When I stepped off the elevator at work today, I entered into a magical land of grips and extras and cameras and God knows what else. The newsroom is quite packed with people I’ve never seen before and will never see again, including Noah Wyle (who is very handsome), Angela Bassett, and Kate Beckinsale. <\/p>\n
You know, you try to be aloof and above the commotion, but when you’re a total dork<\/s> movie fan, the whole thing just gets to be too much and you find yourself scrutinizing every stray piece of paper left on the set after the crew has gone home for the night.<\/p>\n
The fake conference room they’ve constructed is now furnished with some seriously nice furniture that is so laughably better than what we have in our real conference room it cracks me up. I spent some time in there tonight, watching the fake TV news looping on the product-placed flat-screen television, and reading the portion of a script someone left behind. It’s a lot of “Rach, we’re pushing your story hard for the front!” \/ “Really?! But I \u2014” \/ “No buts, we’re going to bring down the White House, but remain objective!” -type banter that doesn’t actually ever<\/i> happen in a real newsroom. <\/p>\n
And while we’re on the subject of stuff Hollywood routinely mucks up, can I just mention my pet peeve (which is shared by many, I’m sure) of dismal movie newspaper design? It’s always some spinning depiction of a lead story stripped wide and deep, with awful art and mismatched, unprofessional typography. <\/p>\n
Movie newspapers usually look like second-rate college papers. And this movie’s newspaper looks no different. The Capital City Sun-Times<\/i> is theoretically modeled on the Washington Post<\/i> (they mimicked their nameplate something fierce), but the design is less Washington Post<\/i> and more Tiger Tracks<\/i>. No offense to whoever designed it. But seriously, would it kill the producers to spend a little time either consulting some actual news designers or just copying some obvious design conventions (like, don’t cake-layer the page, and pick a lead typeface that won’t make Jesus’ eyes bleed)? <\/p>\n
I don’t know shit about film, obviously, and looks aren’t everything, but it seems to me that verisimilitude is at stake when you expect your audience to believe that a hard-hitting, influential newspaper that can “take down the White House” can look like roasted ass on a stick and expect to survive. <\/p>\n
It’s enough to make me wonder if there’s not some kind of Hollywood in-joke about how awful on-screen newspapers must look. <\/p>\n
Anyway, look forward to Kate Beckinsale in a silly-looking ponytail, Noah Wyle with short hair and a smashingly tailored suit, and Angela Bassett with the fiercest flipped-out hair you’ve ever seen. <\/p>\n
If you read this blog for nothing else, I at least hope you’ll come back for more Nothing But the Truth<\/i> hair updates. Coming soon: Matt Dillon and Alan Alda!<\/p>\n