Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
all the studio's own equipment in green. Sidney Palmer's first jazz-movie set was dramatic black- and-white hand-painted lines overlapping kinetic canvas flats; an expressionistic set of lines come toward the camera and explode off the canvas. Later, as Sidney faces a harsh epiphany, a glossy emerald green surrounds him and is reflected on a mirrored black floor surrounded by massive columns inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mayan architecture. New York Premiere The 1927 opening night of The Jazz Singer at the Warners' Theatre in New York City was a historical moment that Babylon director Damien Chazelle wanted to recreate down to the minutest details. We flirted with the idea of shooting it practically in downtown Los Angeles; I am so happy that we ended up back at the Paramount backlot due to logistics, because there we could construct and control the design process. For the long driving sequence that snaked the entire Paramount NYC backlot, we discussed with cinematographer Linus Sandgren angles and the diffused shooting style outside of a car window that would be augmented with neons and storefront lights to create soft points of lights behind the actors' heads. Large rain machines were added, furthering both the shooting style and the contrast to Los Angeles. Lead Graphic Artist Kerry Hyatt and Graphic Artist Phil Young made up an extensive signage package to transform the backlot into the layered grit of 1927 NYC. The Warners' marquee, drawn up by Set Designer Chris Cortner, was built practically and mounted on a facade of the backlot. We incorporated marble walls from the interior of the Orpheum Theatre to transition us from the location onto the Paramount backlot. A. MGM STUDIOS. JAZZ BAND SET IN PROGRESS, SET PHOTO. B. MGM STUDIOS. JAZZ BAND SET. PARAMOUNT STAGE 16. PRODUCTION STILL. C. WARNERS' THEATER MARQUEE. PARAMOUNT BACKLOT. SET PHOTO. A B C