Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1177962
LA research files the Art Department had been building from week one of storefront signage and movie marquees. I hired Lance Malbon, an incredible researcher, in my first weeks, to be in the Art Department pulling images from any collections he could find. Besides the libraries, museums, newspapers, Getty Images and the obvious image collections, Lance dug deep and found individual photographers who let him into their private collections, which were fantastic for color photographs of 1969. He also built a vast film collection that was invaluable for lighting the streets. Once storefronts and movie marquees were roughed in decorator Nancy Haigh, the set decoration team, and I walked the boulevard areas and worked out what we could achieve in the storefronts with dressing, and how deep we could go into each one. Once decorating had all of these pieces collected in images, those were laid into the Photoshop illustration. Again, Illustrator Nathan Schroeder did the detailed work. All the storefronts, bars, restaurants, banks, clothing stores, etc., were active stores, and none wanted to close for more than a few days. Nancy and her team were going to have the shortest period of time to work their magic. Construction built as much of the storefront facades and marquees as they could off site. Work was started overhead on all the fronts first, trying to keep the stores open for tourists. Art Director Jann Engel ran the Hollywood Boulevard, Musso & Frank section (also known as HB #1) of the load in, and Art Director Eric Sundahl ran the Pantages HB #2 section. It was no easy feat for them, working all day on Hollywood Boulevard, with mobs of tourists who could not be interfered with, only protected as they kept walking along filming the Hollywood Walk of Fame Stars on the ground with their cellphones and almost smashing into the ladders and scissor lifts. And then there were the Hollywood Boulevard regulars, dressed in homemade Spider-Man, Batman and Walking Dead costumes. A big shout-out goes to location manager Steve Mapel, who had to deal with all the storefront vendors, building owners and Hollywood Boulevard nuts, and ran interference every hour to get the massive street makeover done. Another crucial design element for both me and Quentin was the layering of advertising and street background vehicles. We worked early on billboards so there would be time to get the A. SECTION OF HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD SOUTH SIDE DRESSED AND LIT FOR THE SHOOT. SET PHOTO. B. SECTION OF HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD NORTH SIDE DRESSED AND LIT FOR THE SHOOT. SET PHOTO. C. VOGUE MARQUEE, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD NORTH SIDE DRESSED AND LIT FOR THE SHOOT. SET PHOTO. A B C