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Saturday, March 29, 1997

Texas wind, dust fail to daunt Armani fashion shoot

By MACK HARRISON

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LITTLEFIELD, Texas - A 50 mph wind shook the awnings of an abandoned drive-in restaurant beneath the brown sky, blowing grit into the faces of the bystanders, photographers and models preparing for the Armani fashion shoot.

But that didn't faze free-lance photographer Ruedi Hofmann as he planned the final day of photography Thursday.

"With fashion photography, you use the elements around you," the New York fashion photographer said. "We're going to use the wind and use the sand."

Hofmann and his collaborator, fellow New Yorker Eric Rasmussen, brought their nine-person crew to the South Plains on Sunday to shoot a photo spread for Emporio Armani, the fashion magazine showcasing Armani clothing.

Rasmussen, the producer for the shoot, said he called film commissions in five states, along with hundreds of chambers of commerce and location scouts. Finally, a woman in Alpine directed him to just the place he was looking for - the Tasty-Cream Drive-In in Littlefield.

Vintage automobiles from the Caprock Classic Car Club sat beneath the awnings as the group readied for its last evening of shooting.

Hofmann said he wanted to tell a story of youths going out to a drive-in restaurant, something most people remember from their younger days.

"We thought it would be easy to find a drive-in (restaurant)," Hofmann said. "It was very difficult. Eric made hundreds of phone calls from New York."

Rasmussen gathered the models, makeup and wardrobe people and brought them to Littlefield, where the cast and crew spent the week getting acquainted with the area.

"We want to show the Texas landscape," Hofmann said, adding that the weather adds to the flavor of the shoot. "It's kind of an asset. We're just having fun with it."

Jean Laughton, the cinematographer and casting director for the project, said she found two Texas Tech students and two Littlefield residents to serve as extras for the filming and photographing of three professional models against the West Texas landscape.

"We're going to shoot in some golden fields and get some pump jacks and the sunset," she said.

One of the models, James Polansky of London, said the South Plains was not how he originally had pictured the Lone Star State.

"On the drive from the airport I saw one of those longhorn things, and I thought, 'Now, this is Texas,' " Polansky said. "I thought everybody would be wearing big cowboy hats."

Laughton said local residents have been very helpful. "We've met a lot of great people."

Hofmann said all the Littlefield residents, especially City Manager Marty Mangum and economic development Director Olthana Donnell, have been helpful.

"We've been to a lot of places that are beautiful," Hofmann said. "We've never been to a place that's friendlier."

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