Re-creating the Vatican for ‘Angels & Demons’

With filming inside the actual Vatican off-limits to Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” production designer Allan Cameron and visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton re-created roughly 40% of St. Peter’s Square on 20 acres of parking lot rented from the Hollywood Park racetrack. The two fountains, the steps to the basilica and the entrance area were all re-created full-scale with computer graphics used to complete the rest of the scenery. The interiors of the Vatican were a mix of efforts -- sets, location-doubling and CG environments -- but some of the massive spaces just couldn’t be duplicated on a soundstage. “The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was created as a miniature, one that was 12 feet wide and 18 feet long,” Hallowell said. As for Michelangelo’s legendary fresco? Wallpaper rolled onto the model.

-- Patrick Kevin Day