Stage hands, television studio--Hollywood c. 1955 - 1956

This is Robert Frank's "Stage hands, television studio--Hollywood", a gelatin silver print. Look at the way Frank composes this shot; it’s all about the flow of movement. The workers are caught mid-action, wrestling with thick cables that snake across the studio floor. There's something raw about the graininess of the image, a contrast with the polished world of Hollywood. It's like Frank is saying, "Hey, look at what it really takes to make the magic happen." The light is diffused and grey, which almost feels like a metaphor for the unseen labor behind the scenes. Notice the looping lines of the cables, that dominate the foreground; they almost become an abstract drawing, energetic and a little chaotic, mirroring the frenetic energy of a working studio. Frank's known for capturing the grit beneath the glossy surface. Think of Garry Winogrand or Helen Levitt, these photographers have that similar knack for finding beauty in the everyday, in the unglamorous corners of life. It all feels very human.