Mammoth Screen is an award-winning television production company that specialises in the creation of high quality drama for mainstream TV channels like ITV.
They have now finished production on an exciting medical drama called Monroe, starring James Nesbitt, of ‘Cold feet’ fame, as a neurosurgeon, working in a fictional hospital in Leeds called St Matthews. The show, tipped to be ITV’s leading TV drama series for 2011, hits screens this week.
Based in an empty Victorian building in the heart of Leeds, Mammoth Screen’s art department took 10 weeks to put together the Monroe set. As the budget was limited they had to enlist the help of UK businesses who supply all the usual equipment that help real hospitals function.
Smart readers for authenticity
Tilly Scandrett, assistant art director for Mammoth Screen, said: “Our task was to design and create the interior of a hospital and we wanted it to look appropriately realistic. As electronic access control is a must in any modern hospital, we knew we had to include some smart readers on the doors.”
Once the design team spotted Paxton’s satin chrome Cardlock readers, designer Anna Higginson asked them to get in touch with Paxton.
Knowing how important access control is in a medical environment, Paxton was happy to supply Mammoth Screen with the silver swipecard readers for the set.
Paxton says its electronic access control systems “are industry renowned for engineering innovation and appealing aesthetics. As Paxton products are so simple to fit, the readers were added to most of the doors on the hospital set”.
Controlling people movement
Scandrett said: “Aside from the aesthetics of the set, we also had to think about access control for managing the flow of characters around the hospital.
“Some would only have access to certain operating rooms or meeting rooms, and then there were the hospital wards and the ITU to think about. We wanted it to look as authentic as possible.
“The readers look really sophisticated and that’s why we knew they would be ideal for the Monroe set. On a design level they were far superior.”
The Mammoth Screen team were pleased with the final effect created and now filming is complete, Monroe is set to hits screens on the 10th of March. UK readers can tune in to ITV at 9pm to see the set in action.
Scandrett said: “Paxton have been really cooperative – we’d definitely approach them again when working on other projects. Creating something as complex as a hospital set on a budget is not easy, so getting support from companies like Paxton is vital.”
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