Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/686925
12 P E R S P E C T I V E | J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 1 6 news THE ART OF THE HOLLYWOOD BACKDROP Goes on Sale November 1, 2016 (ADG members can pre-order at 50% off at www.adg.org) From Amazon.com In almost every feature film of Hollywood's golden age, from The Wizard of Oz to North by Northwest to Cleopatra to The Sound of Music, painted backings have convinced moviegoers that what they are seeing—whether the fantastic roads of Oz, the presidents of Mount Rushmore, or ancient Egyptian kingdoms—is absolutely real. These backings are at once intended to transport the audience and yet remain unseen for what they really are. The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop reveals the hidden world and creators of these masterpieces, long-guarded as a special effects secret by the major studios. Despite the continued use of hand-painted backings in today's films, including the big-budget Interstellar and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events among many others, digital technology is beginning to supplant the art form. In an effort to preserve the irreplaceable knowledge of scenic masters, Karen Maness (principal instructor of Scenic Art and figurative painting for the University of Texas at Austin, and Charge Scenic Artist at Texas Performing Arts) and Richard Isackes (professor of theater at the University of Texas at Austin, and twice the recipient of the Boston Circle Critics Award for best scene design) have compiled a definitive history of the craft, complete with interviews of the surviving artists. This is a rich undiscovered history—a history replete with competing Art Departments, dynastic scenic families and origins stretching back to the films of Méliès, Edison, Sennett, Chaplin and Fairbanks. A two-page spread from THE ART OF THE HOLLYWOOD BACKDROP shows a sweeping sky backing painted in the traditional theatrical resist method for Warner Bros.' CEILING ZERO (1936), directed by Howard Hawks with Art Director John Hughes and Scenic Art Supervisor Bill McConnell.