Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
9 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 2 3 A t t h e D a w n o f S o u n d : C R E A T I N G T H E M O V I E S T A R G R A P H I C S O F B A B Y L O N B Y E R I C R O S E N B E R G , G R A P H I C A R T I S T Prior to designing graphics for movies and series shows, I was a magazine Art Director and designer for six years. One of the great pleasures I had in publication design was working with many Illustrators on artwork for covers and articles. When I transitioned to the film industry, there were a few occasions where I could call upon some of those artists, but the opportunities were limited. Designing the graphics for the movie star characters populating Damien Chazelle's Babylon brought a return to that era of artistic collaboration. In June 2022, I was referred to Eric Sundahl, the Supervising Art Director on Damien Chazelle's new film Babylon, a tale of Hollywood during its transition from silents to talkies. The project had been going for several months, and they were just a couple of weeks out from the camera test day, during which there would be photo shoots with all the principal actors to generate the imagery from which to create the many scripted prop and set decoration items. I've coordinated and directed many such photo shoots over the years, and have long admired the photography and graphics of the period, so was thrilled to land the position. There had been a great deal of research done on the various film posters, Photoplay and Variety covers and period photography to which to the film would pay homage, and I carried on with additional research from my own library and internet sources. On the photo shoot day, there would be sessions with Margot Robbie for five Nellie LaRoy movie posters, a Photoplay magazine cover and tabloid newspaper portrait. Brad Pitt would pose for two Jack Conrad Photoplay covers, a courtroom sketch, plus a few other portraits, including one for Variety. A. PHOTOPLAY COVER PROCESS: BRAD PITT AS PHOTOGRAPHED BY SCOTT GARFIELD (L); RETOUCHED, DE-AGED AND FILTERED AS A PERIOD MEMORIAL PHOTO (C); AND THEN ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID PALUMBO ON THE COVER OF PHOTOPLAY (R). B. THE WILD CHILD - PHOTOPLAY COVER WITH MARGOT ROBBIE AS NELLIE LAROY; TRADIITONAL ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN CHORNEY. C. NELLIE LAROY MOVIE POSTERS. FIVE PITCH POSTERS FOR FUTURE NELLIE LAROY MOVIES IN THE KINOSCPOPE PICTURES BOARDROOM. A