Legend of the Guardians: Production designer Simon Whiteley

In the second part of our Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole special, production designer Simon Whiteley discusses how Australia’s remote windswept areas inspired the world of the film.

What were the main environments created as sets for the film?

We drew most of our inspiration for the landscapes that were created for the movie from the more remote windswept areas of Australia. Primarily the wild uninhabited coasts and mountains of Tasmania, which could only be accessed by helicopter by boat or by foot. Filming the region from helicopter allowed us to capture the landscape and flora as well as the light, atmosphere and weather from an owl’s perspective. It was this footage, our initial designs and lighting frames as well as a short screen test with our first CG owl that got the movie green lit.