With the team at Zero Point Zero Production, I completed work in early 2016 on a feature film documentary about the life and achievements of Jeremiah Tower. Jeremiah has been celebrated as the father of California cuisine, his San Francisco restaurant ‘Stars’ was the birth of the new era for food and the dining experience that we enjoy today. But not even those who consider themselves close to Jeremiah really know who he is, and this film sets out to explore the mystery he leaves in his wake.
I worked with Design Director Adam Lupsha to plan recreations of scenes from Jeremiah’s youth and early career in California. Many months after photography was complete we began several months working with the film’s Director, Lydia Tenaglia to carefully capture each time period and location. Each act of the film covers a different time period, showing pivotal moments in Jeremiah’s life.
From the the 1950s to the 1980s we composited scenery and treated photos to evoke elegance, nostalgia and a hint of fantasy. The scope of the work varied from typography (titles and lower third text elements) to treating photos from Jeremiah’s personal archives, blending new footage with archival 8mm transfers and compositing green screen footage with 3D models and still photo elements. Each act covered a different time period from
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2016 and will be distributed by The Orchard.
