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that housed the live band with its arrangement and period instruments sourced by property master Gay Perello. The design concept at Jack's house is carried through to other Babylon characters' residences throughout the film. Revival architecture was prevalent then, and the design team gravitated toward a style representing each character's strengths and self-stylings. We chose an 1890s ghostly Victorian hotel lobby for journalist Elinor St. John's office, in rich reds which we separated with custom pressure fit wood-paneled walls, as the other side was used for Jack's hotel lobby set, part of Damien's linking of Jack and Elinor as players from what is already a receding past. One of the most essential props was Jack's trade- publication Photoplay cover. I sought to bring on painters to execute all of the illustrated magazines and posters to ensure artistic expression and fidelity to the characters; Graphic Artist Eric Rosenberg sourced a group to create beautiful custom artwork. World of Sound The revolutionary transition from the silent era to sound takes Babylon and its players from large epic outdoor sets to darker and more disorienting and cavernous interior soundproofed stages, compressing the frame and the characters. Damien Chazelle had written these out as uncomfortable, off-putting soundstages, and so once again the Art Department pored through research images for when motion picture sound was invented. Now that these 1920s crews were recording sound, the camera speed had to accelerate to match the synchronized sound; this necessitating housing and muffling the motors, initially with freestanding camera boxes. Ironically referred to as "ice boxes," these non-air-conditioned shacks crammed cameramen in with small windows through which to shoot the scenes. The earliest sound booths were up high in the rafters, overlooking the sets. We referred to them as "eye in the sky" and outfitted them with a "God microphone" and speaker; these were the new sheriffs in town. A. JACK CONRAD'S HOME, LIVING ROOM. SET PHOTO. B. JACK CONRAD'S HOME, POOL. SET PHOTO. C. ELINOR ST. JOHN'S OFFICE. SET PHOTO. D. ELINOR ST. JOHN'S OFFICE. PRODUCTION STILL. A B C D