Paper Giants: That 70’s Show

Recreating popular culture can be challenging; especially when you’re trying to achieve it on a budget and within limited time. Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo production designer Jon Rohde writes about the importance of design on period productions, and how the design sector is working to obtain the recognition it deserves.

The Southern Star Entertainment telemovie (2x2hr), produced by John Edwards and Karen Radzyner, is set in 1972. It follows two ambitious young upstarts, Ita Buttrose (Asher Keddie) and Sir Frank Packer’s unregarded second son, Kerry (Rob Carlton), creating their own legends in the Whitlam era.

Working on a period production such as this, it’s imperative to create the most appropriate environment for the narrative, and of course for the actors to portray their characters effectively. The scope and scale of the sets for Paper Giants is large compared to the budget; given that this is a telemovie and not a feature film, and there is the added pressure of having to shoot quickly to meet the demands of the schedule.

A lot of research went into creating the look; especially as the director, Daina Reid, wanted to avoid the environments looking old or like a memory. We wanted it to feel fresh, new and glossy and transport the audience to that time.