August 9, 1994

TO: Whom It May Concern

RE: Evan Jacobs and Jon Warren

As a director I had the opportunity to work with Evan and Jon on ROSEMARY, the pilot episode of THE PAINTED WORD, a television series for SHOWTIME, executive produced by Norman Jewison. My partner Scott Frank and I, who are also the series producers, could not have had a happier creative experience than the one we had with these two craftsmen.

To this day, audiences who see ROSEMARY, invariably ask - one of the first questions out of their mouths - "how did you do that?" The that which they speak of is an explosion of water out the window of a diner - a diner modeled after the one in Edward Hopper's classic painting NIGHTHAWKS and which we found a remarkable working facsimile of near downtown LA. This event, the last scene in the movie, parallels the film's dramatic climax, thus it had to work, and work well.

Scott and I explain to the audience, "we got a promotion from an airlines which allowed us to send the actual diner's owner and his wife on a free round-trip weekend to Florida in exchange for the use of his diner as a location, and while he was away, we filled the whole place up with water, until the window explodes!" No matter how far fetched that sounds, they believe us because the quarter-scale model built by Evan and Jon is so remarkably accurate, no one can tell the difference.

This was a huge effect for our limited budget - and we planned multiple takes as different frame rates. Each take was as good as the last and went off without a hitch, with Evan and Jon operating the rig as well.

This was all carried off within budget and on time, moreover, without any attitude. We found these men to be not only talented, but most agreeable and good spirited. I will, at the first opportunity, hire them again, and can only encourage you to do the same.

 

Sincerely,

Dan Halperin

Series Producer

"The Painted Word"