Creating a Mood

"The whole feeling of warmth I can't take responsibility for. That's something Gordon Willis started when he made The Godfather and made everything sort of amber and warm. That set the tone for every period picture from then on. That's what people expect when you say period now." "Debbie and I discussed dramatic tone and mood. What's wonderful about the approach she takes is we wanted not only a period look but a period feel like the '50s where the camera doesn't cut. People walk into their close-ups. So we do a lot of coverage without the cut."

The living room set shows the warm tones of a period piece

Capturing the Period

1940's props add convincing detail

"Harlem in the '40s is a period that I'm familiar with. I've done a number of period films. I didn't have to do any research because I love the photographs of the period. I like looking at the '40s, the clothes people wear and things like that. I have lots of books with pictures in them from that time, and I've watched a lot of stock footage."