This post was inspired by a still from the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Personally, I love the aesthetic of the film; very decadent, yet classic. When thinking of ways I could bring this movie to life in my own way, I was drawn to this scene in a library. For starters, it looks almost exactly like the reading room in our very own Woodruff library—a mere 200 ft from my dorm—which made the effort quite minimal. In another respect, the image pushed me out of my comfort zone, just as Audrey Hepburn felt it was a challenge to play the extroverted Holly Golightly. That last sentence might be a stretch of a metaphor, but how about you try and pose for a goofy shot in the dead silence of 12 AM reading room. Needless to say, the sound of me shuffling books, papers, and accessories garnered some annoyed glances in my direction.
The things that were necessary for this shot to work were the pile of unread textbooks, the paper and red pen nearby, as well as Holly’s signature look of class. I feigned my best attempt at Manhattan socialite aloofness (while wearing my fake pearl earrings, $10 sunglasses, and shitty black hair clip nonetheless), however I’m no actress, so my pose is more scholarly than it is effortlessly graceful.
It was a convenient coincidence that the person sitting at the other end of the table was male and wearing grey. It would’ve been nice if he were a B-school guy wearing a suit, but a girl can only ask for so much. The placement of the lamps couldn’t have fit better, as well as the reflection of the chandelier in the window, which mirrored the wall sconce in the original film still. All in all, I think a portion of the success of this assignment was due to Emory being photogenic, while the other is my attention to detail and pickiness, as well as the readily available props.
