Isla Sorna

Introduction to Isla Sorna: Lost and Unknown Worlds

By
The InGenProfessor 

Introduction

Although not an “island shrouded in clouds,” Isla Sorna remains a fantastic mystery; one whose complexities and various depictions distort and contort into a myriad of disjointed permutations. Making sense of this otherwise cacophonous collection leads down several confusing paths and it is my hope to illuminate those many complexities in this study while ascertaining a level of value to each piece of the puzzle to extract any and all 'substantive truth.'

Thought problems are not new to the human experience with some of the most prolific work in this arena performed by Plato and Aristotle. The importance of finding the “substance” of the argument is paramount and thus, the over-arching term we've all come to love and hate, “canon,” gains a favored use.

'Canon' originated as a Greek term simply meaning a “collection of books.” Used more authoritatively in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, it is now most often defined as an “authoritative collection,” perhaps even a set of rules upon which a dogma is built. It is my firm belief in the distinction and separation of canons. Although study from each for "inspiration" or "intent" is possible, the use of otherwise firmly distanced canons as proof in and of itself can only lead to false assumptions.

The study of a piece of art can be broken down into three major aspects: the inspiration, the intent, and the perception. Each of these grants us a lens from which to extrapolate meaning and underlying truth.

Inspiration Strikes

Isla Sorna made it's first entry into the 'JURASSIC PARK' universe through The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton's first sequel to a novel. Illustrated in the book as a blown caldera to a volcanic pacific island chain, 'Isla Sorna' was once the main hub of production within the InGen Corp.

As a point of inspiration, the novel illustrates a medium-small sized island, home to the left over stock from the days of InGen. A shadowy past laced in German mining operations, Mesoamerican farming, and it's most infamous yet least known work as 'factory floor' of the InGen Corp. genetic experimentation, Isla Sorna and it's island chain 'Las Cinco Muertes' had gained an accursed notoriety. Literally meaning "The Five Deaths," the island chain is described in the novel has having an associated myth about its naming.






Seen here, the island is relatively modest, composed mostly of empty untouched jungle. Barely supporting the populations of the species that inhabit it, an imbalance which presents itself through the ecosystem, pushing it towards "the edge of chaos."




Certain key elements do carry into the other incarnations.


A partial list of these include:

1) Islands general isolation
2) InGen's use of the island to produce its Animals
3) Certain key species
4) Factory Setting
5) A Cliff-face
6) Man vs Man / Man vs Nature Themes
7) Islands Location / Proximity to Nublar
8) The Successful continued breeding of the species
9) Sub-Adults present
10) A Mobile Lab
11) Hunter vs Gatherer
12) A High Hide
13) Characters
14) Velociraptor Instability



From this starting point each depiction of Isla Sorna is based. That is not, however, to say that any 'Isla Sorna' is more or less "accurate" to the novel Sorna, but that as a point of inspiration, each stems from this initial depiction.

As we are specifically studying the 'Film' depiction of Isla Sorna, shown in both 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' and 'Jurassic Park 3,' I believe it is most advantageous to take this study in chronological order so as to, at east step, ascertain the influences and inspirations for each successive depiction.

Lost World Found

It is difficult in the situation of Isla Sorna as used in the films, to separate production, changes in script, and final product from one another. Generally the film as presented is considered 'canon' and the rest is subjective and possibly incorrect. In this case, however, studying the evolution of the film lends some greater understanding to the final product.

Isla Sorna (Script Map)

After the script was written a map needed to be created to better illustrate the island and the path the characters would be taking. This map, made to also influence the location scouting, shows the general shape and elevation of the island along with other significant locations and facilities.


This form of the map is never directly seen in the film and was not available to us until near the release of Jurassic Park III. A quick study of the map shows some interesting features.








1) Several unknown/unseen locations are shown
2) A road is shown connecting locations
3) 'The Workers Camp' is shown near the bottom right


As an initial thought, this map was considered canon and locations were determined using it as a basis of the film's depiction of Isla Sorna. For completion sake, I will discuss those locations.


Perhaps the easiest to assign location should be the Trailer attack scene. This takes place overlooking the ocean at a precipice and nearly complete vertical drop. It also needs to be a location that the team can drive the vehicles to and ideally near a river (as the team is dropped off on the banks of a river).


The location must also be near enough to where the 'Round Up' scene could occur.

There is truly only ONE location which fits these requirements and it is located on the West Coast of the island.








The most obvious reason for this location is that no other shore of the island has a vertical (or near vertical) drop. Although unnamed, there seems to be a facility near by with a road leading into the island (a road the team is seen driving on when returning with the infant to the trailers). This location is near to two possible river inlets and is not far from a plausible location for the 'Round Up.'

The next location to find would be the 'Round Up' sequence and thus the base-came for Team B. It is known by the dialogue that Team B has no "official" or "planned" place to build a base camp but they intend to build near where they capture the animals (as Ludlow is quite eager to set up base camp).


We also know from the scene of their arrival that they are moving to the Right of the location of the trailers and intend to stay on the outer rim. Following the shoreline to the right, we find the location a little further North-East on the island's coast.






Shown here in Yellow is the path of the 'Round Up' sequence which, careful observation in the film, is shown to take place near the shore. We know that Team B made use of a Lagoon as its water source, and that Sarah, Ian, and the others were able to spy on this group and return to their base-camp with some ease.


There is also some evidence that the Rex nest (shown in the Infrared screen in Hammond's office) was within driving distance from the encampment.


From here, the next obvious location in the film is shown during 'The Trek.' This sequence shows the group walking along the edge of a forest at a large field near a mountain range. This location is shown on the map near the rex nest, closer to the center of the island, and in the direct path towards 'The Town.'





Looking to the top middle, there is a darkened stretch (representing jungle) and the evidence of a ridge within it. Written in Spanish, "La Pradera" translates to "The Prairie." This path then leads us to the "Campo De Trabajadores" or "Workers Camp/Village."


It is this next location, the "Workers Village," which illustrates just how different the film diverges from the original script and therefore, this map.

Workers 'Village'

The original location for the climactic sequence in the film, the 'Workers Village/Town' underwent many changes.

The first iteration, as described in the script and developed via a model mimics the town lay out shown on the grayscale map above. It is seen that many of the same building shapes exist, but their layout has been shifted around (possibly to maximize the overall varieties of looks and fully utilize all location space available).


Below is what appears to be an early attempt to create a look for the "town." In the center, a bus stop is visible and to the left bottom you can see the gas station. This model seems to have been an early version to create a rough idea of what buildings would be needed but lacks some key features such as the GeoThermal Power Plant.





Below is an image of the model being assembled. Seen at the far end (with the helicopter) is the original Geo-Thermal electric plant from the scrapped ending. Seen closest to camera and to the right is the gas station (which remained through to completion of the set). This configuration, although not exactly right, is closest to that seen in the grayscale prop map (including the shape of the GeoThermal Plant).





At a crucial step in the development of the town, the GeoThermal plant was dropped instead for the Operations Building. Notice, however, that the operations building exists on the side of the model with the Gas Station closest to it (the opposite end that the GeoThermal building was on). Whatever the reason to change the model, the main purpose was clear: the Operations Building was now the focal point of the town.






To Be Continued...