Making a 15' Diameter Circular Model of Chicago

In 2019 we produced a 15’ (4.57m) diameter, circular model of Chicago at around 1:1500 scale. It was commissioned by the folks at Turner Sports, who came to us with an already well-developed vision for an introduction to their upcoming 2020 NBA All-Star Game broadcast.

The finished, 5 minute long video (above) featured a long list of distinguished Chicago-connected figures talking about their memories and impressions of Chicago. Our model served as a giant conversation piece.

Though the finished video production looks seamless, it apparently had to be shot in a number of different locations to accommodate the schedules of all the A-listers who appeared in it. It's not every day we're asked to produce a model that will be set up, broken down and shipped across the country over and over again.

But we were told part way through our production process that some filming locations might not be actual sound stages. Access to some might be limited, meaning that each of the model's sections would have to be small enough (in a protective crate) to fit into a typical passenger elevator and light enough to be handled by a two-man crew. Given the finished size of the model, this turned into a substantial challenge.