Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
I'm a New Yorker, and am particular about my city when it's being recreated on film. While expansive, this was primarily a New York City movie—shooting in Los Angeles. I'd shot All the Way in LA with Jay, and certainly wasn't the first designer charged with the task of finding New York in Los Angeles. Of course, the plan was to shoot in NYC to get the footage that made sense—like St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grand Central Station. NYC streets. The CNN roof. That was the plan—until it wasn't. This was the "bombshell" dropped on me by the producer in an elevator at LA Center Studios: "Hey, how many days are we going to be in NYC again?" "None. They were cut." The doors opened exactly on cue and I literally slid down the back wall. I had a fantastic time working with set decorator Ellen Brill on reshoots for Snatched, and thought she'd bring her great eye to the slick world of cable news. I met Art Director Chris Brown, who'd done such exemplary work supervising Mad Men, and we decided he would also come on board. I explained to him at that point that I really saw this as a "puzzle" project more than a luscious design job. There was a wealth of information on what needed to be recreated, and we just needed to figure out how to do it. At that point, I still had no idea what the inside of Fox News looked like. There was obviously no shortage of video and imagery of the broadcast shows—but the working offices themselves would take some digging. I figured the film might garner a fair amount of attention, and that anyone who ever worked at Fox could make up a specific and knowing portion of the audience. I wanted those who actually did know to wonder: "How'd they get it so right?" So I enlisted moles. Even if I'd been allowed inside the offices, the 2nd-floor executive offices and newsroom had been gutted and rebuilt after Ailes left the company. Even so, I asked a journalist friend of mine—"Know anyone who works at Fox News?" Of course he did (former employees) and introductions were made. They were keen to answer all questions but memories were spotty on the details I needed. Photos would be better of course, and when I finally got my hands on the right ones, the specific personality of the offices, A B C