San Francisco. Lackey at the (in)famous Colossal Studios. Run-down industrial area near Pier 96. Rats everywhere—back walls, hidden corners, scampering during shoots. Terrified ad execs. My primary job? Rat extermination.
One shoot: the stage painted super ultimatte blue for chroma keying. Vibrant blue burned into my brain. Inspiration struck—juxtapose the cool brilliance of the blue with the grime of the rats—a statement.
Set traps. Snared rats. Ziplock bags, brown paper wrapping, into the studio kitchen freezer. Priceless moments when staff found the “lunch.” Collected a dozen or so. Freeze-dried them—slumping, lifeless poses.
Voilà!