As
the general foreman of construction for Spiderman 2, Wedemeyer picked up right
where he left off with the original boxoffice smash back in 2002.
Wittenberg Magazine P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501-0720
Phone: (937) 327-6141 Fax: (937) 327-6112
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Alumni World
Andrew Wedemeyer '87
Creates Spiderman Set Recreating the mythical world of webbed wonder Spiderman in a contemporary setting proved to be just another day at the office for Andrew Wedemeyer ’87.
Back then, the now 38-year-old propmaker replicated the New York City hotel balcony using authentic tile and special-effect features. The balcony, which the Green Goblin destroyed in the movie during the Oscorp Industry Unity Festival, took three months for Wedemeyer’s crew to construct. He also built the set, pictured above, which Peter Parker and his guardians, Aunt May and Uncle Ben, called home in the first movie. “It’s a whole process,” Wedemeyer said, noting that the blueprints for every prop must be carefully scrutinized before construction can begin. “Sometimes things won’t work the way the designers intended, and sometimes we can’t find the hardware that is needed to construct what they have drawn,” he said. Nevertheless, Wedemeyer and his fellow team members always manage to finish the job as well as ensure that each set is “stunt-performance friendly.” “Occasionally, we will have to remove our windows and replace them with special-effect windows,” Wedemeyer said. In the case of Spiderman, the replacement windows allowed the comic-book hero to swing effortlessly through a glass window. Despite the long hours, limited access to the actors and directors, and inconsistent employment that many propmakers face, Wedemeyer considers himself fortunate to be in this field working on the sets for such Hollywood movies as Species, Speed, Basic Instinct, Addam’s Family Values, The Doors, The Deep End of the Ocean, Hollow Man, Sea Biscuit and now Spiderman 2, scheduled to hit theatres this month. “It’s exciting to see the finished project and have it do what it’s supposed to do,” he said. — Courtney Galliger ’04
Wittenberg Magazine P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501-0720 Phone: (937) 327-6141 Fax: (937) 327-6112 |
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