Fox, Final Cut

In December of 2017 it was announced that 20th Century Fox film and television studios, FX, National Geographic Partners, and a stake in Hulu would be sold to Disney. The exact date of the sale of this historic American film studio, founded in 1935 and known as one of “The Big Six,” was unknown. Ultimately, it took two years for the sale to be finalized, during which time Fox filmmakers moved along as usual, not letting the inevitable doom affect their passion for their life’s work.

My husband worked at the studio on countless films in a production capacity for 30 years, creating personal and storied memories and, just as importantly, a group of friends referred to as the “Fox Family.” I met my husband on a film prodution. My daughters grew up visiting the studio and film sets with a shared family passion for movies and for filmmaking. Now adults, they and their partners work in “the business.”

Although movies are still being made, the entertainment business has changed dramatically, with studios being shuttered and streaming content and reality TV holding an important a place in the business of the moving image. The days of the large, critically acclaimed, culturally significant or blockbuster films are not gone but they have certainly dwindled.

In the last days of 20th Century Fox I roamed the studio, documenting this magical, culturally historic place.