a room, he commands attention. He has whatever that special essence is, and if he picks up a sword or a battle axe, you want that guy on your side."

Thrilled to be cast in this epic adventure, Travis Fimmel reveals that it was crucial to him that Lothar be a flawed hero. He explains: 'He has a deep sense of duty and need to be a good soldier but, in doing that he neglects his family, and carries a great deal of regret regarding his relationship with his son."

British actors Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga brought their considerable acting prowess to the roles of Azeroth's King Llane and Lady Taria. Llane is a benevolent ruler who relies on his childhood companions to help him keep the peace in his kingdom. However, the arrival of the invading orc army becomes a true test of that friendship and of his leadership.

Dominic Cooper walks us through why he chose the part: 'I loved that the script wasn't simply good versus evil. Essentially, it's about displaced people looking for a new land. It asks, -Who does this land belong to? Who is in the right?' But the more you learn, the more you question yourself. Is there a fairer way to achieve happiness for all? It's a game of chess and, for Llane, it's about constantly maneuvering yourself into a position that supports your kingdom in the best way possible."

Encouraging his efforts is his regal and astute queen, Lady Taria. 'At first glance, this is quite a traditional, patriarchal society but, on closer inspection, it's actually a partnership," offers Negga. 'They rule as a duo. Maybe not in name, but definitely in practice. The king relies on her opinion and her intuition. I feel like she is an inverse Lady Macbeth."

Azeroth's power hierarchy is further complicated by the enigmatic character of Medivh, played by multifaceted actor Ben Foster. The last great wizard from an ancient line of magical protectors known as the Guardians, he is bestowed with great powers in order to defend the realm. At one time, he was celebrated and revered among the citizens of Azeroth, but now seeks anonymity as he dwells in solitude at the tower of Karazhan.

Unbeknownst to all, this mage harbors a secret that could be all of their undoing. Ben Foster was drawn to play this role for a number of reasons, but principally for the opportunity to work with Duncan Jones. 'I had seen Moon, and clearly Duncan Jones is a very inventive filmmaker," shares Foster. 'Reading this script that is set in a world of fantasy, I recognized that it is difficult to pull off a new mythology. It's also difficult to pull off a sense of compassion for both sides in a war. Duncan Jones's great magic trick with this particular material is humanizing both sides and, even though they are creatures on the opposing side, it's a very humanistic approach. I appreciated that."

The other principal wizard in our story is Khadgar, a young mage who turns his back on his destiny as foreseen by the Kirin Tor, and is then inadvertently drawn into the orc conflict. Ben Schnetzer sees his character as taking 'a palpable journey through this film. He goes through a massive learning curve in a very short period of time, and that was exciting to play"to track the progress he makes and the changes he goes through with his competence in magic."

By turns one of the most complex and physically demanding roles in the film was that of the shunned half-human/half-orc, Garona, who will do whatever it takes to survive. When she enters Azeroth, Commander Lothar is among the first humans to encounter her. He respects her fighting prowess and defiant strength, and a bond forms between them.

Charles Roven first met Patton while filming the Outkast film Idlewild, and was confident she could bring a wide range of attributes to the role. In tackling the character, she says: 'It shakes up our ideas that the orcs are not all bad and the humans are not all good"that there's an in-between"which was unique. Then you have Garona, who has one foot in each world. She's a fierce and a strong warrior, and that's always something exciting for a woman to be able to play. But more than that, she's vulnerable and feminine, and she's starting to see and feel new things; she goes through many changes in the movie."

It is difficult to find eight-foot actors, therefore the massive, formidable orc characters in Warcraft were all created digitally. Advances in motion capture technology allowed the filmmakers flexibility to cast a variety of accomplished performers to bring these towering warriors to life.

Actor Toby Kebbell (as Frostwolf Clan leader Durotan) is no stranger to CGI, having played Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to convincing effect. But for the other actors"Rob Kazinsky (as Orgrim, Durotan's close friend and second-in command of their clan), Clancy Brown (as Blackhand, war chief of the Horde), Daniel Wu (the orc warlord, Gul'dan) and Anna Galvin (as Draka, Durotan's wife)"motion capture was a new skill set to be learned. Donning skintight grey suits with sensors, and dot markers affixed to their faces, these actors 'became" orcs, embracing the massive size and strength, movements, and mannerisms specific to their characters.

Of the experience, Toby Kebbell recalls: 'Duncan Jones made it very clear that it wasn't necessarily motion capture alone. This is performance capture. Calling it that is what humanized the process for me. Because when you have two cameras hanging five inches in front of your face, it's nice to think that you're doing this not only for you, but for those artists who are going to be able to see the character that they've drawn and depicted come to life."

To help the actors acquire the skills necessary to convincingly portray these proud savage warriors, movement choreographer Terry Notary was brought on board the massive production. Drawing from a background as a gymnast and performer with Cirque du Soleil, Terry Notary designed the movement, mannerisms and signature styles of behavior for each of the races and characters within those groups. He then trained the actors to find their character through that movement.

Terry Notary reveals: 'I first read the script to figure out the characteristics that make orcs tick and built from there. They are hulking creatures"huge, muscular, ripped. But, they don't pose, and there's no awareness of the extrinsic body. They don't flex their outside self, but they're strong from the inside out. They have an amazing amount of power"not from muscle but from their way of being, which comes from the ground up, through their core."

'I remember Terry Notary and I were talking as we were trying to master an orc's walk because it's a very wide walk," reveals Clancy Brown. 'Terry Notary's so patient and articulate, and he was trying to get these images flowing for us, that he imaged that when an orc walks, the power of his stride is what's actually turning the earth underneath him. So the orc, quite possibly is not moving in space, but he's turning the earth as he walks forward, which I thought was a pretty powerful image."

For Rob Kazinsky, the opportunity to play Durotan's second-in-command, Orgrim, who wields the mighty Doomhammer"possibly one of the most recognizable weapons in the game"was a dream come true. A ranked player of World of Warcraft, Rob Kazinsky had put in a total of 463 days on the game just as the film went into production.

He explains his process: 'I felt that this script walked the line perfectly between what they needed for the film and what I, as a viewer and gamer, will be satisfied and happy seeing," states Rob Kazinsky. 'We are creating a universe for people who play the game and for people that have never even heard of the game. We are creating a world that will bring people in, and that's a line that we have to walk. When I got sent the script, I felt that they walked that line perfectly down the middle."

Aside from the opportunity to appear in Warcraft, Rob Kazinsky was eager to experience acting through motion capture technology. 'The moment you agree to do this, your ego is gone and you are entirely at the service of the character. It matters then only that the character is right, and that's an incredibly freeing and wonderful experience."

Wu discloses that he was encouraged to audition for Warcraft by his wife, also an avid player of the game. Despite his appearing in many action films in Hong Kong and doing many of his own stunts, the role of the warlord Gul'dan was one of the most physically demanding that he's ever tackled. 'I remember when I read the script, Gul'dan is supposed to be the oldest orc, and I'm not that old," notes Wu. 'I said to Duncan Jones, -This is supposed to be a really old orc. Why are you casting a much younger guy?' He said, -It's the physicality. If we cast someone age-appropriate, they probably wouldn't be able to manage the physical side of the role.'"

Wu laughs: 'Once I got into orc training camp, I realized what he was talking about, because my character is basically in a squat throughout almost the entire film. So the first two weeks were quite painful. I grew out of all the pants that I brought to Vancouver, because my thighs and butt got so much bigger and more muscular. It was a wonderful process, and to be able to do it with the other actors playing the orcs was a great bonding experience."

Just as Llane depends upon the counsel of strong females like Taria to rule, the orcs know that duality. The lead female orc, Draka, the courageous warrior mate of Durotan, is played by actress Anna Galvin. 'I love her confidence; she's very earthy," Anna Galvin says. 'She's driven by her heart, but she also is savvy and highly skilled. Her weapon of choice is a wicked, nasty blade that she wields like an elite warrior."

Respect and Expansion: Designing Warcraft

From the outset, the filmmakers were committed to honoring the worlds, characters, and stories that mean so much to Warcraft's legions of fans, while striving to make the film a cinematic thrill for all moviegoers. To help meet this objective, acclaimed production designer Gavin Bocquet was brought on board.

Perhaps best known for his remarkable work on Star Wars: Episode I"The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II"Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III"Revenge of the Sith, Gavin Bocquet was not deterred by large-scale productions and set about assembling a first class team, including supervising art director Helen Jarvis, set decorator Elizabeth Wilcox and prop master Jimmy Chow.

Because he was not intimately familiar with the numerous and contrasting Warcraft game environments, Gavin Bocquet admittedly had much research to do. He spent many hours meeting with Jones and also traveled to Blizzard Entertainment's headquarters in Irvine, California, to study the work of their concept artists.

He noted that the games themselves operated within colorful, playful, fantastical settings, which enhanced the gaming experience for its players. But, in adapting the story for the big screen, Duncan Jones was looking for a more epic, gritty, cinematic feel. Thus, Gavin Bocquet and Duncan Jones strived to meet their goals while making every possible effort to incorporate the game's original context, spirit and inspiration.

To provide the sites necessary to control the size, scope and technical intricacies of Warcraft, it was realized early on that finding and adapting real locations would not be feasible. Recalls Gavin Bocquet: 'All our work was basically stage-orientated; that was the design idea from the beginning. Duncan Jones wanted to create all the environments, build what we could build and then digitally extend them, where required…but still keep the sets gritty and real so that the audience would believe we were on location, rather than creating a fantasy world."

All told, Gavin Bocquet and his team were called upon to design and built an astonishing 90 different sets of varying size and complexity.

Imagining Azeroth

Azeroth is a land of peaceful townships, magnificent structures and diverse landscapes as well as home to many races"among them humans, elves, dwarves and trolls. It is also where much of the Warcraft game series plays out, which required Duncan Jones and the production designer to re-create a number of iconic sets sure to fall under the scrutiny of ardent fans of the franchise.

The game's core look of Azeroth is European, with giant oak forests, wheat fields, rivers, lakes, mountains, ports and coastlines. It expands into the slightly more extreme areas of the Dwarven world, the Black Morass, and the Swamp of Sorrows. Thus, for the filmmakers, the challenge was to interpret each of these environs on a stage"creating something that felt a part of the Warcraft world, but also separate as its own environment.

Filming began with the interior and exterior shots of the Lion's Pride Inn, one of the most iconic locations within the game. There, the action unfolds on the main floor only, but the filmmakers felt it important, cinematically, to have a staircase opening onto a second level. In most every other respect, the inn is laid out true to its origins"with its furniture of heavier make and look, red carpets with a bit of gold border, the green bottles, and a certain wall poster that players of the game will fondly recognise.

A massive set design and construction effort was that of Elwynn Forest, known in the game as the heartland of the human kingdom of Stormwind. Initially, locations in England were considered, but later dismissed. However, in studying the oldest oak tree in the locale (approximately 600 years, located in Windsor Park), the diameter of its trunk was noted to be a massive six feet in diameter.

Gavin Bocquet reveals: 'Duncan Jones wanted to double that. He wanted our trunks to be 12 feet across, to get that scale up, but still look real. So the only way we could do that was to build a forest. For all intents and purposes, our oak leaves, the bark detail, the greenery, is essentially meant to look real, but there's a scale about it which makes it look a little unusual."

The Elwynn set consisted of nine giant fabricated trees interspersed with live vegetation, one that was surrounded by a massive blue screen. This provided the director with the flexibility to change backgrounds to accommodate other scenes in the story, essentially allowing the construction of this forest to play as six parts of a much larger forest"with meadows, villages or rivers showing in the background. Because of its sheer size, it felt as if the production was shooting on location, even accommodating charging soldiers on horseback.

The Throne Room, inside the kingdom of Stormwind, was another big game environment that proved pivotal to the film. On this set, as on many others, size and scale were very important considerations. Gavin Bocquet explains, 'What's interesting about the game world is that there's a lot of big-scale stuff in it. The characters that move around within the game are quite small"almost mini people walking around. The chairs are all too big, but that's how the game was developed, design wise. So, one of our challenges was to keep this scale in the film, without looking as though we'd created a -land of the giants' environment with little people in big spaces. That was also true in the Throne Room where the game world had very big pieces of architecture, very big doors, and ridiculously sized columns and column bases."

To deal with this incongruity, the design team conducted quite a bit of conceptual exploration through 3D and full-scale modeling. 'We achieved the grandness of the game without the sets dwarfing our actors," states Gavin Bocquet. 'Sometimes you don't know that until the actors are in there, in costume, and the set is lit. The Throne Room was a particular challenge, architecturally, to get right in terms of scale and detail."

All three of these sets"The Lions' Pride Inn, Elwynn Forest and the Throne Room"were filmed within the first several weeks of production. It was during this time that Blizzard paid their first visit to the Warcraft stages. Shares Gavin Bocquet: 'I believe they were all quite astounded by what they saw. They'd been working in the digital world of their game for many years. To walk in and see their world interpreted into something real and physical, one that they could touch and hold, was probably quite overwhelming for them."

The tower of Karazhan is a rundown, decrepit structure in which the powerful mage, Medivh, resides alone with his steward, Moroes (played by Callum Keith Rennie). Once again, Duncan Jones and Gavin Bocquet referenced the game's smaller physical entity of the tower, to create something that, in its original state, had looked very grand. Several filming environments were required within Karazhan"including the Energy Chamber, its entrance and the vast library.

For the purposes of the scenes to be filmed there, Duncan Jones envisioned a circular library with its bookcases climbing higher and higher, in concentric circles, up to the Energy Chamber. Built as a separate set, only the first level and spiral staircase were constructed, with Bill Westenhofer's team's visual effects completing the illusion of a massive repository of ancient texts. Even so, set decorator Elizabeth Wilcox had five dressers working tirelessly for six weeks to repair and fabricate more than 3,000 scrolls and books required to fit into the endless ring-shaped bookcases.

Another key environment is The Black Morass"the location where the invading orcs, traveling via the magic of the Dark Portal, first arrive on Azeroth. A lush, jungle environment"this serves in sharp contrast to the planet they have abandoned. For its development, the design team began by devising 120 foot swamp trees.

Once approved by Duncan Jones, they populated the set with this vegetation and similar smaller vegetation. Though an extremely unusual environment, it was important that all the textures, colors and leaf shapes were based in a reality that the audience could relate to, as if they were visiting the jungles of Borneo.

The only set built outside a studio, due to its grand size and scale, was the main street and courtyard leading into Stormwind. Players will understand that the game version is a small village, enabling the avatars to move around quite quickly within it. For the purposes of the script, Stormwind became much bigger"a walled city with a castle, cathedral, market square and main entrance.

Gavin Bocquet's starting point was to digitally design different ideas, maintaining the spirit of the game by setting it on the coast with mountains behind, as well as incorporating the stories' mix of stone and timbered architecture. Next came concept meetings, storyboards and physical three-dimensional models, before Duncan Jones signed off on the city's layout and architecture.

With the physical construction comprising two thirds of it, an enormous blue screen was erected around the entire circumference of the site's upper level to allow Westenhofer's team to extend virtually the set's height and create the city's impressive picturesque surroundings.

Within the marketplace, to great effect, Wilcox and her crew added the set pieces and dressings that would give it a tangible realism, right down to the tiniest details. Outside the store fronts, they set up tables, wagons, handcarts and wheelbarrows, brimming with diverse wares such as cheeses, honey and wicker bee skeps, perfumes in fanciful bottles, potions with spells written on tiny scrolls, and handmade baskets.

Wilcox recounts the obsession with detail: 'The produce also had to reflect the time, so the cabbages had to have their outer leaves on them and not be the perfect ones from our supermarkets; the onions and garlic had to have their green top growth and roots on them. These were shipped in from California because it wasn't growing season in Vancouver; the potatoes we purchased had to be dirtied with mud; even our fruit was splattered with bits of color and natural debris to look less perfect."

As with each and every set, great care was taken to reference and pay homage to the game wherever possible. Fans of World of Warcraft will recognize both large and smaller objects planted within this set, including the all-important mailbox and bulletin board. In fact, there are a number of Easter eggs cleverly hidden through the film, ones which enthusiasts will enjoy discovering.

One set created for the film that does not exist in the game is the armory. When first introduced in this story, we see that it is brimming with weapons of every type. Because of the many decades that Azeroth has been at peace, the armory has remained essentially undisturbed. But with the invasion of the orcs, its arsenal is quickly depleted as the Alliance makes ready to go to war.

In total, more than 1,000 pieces were arranged within this set"including 120 shields hung in the ceiling with another 100 throughout the set, 750 swords, 300 halberds, and assorted other weapons and suits of armor. Background weaponry was also utilized, as well as the hero props for the central armor rack and suits of armor provided by the costume department.

Building Draenor

The home world of the orcs, Draenor is a dusty, desolate planet from which they are hoping to escape. Set decorator Wilcox spoke extensively with Duncan Jones about the orcs' living environment, how they ate and traveled, their weapons and crucial cultural nods.

Depending upon their clan, the orcs live in bivouac tents or yurts. But all use gigantic tusks (an important element in the game) to support their dwellings, taking them when they travel and using animal hides to cover the frame of the tusks to make an indoor environment. As well, they use hides to sleep under, and animal skulls for trade. 'This was very important to Duncan Jones," reveals Wilcox. 'He wanted the skulls decorated to show the history and pride of the orcs, especially the Frostwolf Clan."

To reflect this intrinsic civilisation a large tented encampment was constructed and dressed in great detail, showcasing the pride of their cultures and customs. Within the settlement was Gul'dan's immense tent, which also served as a meeting space for clan chiefs.

More than 50 feet across, it was constructed from real old Turkish yurts that were handmade from woven goat hair. Wilcox says: 'We had someone in Turkey go up into the mountains to meet with the people who build yurts and weave the fabric. We sent patterns, and they built the pattern pieces there and shipped them to us in Vancouver."

As Gul'dan is the all-powerful leader of the orc Shadow Council, at the center of his tent we find a huge brazier that burns the dark, green Fel magic. Nine feet across and eleven feet high, it was built by special effects welders. On closer inspection, one can find facial features on each of its facets. As well, the tent was adorned with many talismans, made from valuable skulls, hairs and bits of red fabric and other textures"all of which were constructed to show the extent of his power.

'We talked to Duncan Jones about what we could put on these walls to give it a bit more than just a fabric texture," notes Gavin Bocquet. 'The idea was presented to create a collage of historical cave paintings, but in orc form, of how we arrived at this place in the story. We did 11 war panels depicting Gul'dan developing this encampment and the plan to move through to Azeroth. Nick Carpenter at Blizzard gave us a lot of information on that. We did the hand paintings, and that gave a wonderful texture to the background of the tent. We created all these things that you're never quite sure how much you're going to see it in the film. But it is there and added that extra bit of mid-level detail."

Imagining the Impossible: Groundbreaking VFX and Performance Capture

The filmmakers went back into the past to introduce the origins of Warcraft and then took a giant step forward with their use of special effects, computer generated imagery, and motion capture technology to tell that story in the most believable way. By bringing Academy Award®-winning visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer onto the project, not only were they collaborating with one of the very best in the business but, fortuitously, he was already a devoted player of the game.

Westenhofer recounts his introduction: 'When I sat down with Duncan Jones and Stuart, the first question was, -How familiar was I with the Warcraft world?' I started laughing because, for the first time ever, my addiction to playing a video game was going to pay off in a big way!" Not only was he proficient with the game, he was in fact playing it at the most elite level, making him the de facto unofficial technical advisor.

'Being a fan and making a movie of something that I'm passionate about, and working with Duncan Jones, who's also a player and a fan, we could decide how genuine we wanted to make this," Westenhofer states. 'There were so many places where a decision could go either way, and we tried to make it as authentic as possible. If you look closely at the shots, you'll see that the layout of the land and the terrain is an exact match to Elwynn Forest. Red Ridge and West Fall are both where they're supposed to be. The mountains between Stormwind and Iron Forge are correct. We tried to be genuine as much as possible so that people who don't know the game will see this amazingly rich world, and the people who do know are going to enjoy the little details we've put in."

Certainly, navigating and rendering the game's oversized costumes, weapons and landscapes were an important element of their work. It was pivotal to capture, aesthetically, the larger proportions of Warcraft while also making it feel like a place or situation that actually exists. But by far the biggest challenge for Duncan Jones, Westenhofer and their team was the orcs. Of the more than 2,000 visual effects shots created, almost 1,300 shots involved these hulking warriors.

The Warcraft story is one of human versus orc, with each side having its protagonist and antagonist. At the outset, the filmmakers knew that these seven-to-eight foot, 500 pound creatures would have to be digital. But they wanted the audience to be able to see the same caliber of performance from them as from the humans. To do that, humans and orcs had to be filmed together, and that meant the tremendous challenge of pushing state-of-the-art motion capture technology to an entirely new level.

Now, rather than shooting orc actors on a separate sterile grey stage, as CGI characters had been filmed to this point, multiple cameras were placed onto live-action sets to record digitally the minute body movements of the orc actors as they engaged with their human counterparts in real time. This meant working very closely with Bocquet, to camouflage the cameras within his sets, while still allowing them a clear view of the performance areas and all the digital markers on the orc actors' body suits.

Bill Westenhofer explains: 'We worked hard to find a way that we could shoot all these characters in one place. So we had Toby in his motion capture suit playing Durotan, right next to Travis playing Lothar. There were enough cameras that they could see Toby, calculate it in real time, find out where the orc was going to be, and show, in the camera's viewfinder, a representative version of what Durotan was going to look like.

'In other words, we could see a digital version of Durotan next to Lothar, and the actors could get feedback right away that their performance was working," he continues. 'As well, the camera operators could see that this seven-foot tall creature would actually fit into the frame next to Lothar. There's also a feedback loop that's very important when you're playing a 500-pound creature. You don't move the same way a person would. You move with tremendous weight and presence. One could see right away when a performer wasn't in character; you saw them go from an orc, to an actor in an orc suit."

To help realise this ambitious undertaking, Westenhofer brought two companies on board, Giant Studios and Animatrix Film Design, who pushed their systems to the limit. He reveals: 'On the live-action set of Elwynn Forest, 125 cameras were strategically located"some in trees, behind rocks or placed on cranes…anywhere that we could hide them and paint them out later so that we could make sure we captured the orcs no matter where they were in frame. It was amazing. I knew how the process worked, but the technical challenges were far beyond what we expected."

As they quickly discovered, any type of lens obstruction"a piece of lighting equipment, a prop, atmospheric smoke, the leaves on a tree"could hamper the cameras' ability to record information accurately. Of note, Westenhofer recalls the challenge of filming inside a wooden frame building: 'The heat of the day would expand the building a few millimeters, and that alone would throw off the cameras. So, the cameras had to be isolated from the walls on cranes."

Facial capture has been done in previous films like Avatar and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but Westenhofer wanted to push the technology further. There are only a small number of companies in the world who could pull this off, and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) was at the top of the list. They were already in the testing phase of a facial capture system when Warcraft came along. In the past, the digital information recorded from facial dot markers still required animators to finish the results.

Now, they were actually able to take, almost directly, the motion from the body marker to the end product. And, as a result, it really showcased the emotional depth of the actor's performance. By placing 120 dot markers on the actor's faces, which small cameras, worn on headbands and suspended five inches in front of them, recorded, ILM captured every facial nuance of their performance"every blink, flinch and grimace.

Bill Westenhofer admits he was blown away: 'We knew we had to empathize with the orcs. So much of how we relate to other humans is by facial recognition. The good news is orcs have faces that resemble humans, so we could now see through their eyes; we are able to sense what they're thinking and feeling. It really showed the emotional depth that you can bring out of the orc's face, all because of the actor's performance."

Director Duncan Jones recalls his reaction when he saw the initial rendering of Kazinsky as Orgrim. He laughs: 'Relief. Huge, huge relief. Everything in this film is completely dependent on the orcs being believable. When you have those actors in silver leotards covered in ping-pong balls, and you're hoping that it's going to feel like a real character at the end of it, you get nervous. So when ILM delivered those preliminary studies on what the orcs were going to look like, it was a huge relief."

The visual effects team was also called upon to create the magic effects, which are integral to the story. 'I'm a magic user in the game, so I know all the spells," concedes Bill Westenhofer. 'One of the unique things is that Warcraft's magic is very colorful. There are a lot of floating glyphs that happen when you cast a spell, and we wanted to make that come forth. It's something you haven't seen in films before. Magic has been either simple, or you see flames shooting out. But the richness and the colorfulness is something that's unique to Warcraft, and we think we've brought that through in a new way in this movie."

He continues: 'There was an interesting moment where we had Khadgar and Medivh, two of the most powerful characters in Warcraft lore, sitting next to me at a table and I'm teaching them how to cast a fireball spell and how to cast a magic missile spell. I'd show them what a certain spell would look like in the game, and we'd decide whether that worked, cinematically. Ultimately, some spells were uniquely created and others were straight forward representations of the game version."

Wherever possible, sets were constructed in great detail, with some requiring a CGI extension to complete. Elwynn Forest, as well as the Stormwind throne room and marketplace, are examples. For places like Black Rock Mountain, Black Rock Valley and Karazhan, a portion of sets were built to give the actors something to which they could respond. However, there were situations where the environment didn't allow that, such as the Black Morass, where the final battle takes place. In this instance, that environment was largely realised as a digital one.

Blades and Cloaks: Weaponry and Costumes

Visually and logistically, the magnitude, range and diversity of the costumes created for this production is breathtaking. Award-winning costume designer Mayes Rubeo, who has designed such large and complex productions as Avatar, Apocalypto and World War Z, oversaw the team responsible for these works of art.

Managing, at various times, workshops in both Vancouver and Mexico, she utilized some of the best designers, supervisors, costumers, cutters and ager/dyers in the business"among them, Augusto Grassi, one of the world's finest leather masters. She sourced unusual fabrics from Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, India, China, Thailand and elsewhere, to create more than 650 sumptuous, uncommon, whimsical and extraordinary garments. Her attention to detail was uncompromising, even for areas of the wardrobe that the camera would likely never see.

These garments ranged from the elaborate fighting armor of both the orc and Alliance armies and the opulent and dazzling ensembles worn by King Llane and his beautiful queen, to a range of apparel sported by the mages of Dalaran, high elves, dignitaries and villagers.

Duncan Jones and Rubeo were aided by a broad historical time frame, a loose period of about 150 years, which allowed them to have fun within this fantasy. Working closely with Blizzard, she embraced their visual guidelines regarding aesthetics, symbolic objects and color codes, while still telling the story that Duncan Jones envisioned.

For the human populated city of Stormwind, Rubeo and her team created the looks for an entire social spectrum"from villagers living in shanty towns through to merchants, dignitaries and monarchs. With King Llane and Lady Taria, the producers were supportive of the need to find exclusive, luxurious fabrics, trim, and other detailing, which would look both compelling and sumptuous on the big screen.

For the queen's garments, Rubio shares: 'Lady Taria is a very strong character; and it was very important for Duncan Jones to portray that in a most beautiful way. So we integrated her pants into those designs, as a sign of strength."

Rubeo's costumes further helped to define Stormwind and its army by incorporating the heraldic emblem, the lion, as well as the dominant color, blue. The plans for their armor, based on the game, proved challenging. She recounts: 'In The World of Warcraft game, the dimensions are huge and impossible. We immediately had problems with the size and proportions of the pauldrons (a component of plate armor, which covers the shoulder area) worn by the knights, soldiers and royal guards. This is a movie about war and, in order to fight and wield a sword, they have to be able to move without getting hit by these huge pauldrons. So, we had to compromise on their size. They're still pretty big but flexible and collapsible, like an armadillo."

Based on her designs, almost 100 suits of armor were constructed by New Zealand's renowned Weta Workshop, who used the synthetic compound urethane in the designs. Though the actors and stunt team were still donning real chainmail underneath, this lightweight product made it possible for them to wear armor for many hours each day.

'When you have the armor on, you feel absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, even if you've only been standing in it," reveals Dominic Cooper. 'Fighting in it is a different matter altogether. Travis had more fighting scenes, and he was in heavier armor. I didn't do nearly as much as he did."

The invading orc army however, provided a contrasting set of demands with the director in constant communication as the designs evolved. The orcs are towering creatures with brutish strength and though their characters would ultimately be completely computer generated, attention to detail was equally critical.

The orcs each have distinct personalities, characteristics and proportions, so a height chart was created to be able to extrapolate their sizes. Then, the personalized attires of Durotan, Orgrim, Gul'dan, Blackhand and others were built by Rubio's specialty crew"with whom she worked on Apocalypto and Avatar"who set about finding and creating natural yarns, tribal textures and fabrics that this race would wear.

Other highlights include the raven cape worn by Medivh. Designed to reflect the wizard's darker character, thousands of individual feathers were hand-sewn together to capitalize on the changeable, reflective properties to stunning effect. The mages from the magical monastery of Dalaran are recognized by their robes"shimmering and interchanging between shades of violet, purple, lilac, blue and red. This was achieved by applying some practical magic to their costumes.

'We created fabrics and then applied techniques similar to origami so that, even if the characters turn only a few degrees, you see the color of the fabric changing," the costumer reveals. In turn, color was used to dramatically different effect for the tall and stately High Elves. Green and flecked with gold, these are tall, thin and stately creatures, whose bright color schemes and jewel-bedecked appearance stayed essentially true to the game, but were nonetheless complicated to re-create.

To complement these extraordinary costumes were extraordinary props, supervised by prop master Jimmy Chow (Man of Steel, Watchmen), who reveals that the scope of this project was unlike anything he had ever done. He notes: 'We were trying to replicate a fantasy video game and Blizzard had very specific looks that they wanted to achieve"so it was their concept artists who came forward with different ideas. For the flintlock pistol, as an example, there were probably 18 initial concepts."

The scope of the weaponry would grow to encompass multiple swords and shields for the Alliance's army, the many lethal blades and axes utilized by orc warriors, and such iconic props as Orgrim's famed Doomhammer and Garona's dagger.

Once the concept art for the Alliance's swords were green lit, Chow and the renowned prop and special effects company, Weta Workshop, ultimately created six different versions: the 'picture" sword, a perfect rendering made of steel and extremely heavy, as well as various 'fighting" versions made from aluminum, urethane, rubber, and bamboo. These allowed the human actors and stuntmen to wield weapons against their fierce digital foe, the orcs.

In total, more than 150 swords and matching shields (displaying the iconic lions head of Alliance), along with multiple spears, halberds, and poll axes were constructed. For Commander Lothar, a more elaborate shield and sword were designed, while King Llane's weaponry was by far the most resplendent.

Uniquely challenging was outfitting the soldier's horses, who were required to wear elaborate armor that mirrored armor of their riders. But, unlike the soldier armor and weaponry created by Weta, these costumes were produced half a world away in England, under considerable time constraints, and to the exact scanned physical measurements of each mount. This intricate assembly consisted of 26 custom-made foam and plastic riveted pieces, including facemasks, with which the horses were trained to get them accustomed to. Added to this, each wore a genuine, hand-crafted saddle, manufactured in Spain.

Though the orc characters were ultimately computer-generated images, they were played by real actors and stunt performers, holding real props. To aid them in their actions, Jimmy Chow created scaled-down foam weapons which then had to be digitized. This was accomplished by adding on infrared lights, individually wired with a battery and circuit board, which added extra weight for its handler.

Because the orcs come from different clans on their home world of Draenor, the weapons were made from different, natural materials such as bone, slate, or iron ore wrapped with leather. As such, the props department created a 'reference," as a template for each of their CGI weapon counterparts. These were the 'actual" size that a massive seven foot orc would wield.

A Global Feat: Production Logistics

The agreed creative approach for bringing Warcraft to the screen determined that almost all of the film's environments would have to be built. So, with the exception of a landscape and river location, as well as the exterior build of sections of the town of Stormwind, 98 percent of the story unfolds on a soundstage supported by visual effects. Because of the time frame and sheer size and scope of Warcraft, Vancouver, British Columbia, which had sufficient studio space available to accommodate the film's formidable needs, was selected.

Even so, a unique and complex schedule was devised to allow for the use of every stage space multiple times. The moment shooting was completed on a set, construction, set dressing and lighting crews leapt forward to transition that stage into something new. This occurred in nine different locations"each space being used two and, in some cases, three different ways.

But, for executive producer Brent O'Connor, perhaps the best example of the film's scope was how it was supported by suppliers and manufacturers from all over the world. Props, costumes, fabrics, set dressing and equipment were shipped to Vancouver from places including New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, South Africa, Italy, England, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. He sums: 'I've never been on a project where so many places, from so far afield, were supporting us with products and creative solutions."

Though most departments functioned normally, some were less consequential, while others worked far beyond conventional capacity. For example, the locations department had minimal obligations while the construction, paint, art, props and set dressing departments were considerably larger than normal. This was because, unlike many productions, where products can be purchased or rented, most everything on Warcraft was custom made.

With preproduction underway more than 10 months in advance in both London and Vancouver, principal photography for Warcraft began in early 2014, and continued for 18 weeks at Mammoth Studios, the Bridge Studios and several warehouse locations in and around Vancouver, wrapping in May, 2014.

Warcraft
Release Date: June 16th, 2016