--- title: Successfully Mapping History In “Hidden Figures” description: "Rosco provided the \"Hidden Figures\" filmmakers a key element to their Mercury Mission Control Center set and helped them accomplish their mission of keeping the film historically accurate." image: https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/HF-Feature.jpg --- ![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Rosco/Images/page-top-bg.jpeg) [![NewSpectrumlogo](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/NewSpectrumlogo.png?width=320&height=150&name=NewSpectrumlogo.png)](https://spectrum.rosco.com) - [Home](https://spectrum.rosco.com/) - [About Spectrum](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products-3?hsLang=en) - [Featured Products](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products?hsLang=en) - [Rosco.com](https://us.rosco.com/en) Home About Spectrum Featured Products Rosco.com ![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/HF-Feature.jpg) # Successfully Mapping History In “Hidden Figures” The Production Design team for [*Hidden Figures*](http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures) recently won the 2017 Art Director’s Guild Award for Best Production Design – Period Film. If you’ve had the chance to see the film, you almost certainly saw Rosco's contribution to their award-winning production design. *“Hidden Figures” Production Designer Wynn Thomas on the Red Carpet of the 2017 ADG Awards* When it came time to create a historically accurate set depicting the Mercury Mission Control Center, [Production Designer Wynn Thomas](http://www.wynnthomas.com/) and [Art Director Jeremy Woolsey](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2100346/) turned to Rosco to help them execute a key element of the set – a backlit status map that displayed the orbital position of the Mercury Capsule. [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Mercury-MCC-via-Nasa.jpg?width=1041&height=520&name=Mercury-MCC-via-Nasa.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Mercury-MCC-via-Nasa.jpg?hsLang=en)*A Photo of the actual Mercury Mission Control Center in 1962 via* [*NASA*](https://www.nasa.gov/) The filmmakers paid close attention to replicate the look of the Mercury Mission Control Center. According to [an interview in collectSPACE.com](http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-010917a-mercury-control-center-hidden-figures.html), Wynn Thomas explained that they “were very careful to honor the spirit of it. We did not want to get it wrong there." [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Hidden-Figures-MCC-Set.jpg?width=1200&height=795&name=Hidden-Figures-MCC-Set.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Hidden-Figures-MCC-Set.jpg?hsLang=en)*The Mercury Mission Control Center set from “Hidden Figures." Photo: 20th Century Fox, via* [*collectSPACE.com*](http://www.collectspace.com/) "The whole idea was to try to recreate it as faithfully as we possibly could," Wynn continued about the film’s Mission Control Center set. "For me, as a designer, it is always important to [start with the truth, with what is real](http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-010617a-hidden-figures-easter-eggs-space-history.html). As a result, there was an extensive amount of research that was done." This research included working directly with NASA. In [an interview with Variety magazine](http://variety.com/2017/artisans/production/hidden-figures-director-theodore-melfi-1201957469/), director [Theodore Melfi](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577647/)describes how “Wynn also did droves of research with two NASA historians, Dr. Bill Barry and Bert Ulrich, who opened up their archives. They sent us hundreds of pictures.” [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Hidden-Figures-Tracking-Map-Graphic-Copy.jpg?width=1200&height=359&name=Hidden-Figures-Tracking-Map-Graphic-Copy.jpg)](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Hidden-Figures-Tracking-Map-Graphic-Copy.jpg?hsLang=en)*The original art file used to create the map backdrop* After all the research had concluded, the production design team sent Rosco a large-scale map graphic that they’d designed based on the research materials they’d received. The 4’H x 18’L (1.2M H x 5.5M L) map was printed on vinyl and mounted into the MCC set. Because it was a backlit graphic, we printed the image on both sides of the vinyl to keep the backlighting from washing out the image. *This promotional “Hidden Figures” featurette shows many scenes shot inside the MCC set* We were not only thrilled to be a part of the film, but to also assist the production design team in making the *Hidden Figures* Mercury Mission Control Center set as historically accurate as possible. The filmmakers were very happy with the results. “It was an incredibly effective solution,” stated Art Director Jeremy Woolsey. [![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Kevin-Costner-in-front-of-the-tracking-map-in-Hidden-Figures.jpg?width=1200&height=646&name=Kevin-Costner-in-front-of-the-tracking-map-in-Hidden-Figures.jpg)](http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures)*Kevin Costner as Al Harrison in front of the backlit status map in “Hidden Figures.” Photo:* [*20th Century Fox*](http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures) [Visit the Hidden Figures website](http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures) to learn more about the fascinating story behind this film, which was nominated for three Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. If you’re about to start production on a period film – be sure to [explore our Custom Backdrop web page](http://www.rosco.com/product/custom-backdrops) and include our previous blogs in your research materials: [**Background Check - Staying Historically Accurate with Rosco Backdrops**](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2012/02/background-check-staying-historically-accurate-with-rosco-backdrops/?hsLang=en) [**Seamless, Fabric SoftDrops Come Up BIG! As They Transport Stonewall Back To 1969**](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2015/09/softdrops-come-up-big-for-stonewall/?hsLang=en) Joel Svendsen February 28, 2017 [Questions?](mailto:spectrum@rosco.com) [Film, Television and Broadcast](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/film-television-and-broadcast) ![](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Joel-profile-pic-Nov-2016-160x160.jpg) ## About Joel Svendsen Marketing Director: Joel's Rosco career began in Rosco's Hollywood office in 1999 – first in sales covering the Western US and the Los Angeles Film & Television market, and then as Product Manager for Rosco's Film & Television Products. Joel's knowledge about Rosco's products and how they're used in each of our different marketplaces makes him well suited for bringing the stories in Spectrum to life. ### Related post [MIX® From DMG Lumière by Rosco Be A Part Of The Color Evolution](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2018/04/mix-be-a-part-of-the-color-evolution?hsLang=en) [Small Green Screens Can Make A Big Difference](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2021/08/small-green-screens-can-make-a-big-difference?hsLang=en) [Introducing WindowCling™ Easy-To-Use Filters For Controlling Windowlight](https://spectrum.rosco.com/introducing-windowclingtm-easy-to-use-filters-for-controlling-windowlight?hsLang=en) [Rosco Activities at Camerimage 2018](https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2018/11/rosco-activities-at-camerimage-2018?hsLang=en) ### Receive Email Alerts About New Spectrum Blog Posts! ### Categories [Architecture](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/architecture) [Dance](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/dance) [Entertainment Lighting](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/entertainment-lighting) [Film, Television and Broadcast](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/film-television-and-broadcast) [Photography](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/photography) [Rosco - The Company](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/rosco-the-company) [Scenic and Staging](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/scenic-and-staging) © 2022 Rosco Spectrum - [Home](https://spectrum.rosco.com/) - [About Spectrum](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products-3?hsLang=en) - [Featured Products](https://spectrum.rosco.com/rosco-spectrum-featured-products?hsLang=en) - [Rosco.com](https://us.rosco.com/en) - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Joel Svendsen", "url" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/author/joel" }, "dateModified" : "2022-11-23T12:16:12.526Z", "datePublished" : "2017-02-28T17:46:13.000Z", "headline" : "Successfully Mapping History In “Hidden Figures”", "image" : [ "https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/HF-Feature.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/index.php/2017/02/successfully-mapping-history-in-hidden-figures", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/ROSCO_WAL_H_RGB.png" }, "name" : "Rosco Laboratories" } } ```