Swan House Preps For 'Mockingjay' Return
Molly Tue, April 1, 2014 
Swan House stood in for President Snow's mansion in the Catching Fire party sceneAccess Atlanta's Jennifer Brett was on the Mockingjay set today and she spoke with Jeffrey Ellis of Atlanta Creative Studios, the team responsible for transforming Swan House into President Snow's mansion. Mockingjay will return to film at Swan House in the next week or so.
Workers are putting in long hours to ready Swan House for Mockingjay. All photos Jennifer Brett/AccessAtlanta
From Access Atlanta:
President Snow has some sumptuous accommodations awaiting him in Buckhead as Mockingjay continues filming in Atlanta.
The elegant Swan House, site of a good bit of filming for Catching Fire, is readying for the return of the Hunger Games series.
Catching Fire filmed in areas including the dining room, an outside courtyard and an upstairs room in scenes featuring Donald Sutherland's character, President Snow, along with lead Jennifer Lawrence's character, Katniss Everdeen and others.
This time, workers are prepping a downstairs room to serve as Snow's quarters. The room, normally stately and sort of subdued, has been rendered positively resplendent by Jeffery Ellis and his team at Atlanta Creative Studios.
Jeffrey Ellis preps a room in the Swan House for Mockingjay filming. Photo by Jeenifer Brett/Access Atlanta"We've been busting it," he said, and by that he means working long and hard hours. Initially he thought workers could spray-paint the ceiling and do the detail work by hand. But the Swan House and spray paint have nothing in common. All the work must be done by hand, to protect the interior of the home, on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center.
"They said, you're not spray-painting anything!" Ellis said. He also worked on Catching Fire, and other projects have included The Walking Dead, Zombieland, Stomp the Yard and a number of Tyler Perry productions. He also does corporate work but enjoys the hustle of movie-set design.
"The time element" is the biggest challenge, he said. "They keep changing it. You'll finish and they'll say, 'what about this?'"
There's a joke among folks in his line of work:
Q: How many artistic directors does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Does it have to be a lightbulb? Could we try something else?
You get the idea.
Mockingjay is due to return in the next week or so, and as Ellis' team works inside, a crew outside is prepping some of the exterior areas. The outside of the Swan House was featured extensively in Catching Fire party scenes but Ellis wasn't able to say exactly what will be going on this time. He did salute everyone at the Swan House.
"All the people here are great," he said.
Reader Comments (4)
It’s amazing to see the dedication and craftsmanship that goes into transforming a historic space like the Swan House for Mockingjay. The team led by Jeffrey Ellis really goes above and beyond, doing every detail by hand to protect the home’s integrity. It’s a great reminder of how much thought and effort is required to preserve historic properties while making them functional for modern purposes; even for something as creative and temporary as a movie set. The level of care in these renovations makes the finished scenes feel authentic and immersive, showing that attention to detail truly pays off.
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It’s amazing to see iconic locations like the Swan House being featured in major productions, historic homes in prime neighbourhoods can become cultural landmarks that boost local real estate visibility and desirability. Properties with unique architectural heritage or movie-set fame often attract premium interest, strengthening community value and tourism appeal in Buckhead and surrounding markets.” Visit estate agent fees ilford
This is a really interesting look at how the Swan House was prepared for the return of Mockingjay. Seeing the level of detail and care that goes into maintaining such an iconic property is impressive. Historic and high-profile locations clearly require expert planning and ongoing upkeep. It also shows how important professional management is when dealing with valuable real estate. Proper coordination, maintenance, and preservation all play a major role in keeping properties production-ready. The same principles apply to residential and commercial spaces through reliable rental management in london. Overall, it’s a great example of how thoughtful property management supports both creativity and long-term value.
This is a really interesting look at how the Swan House was prepared for the return of Mockingjay. Seeing the level of detail and care that goes into maintaining such an iconic property is impressive. Historic and high-profile locations clearly require expert planning and ongoing upkeep. It also shows how important professional management is when dealing with valuable real estate. Proper coordination, maintenance, and preservation all play a major role in keeping properties production-ready. The same principles apply to residential and commercial spaces through reliable rental management in london. Overall, it’s a great example of how thoughtful property management supports both creativity and long-term value.