Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/929567
shot of an Oregon billboard by Stephen Shore from the 1970s. This version would be created using a photograph I took at the local Asheville reservoir, which was taken by the film's talented scenic team, lead by Chris Holcombe and graphic designer Lillian Heyward, and turned into a WPA-style advertisement. Martin and I then took scissors to our mock-up and cruelly disfigured it so it no longer featured the idyllic scene once promised to visitors. To construct the billboard structures themselves, I relied on archival reference, local ideas sourced from boards passed on the road, and knowledge kindly shared by local advertising companies. Obviously, every decision about the billboards had a large impact on the film, and so great care was taken in trying out different dimensions, fonts, colors and layouts. It was clear that the physical structures, once in the ground, would be difficult to alter, so various methods were used to previsualize the boards and their scale on location: Photoshop, SketchUp, a model, The opening scene with its tattered billboards was a perfect opportunity to set up the mood of the town of Ebbing, Missouri (which in reality was shot in various small towns in Western North Carolina)—a place with history and a grand past, turned into a stagnant and disappointing present. During conversations with Martin about the history and spirit of the town of Ebbing, we gave it our own backstory—we placed the town in the Ozarks, decided its founding date, gathered references of old pioneer photographs and naive town murals, and even gave it a high school basketball team with its own mascot (an owl). To create the "vintage" billboards, references from archival research, fine art photography and local finds were combined. The first billboard, for example, was inspired by a favorite reference, an iconic A. Reference photo for one of the vintage billboards "U.S. 97, South of Klamath Falls, Oregon July 21, 1973" by Stephen Shore. B. A photograph taken at a location scout at the Asheville reservoir served as inspiration for a vintage billboard advertising local tourism. Photo by Inbal Weinberg. C. Graphic for a vintage billboard, designed in Photoshop and then cut in precise places by the director and designer. D. Model of the road and billboards made by Art Director Jesse Rosenthal and Set Designer Laura McPhearson. A D C B