Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1241865
1 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 0 R E S O U R C E S The Empty Stage: A Memoir by Alan Roderick-Jones B Y D A V I D M O R O N G , E D I T O R A. THE COVER OF THE PRINT EDITION OF THE EMPTY STAGE. B. ALAN WITH CAMERA OPERATOR ERNIE DAY ON THE SET OF NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA. Tales of experiences in the world of film production are often called war stories. The Empty Stage, a new autobiography by ADG roduction Designer Alan oderick-ones, kicks off with a literal war story, as he is forced to ee his childhood home in ondon during World War II. etween this event and the 2018 wildfires in Malibu that destroyed his home and all his possessions, he shares the story of his remarkable ourney through life, design and production. Through talent, hard work, amaing timing and his clearly affable nature, Alan finds his way into and around some of the most notable people and productions of his era, to the extent that he actually lived in George arrison's backyard or at least in a house on his property. is early years working his way up through Art Departments in Great ritian led him to productions such as Becket, Lord Jim, Blow-Up, The Lion in Winter and Nicholas and Alexandra. He even found himself drafting and detailing sets on the first Star Wars film, working on a number of the now iconic sets from that film, including the Mos Eisley antina. Woven in and around remembrances of these productions is the story of the other eually important elements of his life, his development as an artist, his life as a husband and father, and his search for enlightenment after his introduction to the teachings of a 12-year-old guru, rem awat. In this middle part of his story, seeking a simpler and more honest life, Alan buys a farm in Wales and seesaws between the life of a farmer and working on location for a number of maor films. This leads to his saga of the Dereks, o and her husband ohn, and his experience as a designer on two of their films, Tarzan the Ape Man and Bolero. Many readers of EETIE have had firsthand experiences on unusual and challenging productions, but the tales Alan shares of these two shoots border on the surreal, A B