Clint Eastwood's latest release, Gran Torino, premiered with a party Tuesday night for more than 500 on the brownstone-lined street of the Warner Brothers studio lot. The event borrowed its look and feel from the Ford Gran Torino featured in the film. Warner Brothers Pictures’ Courtney Saylor, Amanda Lamb, and Troy Williams worked with Warner Brothers director of special events Hillary Harris to design and produce the event.
"When I saw the photo of the car—green with a stripe running through it—I sent my set director to fabric stores downtown with the image," Harris said. "I needed dupioni silk because I needed some sheen so that when the light hit, everything would really pop." Ottomans piped in olive green dupioni, brown alligator stamped chaises, and mirrored cocktail and coffee tables rounded out the look. Brownstone street was awash in ambient light from lights in trees, candles on the steps leading up to the brownstone facades, and a tent top done in chocolate, deep red, and amber diffused gobos for a look like an abstract painting or a sunset glow.
A bar used at Ellen DeGeneres' 50th birthday party on the lot—repurposed and painted to look like mahogany—had a masculine look evocative of a gentleman's club. Diageo sponsored the bars, with Sterling Vintner's Collection Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines and a signature "Johnnie Walker Frost" cocktail comprised of Johnnie Walker Black, apple cider, and bitters.
Because the film concerns racial tensions in Detroit, Warner Brothers food services executive chef Christian Thillet created a buffet that featured Hmong cuisine in a nod to the culture involved in the movie's plot. The Hmong menu included Laotian stir fry, Vietnamese chicken salad, steamed pork buns, hand-rolled spring rolls, and shrimp lo mein.
"Clint is such a jazz nut—scores his own films," said Harris, so the group Martini Kings played instrumental jazz throughout the evening. (Eastwood had approved the choice himself.)
In the tough economy, one way Harris was able to save Warner Brothers' feature division some money was to repurpose some of the event's elements and share them between the 32 events she'll work on between the end of November and December 20, including corporate holiday parties, press junkets, and charity events. "I have so many events in the month of December that I was able to save our feature-film division about $30,000 on this one—the tent we're leaving up for the month is being prorated over the events, as are the greens and trees. During the holiday season, when you have many events, it's a great opportunity to give your clients a break, since the full costs can be spread out. Everybody has budgets that we need to meet."
