Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
Playing band leader and trumpeter Sidney Palmer, Jovan Adepo would pose for a movie poster, Variety cover article and a series of performance stills. For Li Jun Li as Lady Fay Zhu, we needed her tabloid portrait, and later on would schedule another session in order to recreate an Anna May Wong publicity still. (Which required an elaborate costume that wouldn't be ready for another two months.) Prior to the session, I furnished unit photographer Scott Garfield with all of the research, and on the day of the shoot, we settled into a large room beneath the camera test stage at Paramount Studios, ready for each of the actors as they became available. Things went smoothly, and we only missed getting one of the Nellie LaRoy movie poster poses which Scott eventually shot at a later date. Next came the hiring of the Illustrators. Prior to my joining the Art Department, Production Designer Florencia Martin had spoken with several movie poster artists or their reps to discuss these projects. Some of them were living legends of the genre, however, the fee structure for key art advertising was beyond our Art Department resources. I began a search for alternative artists, perusing the online directories of many illustration reps, looking for those whose work deliberately emulated the art of the era, or who seemed capable of doing so. Once I found enough available candidates, I met with Florencia Martin and set decorator Anthony Carlino to settle on the choice for each project. C B