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Philatelic News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2002
Stamp Release #02-075
New Postage Stamps Honoring Filmmaking Unveiled In Beverly Hills

10 new commemorative stamps honoring the filmmaking industry - Click To Enlarge
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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The U.S. Postal Service and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today gave a sneak preview of 10 new commemorative stamps honoring the filmmaking industry.

Scheduled to be issued in February 2003, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes stamps salute Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Makeup, Music, Screenwriting, Sound and Special Effects. Producing is represented by a photo in the selvage area of the stamp pane. The issuance of the stamps will be one of many events during the celebration commemorating the Academy's 75th anniversary.

"The American Filmmaking stamps pay tribute to the many talented men and women who work behind the scenes to create the movie magic that has entertained generations of moviegoers worldwide," said David P. Shapiro, district manager of the Long Beach District of the Postal Service, who unveiled the stamps.

"This uniquely collaborative endeavor is reminiscent of the teamwork demonstrated by the 700,000 dedicated employees of the Postal Service who work tirelessly to process and deliver the nation's mail to everyone, everywhere, every day," he said.

Joining Shapiro in the unveiling of the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes stamps were Frank Pierson, president of the Academy; Gena Rowlands, Oscar®-nominated actor and widow of actor/director John Cassavetes, who appears on the Directing stamp; and Sara Karloff, whose father, Boris Karloff, appears as Frankenstein's Monster on the Makeup stamp.

"In 1927 the Academy was created as an organization dedicated to supporting and cultivating the motion picture as an art, a science and an industry," said Pierson. "As the Academy celebrates its 75th year, it's enjoyable to see the Postal Service honoring a nice cross section of the arts and the craft areas that make such indispensable contributions to the movies."

The American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes stamps and the rest of the 2003 U.S. commemorative stamp program - including stamps honoring Thurgood Marshall, Cesar E. Chavez, Audrey Hepburn and the Korean War Veterans Memorial - will be unveiled tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. at the LEGOLAND California Theme Park, One LEGOLAND Drive, Carlsbad, Calif. Several of the stamp designs will be constructed out of LEGO bricks at the ceremony. The public is invited.

The 2003 commemorative stamp designs can be seen starting tomorrow at the Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com. At the home page, select "News and Events" then "Philatelic News" and open the news release announcing the 2003 stamp program.

Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available toll free by calling 1 800 STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available in the Postal Store at www.usps.com.

For more information on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, go to the Academy's Web site at www.oscars.org.

AMERICAN FILMMAKING: BEHIND THE SCENES STAMPS

StampStamp Design Description
Art DirectionPerry Ferguson completes a sketch of Kane Castle for "Citizen Kane," a 1940 RKO film.
CinematographyShown is Paul Hill, an assistant cameraman for "Nagana," a 1933 film by Universal Studios.
Costume DesignEdith Head (1898?-1981) holds a drawing of a dress designed for actress Janet Leigh to wear to an Academy Awards presentation.
DirectingJohn Cassavetes (1929-1989) directs "Husbands," a 1970 film starring Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara and Cassavetes.
Film EditingJ. Watson Webb cuts film for "The Razor's Edge," a 1946 release by Twentieth Century Fox.
MakeupMakeup artist Jack Pierce (1889-1968) and an unidentified technician apply makeup to Boris Karloff (1887-1969) for "Frankenstein," a 1931 film by Universal Studios.
MusicShown is the right hand of Max Steiner (1888-1971), who created scores for such films as "King Kong," "Gone with the Wind" and "A Star Is Born."
ScreenwritingShown are famous words from the script for "Gone with the Wind," a 1939 MGM/David O. Selznick film.
SoundGary Summers, a re-recording mixer for Skywalker Sound, combines sound effects, dialogue and music to create the final mix for a movie.
Special EffectsMark Siegel, a model maker for Industrial Light & Magic, sculptures a maquette for the 20th-anniversary release of Universal's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." (A maquette is a small preliminary model.)

Producing is represented by a photo in the selvage of the stamp pane. Producer-director Cecil B. DeMille is shown on the set of "Cleopatra."

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 Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 137 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $65 billion, it is the world's leading provider of postal services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume-some 207 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves 7 million customers each day at its 40,000 retail locations nationwide.

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