Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 57 Clockwise from top left: The casting offi ces for the opening scene of the series were shot on a modifi ed and dressed location with a view of the Hollywood Sign. Photographer John P. Johnson and Graphic Artist Vanessa Riegel created prop headshots for the casting audition: Debbie's (Betty Gilpin) portrait is from a 1983 PEOPLE magazine article regarding her pivotal role on the daytime soap opera PARADISE COVE; stuntwoman Cherry Bang's (Sydelle Noel) headshot was one of the only professional ones out of the motley crew of performers; Rhonda's (Kate Nash)headshot was from one of her low-rent modeling gigs, a car fl yer for discount blinds; Arthie's (Sunita Mani) class photo; Justine's (Britt Baron) headshot is her angsty sophomore class photo; Jenny's (Ellen Wong) headshot was her senior class photo; Shiela the She-Wolf...image torn from a magazine; best friends Dawn and Stacey present an Olan Mills style portrait as their headshot; and Ruth's headshot reveals a self-serious theater nerd, and gets her the nickname Strindberg. Left: Melanie's (Jackie Tohn) headshot was a strip from a photo booth taken the night prior. time for the big show. I looked at countless exteriors that could be matched with stage sets for the rooms and finally landed on the famous Pink Motel in Sun Valley. I reworked the motel's well-known palette of 1950s sock-hop pink and blue to a more rundown North Hollywood look of sun-bleached rust, faded peach and dusty brown. The grounds and pool area were redressed and landscaped, and the neon signage rebuilt to include a boot kicking up dust clouds. A fence surrounding the pool was removed to reveal an adjoining property with an appropriate background: a junkyard full of vintage cars. For the accompanying stage sets, the exterior porch areas were rebuilt with fully realized interiors: five modular and redressable double- occupant motel rooms with period fixtures, tiled bathrooms and vintage wallpaper chosen to complement each character. In addition, a manager's office was built with an attached bar and restaurant, now defunct, where the women could gather to socialize and watch television. Visual influences for the Dusty Spur Motel included Route 66 truck stops, California's infamous Madonna Inn, and the original Twin Peaks television series. STEREOTYPES, EXPLOITATION AND DIVERSITY The primary task of a wrestler (after training and safety) is to create a stage name and persona that audiences will identify with, a character they can love—or love to hate—often taking the form of a stereotype, and sometimes an offensive one. Pushing buttons can play a big part in kayfabe. By the third episode, each of the characters would