Reflections 2022


Welcome to "Reflections 2022," my online photo journal for sharing "sketches," inspirations, works in progress, and insights into my creative practice. I invite you to share your thoughts about these posts via my Contact Form.

Click here to browse through the library of Reflections posts.


Volume 4: "Blast from the Past"

December  2022


Some of you may be aware of my early career in the movie biz... just a few years working in animation and live action post production. A recent tour of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures took me back to what seems like a previous lifetime. Not just for film buffs, this museum is a trip down the memory lane of pop culture - ok, maybe it's an historical journey for some. Thanks to my husband Donn for any photos with me in them. 

  My first job out of college was painting cells for a small animation house at a workstation similar to the one below. The pegs in the metal plates held the individual cells in place so that each one aligned with all the others in the sequence. Of course the process is all digital now.

I soon moved on to live action movies, working mostly in post production. As an assistant editor, I researched, recorded and edited sound effects and had fun creating them both in the field and in foley studios. I used a flatbed film editor like the one below as well as an even older stand-up moviola machine.

There was great variety in the type of exhibit displays at the museum.  It was fun to watch clips of actor screen tests for a movie alongside real set pieces, annotated scripts, actual costumes, and props - including the original Rosebud from the movie Citizen Kane.

There was an extensive exhibit of artifacts and set pieces from The Godfather.

And here's Donn in front of the actual backdrop of Mount Rushmore used in "North by Northwest."

There is currently just a small portion of the Academy's collection on display and I've only shared a snippet here. I recommend spending a few hours there and hope I can get back again when the exhibits change.



What do you think?

I would love to hear your impressions of this work. I invite you to share your thoughts via my Contact Form. And please subscribe to the mailing list to receive email notices of updates and activities.

Using Format