Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774
R E A G A N | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 3 A. DENNIS QUAID AS RONALD REAGAN SPEAKING AT THE BRANDENBURG GATE. PRODUCTION STILL. B. BRANDENBURG GATE BACKING. GRAPHIC LAYOUT. C. BRANDENBURG GATE SCENE IN PRODUCTION. B C Supervising Art Director Dawn R. Ferry sat down with me on my first prep day to go over the list she had made of all the graphics that were needed, and it was a very extensive. I spent three weeks accumulating research and samples with references for the hundreds of documents and photographs that would need to be duplicated. Then I got organized. Several new versions of the script came out, each around two hundred and fifty pages, so I created a master document of all graphics and what was needed to build each file, with any clearance notes or concerns. For a film spanning 100 years and two continents, tracking everything was a massive undertaking. I also created a file naming system which listed each file by scene and allowed for revised files to be clearly identified. I was growing concerned about the scope of work required. Luckily, I was given four amazing team members (Graphic Designer Ella Frame, Art PAs Ashli Lung, Mack Smith and swing Madelyn Teague) to help assemble buttons and signs as well as pitch in on some builds. Each version of the script I read seemed to highlight different story beats, but one thing was consistent —it was always a story told from the point of view of KGB agent Viktor Petrovich. Principal photography taking place during the height of COVID restrictions provided an additional challenge. The Cold War against COVID had begun. People in zone A were not allowed to eat with people in zone B during lunch. COVID-19 made in- person research incredibly difficult. Fortunately, the research team at the Reagan Library was exceptionally helpful by sharing their entire digital archive with the Art Department, allowing us full access to documents, photos, dossiers and even handwritten love notes from Nancy. The only thing