City of Ember Set Report Preview – 1

The City of Ember. A city of darkness. A city that knows no sun, no moon, no stars, no trees. Only darkness.

Flood lights pierce through the utter darkness with flickering light for 14 hours each day. Enough time for Emberites to work for their city…to keep it alive.
Darkness falls back upon the city promptly at 9pm when the lights are shut down for the night for its citizens to sleep.

The Emberities live in the year 241. At least, that is what year they believe it to be considering past timekeepers falling behind in their task. A city built by “The Builders,” the City of Ember is filled with people and things. Things that have long lost their usefulness and people who are beginning to lose their faith.

A bit of a panic has started to rumble quietly through the city with the realization of dwindling food supplies and the general shortage of materials. People full of hope but a few beginning to feel fear. We meet a young lady by the name of Lina, whose hope for her city hasn’t wavered.

A recent graduate from school, Lina has set out to work as a messenger in her city as best she can, until she discovers that Ember may be coming to an end…

Fox Walden is bringing the City of Ember to life on the big screen come October 2008. The IESB was invited to join a few other journalists on the set in Belfast, Ireland this week.

Built in the huge hall that once housed the mighty Titanic for its shiny coat of paint, the set is immense! Recreating the City of Ember and its “Unknown Regions” full of darkness has been no easy task for this production.

Director Gil Kenan, most recently known for his children’s hit Monster House, is at the center of the hustle and bustle of the town. We were given a chance to speak with Kenan as we toured the buildings and got an insight into his motivation behind the project and his detailed vision.

[IESB.net]

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