MYRA BARRERA

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The Mad Whale

Role

Set Decorator

Director

Michelle Patterson

Year

2017

Format

Feature Film

Set in a late 19th to early 20th century asylum, this richly detailed period film required methodically stripping every location of contemporary technology to preserve the integrity of the era. An additional layer of complexity came from the story's central conceit: the asylum residents are staging a theatrical production, which meant designing and building a full stage set and all of its theatrical elements as part of the film's world. Custom prop fabrication was extensive throughout, from historically faithful furnishings to the practical objects of daily institutional life.

Selected Stills Click any still to enlarge →︎
Period dining room from The Mad Whale, three men in Victorian dress at a candlelit table set with wine glasses01
Theatrical stage set built for The Mad Whale, painted cloud backdrop behind a draped proscenium02
Horse-drawn carriage on the asylum drive in The Mad Whale, period exterior dressed by set decorator Myra Barrera03
Asylum corridor in The Mad Whale, patients in white gowns at the end of a sunlit arched hallway04
Man in Victorian dress raising a long gun in a period interior from The Mad Whale05
Character in a flat cap and olive jacket in a sunlit room, period dressing from The Mad Whale06
Patient asleep on an iron bed in a dim asylum room lit by a single window, The Mad Whale07
Two characters at a small table beside a window in warm lamplight, period interior from The Mad Whale08
Two men in Victorian waistcoats in close conversation beside a stone wall, The Mad Whale09
Two patients in white nightgowns on iron hospital beds in the asylum ward, The Mad Whale10
Woman in white at a bright window while a man works at a desk in the asylum library, The Mad Whale11
Candlelit period interior crowded with figures in Victorian dress, The Mad Whale12
Asylum dormitory at night in The Mad Whale, rows of iron beds and patients in white gowns lit by candles13
Two patients seated by tall windows in soft daylight, asylum interior from The Mad Whale14
Patients and nurses seated on wooden chairs in a bright asylum hall, The Mad Whale15
Asylum interior from The Mad Whale, a man in waistcoat and bow tie among patients in white gowns, set decoration by Myra Barrera16
Woman in a pale gown before dark wood cabinetry in a dim asylum room, The Mad Whale17
Close portrait of a distressed patient in a white gown in a shadowed asylum interior, The Mad Whale18
Hydrotherapy bath scene in The Mad Whale, hands over a metal tub in warm orange light19
Young man in a waistcoat holding a glass up to the light in a bright asylum room, The Mad Whale20
Patient in a white nightgown beside a curtained window in a dark period bedroom, The Mad Whale21
Long communal table in the asylum dining hall, period institutional dressing from The Mad Whale22
Two men in period suits in a tense exchange beside a bed in a dark room, The Mad Whale23
Nurse leaning over a bathtub in the white-tiled asylum bathing room, The Mad Whale24
Crowd of period-dressed characters cheering with arms raised in firelight, The Mad Whale25
Performer on the built stage set in front of green and gold theatrical curtains, The Mad Whale26
Asylum office in The Mad Whale, a nurse behind a desk with a glass specimen bowl and a man at a typewriter27
Restraint chair beneath a single hanging bulb in a dark asylum room, The Mad Whale28
Asylum day room in The Mad Whale, checkerboard floor and tall windows with patients seated in chairs29
Men in Victorian formal dress in close conversation against a stone wall, The Mad Whale30
Patient restrained in a chair under a bare bulb in a dark asylum room, The Mad Whale31
Period office desk with an oil lamp and a large glass specimen bowl, The Mad Whale32