Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1433736
3 6 P E R S P E C T I V E | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 o key doors and windows with tape to help orient the actors. Thanks to the internet sleuthing of Abby Udden, the Art Department coordinator, we were able to secure permission from Stefano to digitally recreate his marvelous and timely mural in wide shots. The crew set out to recreate the Moondance on stage with the same historical accuracy that we had approached 508 Greenwich Street. The diner had appeared in several music videos and TV shows through the years, so we pulled every still we could in order to get each detail right. While there was plenty of reference of its exterior, we were having di culty fi nding images of the inside. We did have an incredibly useful video of Larson's last day waiting tables before leaving to dedicate himself full time to working on Rent, but even though that was a treasure trove of set decorating details, it still left us with grey areas regarding the overall layout and confi guration of the space. All that changed when Leanne Macomber, the Art Department researcher, stumbled across an archive of folders and negatives that a retired movie location manager had donated to the New York Public Library picture collection. All of a sudden, we had 360ยบ pans of the exact era we were looking for To help integrate the set with the practical location it would be composited into, the production built out beyond the building itself, including the sidewalks that would have been to the north and to the west (complete with street lights and fi re hydrants, a subway entrance to the south, and even some of the cobblestone crosswalk at the intersection of Grand Street and 6th Avenue that has long been paved over. Not only did this give F reference for set extensions, but it also allowed us to shoot scenes that took place outside the diner on stage rather than in situ in front of a green screen. A. "SUNDAY" SEQUENCE SHOWING DINER WALL DROPPING DOWN TO CREATE A PERFORMANCE STAGE. STORYBOARDS BY GRANT SHAFFER. B. MOONDANCE DINER MODEL WITH FRONT WALL FOLDED DOWN. DRAFTED BY HAND AND MODELED BY JEFFREY D. MCDONALD. C. MOONDANCE DINER STAGE SET WITH FRONT WALL FOLDED DOWN. SET PHOTO. A B C