Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536054
20 PROP CULTURE I SUMMER 2025 back then. Not only were the presents wrapped in wrapping paper, but they were also wrapped in shipping paper. We had to determine what that would look like after either being weathered in the hangars or eaten away by rodents over time. All those props were specifically created by copying the patterns of wrapping paper available during that period. We had to research what sort of gift items were often sent overseas which included period types of candy, small tins of food, matches, we "had not started prepping yet." I came up with a backstory specifically for the history of this letter from when we first saw it in young Abrams' hand in the cockpit of the airplane, to the moment when it is given to Lena in the mailroom. Each time we see it, it has aged, discolored, and faded to fit the timeline. The oxidized blood soaked into the paper creates even more opportunity for aging from the time it is discovered in the mailroom to years later when Lena is reading it in her home. I flew to the filming location in Las Vegas with my laptop, a ton of paper, and a printer in my carry-on. I had about a day in the hotel room to create and print out as much as I could. I bought cranberry juice, bleach, and coffee grounds to age my letters and envelopes in the bathroom. I wanted them to be in various stages and ended up with about 90 options. Everyone was already on set to begin filming the scene by the time I was able to show our director the options. After justifying where I was going with the look of the prop, the hero letter was chosen. We filmed the scene and then returned to Atlanta to begin prepping the rest of the movie. Beyond the letters, as in any period cigarettes, and the list goes on. The set decorators and Property Assistants worked tirelessly to arrange these items in a way that looked both chaotic and authentic, just as the real 6888th mailrooms would have been. One of the most difficult challenges for me turned out to be the featured Abrams' letter that he sent to Lena. Due to the schedule, we needed to film the end of the movie first. This is where the real Lena Derriecott, then 99, reads the letter at the end of the film. I had less than two weeks to research period paper, postmaster stamps, the Derriecott's address, what rank would Abram have had at the time to determine what was on the envelope that we would see throughout the rest of the film that