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 To
aid in visually depicting the increasing spiral of revenge and retribution
in "Changing Lanes," director Roger Michell chose production designer
Kristi Zea, whose credits include such films as "Philadelphia" and
"The Silence of the Lambs." Zea saw her biggest designing challenge
in defining the separate worlds of Gavin and Doyle in such a way
that the audience instantly understands why the two men might be
antagonists. At the same time, however, she wanted to show elements
in her designs that indicated that the two men, while extremely
different, did share some similarities. CLIP
 To
depict their similarities, she went to the workplace of each man,
giving both environments similar Kafka-esque roots. For example,
even though Doyle?s desk sits within a tiny cubicle in a large insurance
company, and Gavin?s office is private with a sweeping view of midtown
Manhattan, both men toil like worker bees, laboring for an entity
larger than themselves. CLIP
Because
Gavin practically is his job, while Doyle does not define himself
by where he works, the stylized offices of Gavin?s ultra-corporate
law firm serve as the centerpiece set for "Changing Lanes." Its
huge, seemingly infinite maze of glass-walled workspaces suggests
the "Big Brother" type of environment in which morality might slip
through the cracks.
 But
so much glass posed a constant problem, picking up unwanted reflections
for director of photography Salvatore Totino, who minimized the
issue by requesting that his camera crew dress in dark colors. It
was worth the inconvenience, as the glass walls enabled Totino to
shoot straight through the huge set from one end to the other. CLIP
The
set was indeed enormous. Occupying most of the vast interior space
of the hundred-year-old Marcy Avenue Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,
it utilized 18,000 square feet of plastic flooring and was surrounded
on three sides by a 370-foot translight photograph of midtown Manhattan
that provided the rooftop views seen through the windows. Due to
the fragility of the glass walls, the floor and ceiling had to be
installed first, and the walls second. "When you see the original
photographs of the set," says Zea, "it?s uncanny. It looks like
The Mother Ship has landed in the middle of the armory."
 In
the law office set, major color accents were provided by extensive
displays of contemporary art. "Most law firms these days have impressive
art collections. This is de rigueur now," explains Zea. "In fact,
you don?t go into a law firm or an investment firm without noting
the art. It?s as much of a status symbol as a guy?s car or attach?
case. Art has become a character in movies. It?s had a very slow
rise, but it?s very important for audiences now to see what?s on
the walls of these executive offices. These are prestigious companies
wanting to impress their clients with their sense of awareness and
savvy about the world."
Zea
assembled a remarkable collection for the film, including works
by such esteemed artists as Alex Katz, Mark Rothko and Andreas Gursky.
"The only strong color that exists in the law office set," she points
out, "is in the art itself. You see mostly blond wood, glass and
the reflection of the lighting in the glass -- and then the art
has an occasional pop of color."
The
paintings in the law office were hand-painted reproductions, most
accomplished by the gifted members of Zea?s staff. In addition to
being identical to the originals, these reproductions had to be
made waterproof, since they were soaked time and again while filming
the scene in which Gavin intentionally sets off the office fire-alarm
sprinkler system. Any original artwork used in the filming was laminated
in Plexiglas to keep it dry and unharmed, but because they looked
so real and authentic, those pieces created by Zea?s staff were
ultimately destroyed after filming, in accordance with the wishes
of the artists or their estates.
To
catch the eruption of water set off by the production team every
time they re-took the scene in which Gavin sets off the sprinkler
system, the entire law office set was designed with large holes
in the floor beneath the desks. On the day the scene was filmed,
crew members grabbed gigantic squeegee-like mops after each take
and pushed the accumulated water into the holes, where it disappeared
into a huge rubber pan. Within an hour, the entire set was dry once
again and ready for the next take.
"Changing
Lanes" takes place during the course of thirty-six hours around
Good
Friday in the spring. It was filmed, however, during the dead
of winter, from December through early March. The shooting schedule
was constantly adjusted around the weather, so that not a trace
of snow would appear on screen. For the scenes taking place during
steady rain, however, the company had to manufacture its own foul
weather with the help of giant overhead sprinklers.
 In
addition to manipulating the weather, Roger Michell and his production
crew needed to film two auto accidents: the first, a fender-bender
that sets the whole film?s theme into motion; the second, a more
serious accident in which Gavin could have been killed. To do this,
much of the film was shot on a Wednesday through Sunday schedule,
which enabled the production to shut down one of New York?s major
traffic arteries, FDR Drive, for the first time in the history of
New York City filming.
In
the end, the stress of fighting unpredictable weather and working
on weekends did little to dampen Michell?s vision and enthusiasm
for the thought-provoking film.
"Life
is full of arbitrary little accidents like the one that propels
these guys into such troubled waters," says Michell. "It?s not a
good guy/bad guy story. It?s about standing on the brink of doing
the right thing, or not."
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