harkins-theatre

Harkins Theatres

Harkins Camelview – Permanent Installations

Movie theaters today are becoming more convenient, comfortable and glamorous. The newly opened Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square excelled in this aspect when they requested custom scenic installations from Merestone. While walking the halls of the Camelview, guests can admire five different dioramas emulating classical films that resonated with Harkins’ history.

 

Fantasia

Over 70 years later, Harkins holds this Disney musical near and dear to their hearts. The ticket sales from Fantasia saved Harkins from not being able to pay their employees in 1940. In remembrance, Harkins specifically requested a display of the famous scene with Mickey Mouse and his sorcerer’s hat to pay tribute. Merestone created a come-to-life display of the magical brooms marching above guests’ heads.

 

Citizen Kane

As a creative twist inspired from the critically-acclaimed 1941 film, Citizen Kane, newspapers hung from the ceiling with the headline, “OPENING DAY” announcing Harkins grand opening at Fashion Square. The iconic Rosebud sled added a sentimental element to the scene staged right above passerby’s as they purchased their tickets and popcorn.

 

Roman Holiday

The talented Merestone team tackled sculpting a replica of the Vespa Audrey Hepburn travelled around on in the 1953 movie, Roman Holiday. In addition, a hand sculpted model of the Mouth of Truth completed the display as a mystical feature. The road map enhanced the environment with a pop of color and character. Merestone’s creative team wanted to include folded lines and creases of a typical road map to give dimension. As iconic elements from the romantic comedy, a broken guitar and film camera can be spotted in the environment too.

 

North by Northwest

Inspired by the 1959 Hitchcock film, Harkins requested to recreate the famous chase scene and the epic climb of Mount Rushmore. Perplexed by how to accomplish both scenes in the same space, Merestone had to decide what to do. The Merestone team toured the space and ultimately determined to use both ends of the display area. In one end, a backdrop of a corn field with a shadowy figure represented the most remembered scene with Cary Grant running for his life. A crop duster airplane replica suspended from the ceiling and angled slightly to give the appearance of flying towards Grant’s shadowy figure.

On the opposite end, Merestone’s talented scenic team fabricated the sculpture of Mount Rushmore and painted it to appear made out of stone. The light weight material allowed the sculpture to be adhered to the wall for all to look up at. Movie-goers who walked underneath the finished environment were transformed into the thriller that still grips a viewer’s attention.

 

2001: A Space Odyssey

Harkins also selected the 1968 SyFy thriller to include in the fifth scenic space. Because the movie had many iconic elements, Merestone needed to choose a few to emphasize in the 2001 environment. Of course, the Creative Service team picked HAL 9000 as a focal feature and Merestone then began building. For passerby’s to see in detail, Merestone enlarged HAL to an epic proportion! The model was 6 feet tall but light enough to be hung up high. The speaker and model label on the body were printed in the Merestone graphics shop. To create a dimensional look, the team implanted a LED light as the red “eye” that brought HAL to life.

For Merestone, this project allowed the team to blend their favorite movies with their talents and the final products showed exceptional dedication. Harkins Camelview has continued to be a client of Merestone every since.

Interested in other custom scenic installations Merestone has successfully completed? Check out the Fairmont Princess BEST. SUMMER. EVER. project:

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