The Joshua Tree Saloon to the north of the stunning National Park hasn’t changed much over the last 40 years. It’s as solid a fixture in the tapestry of the town as the colossal rocks that characterise the park. The bar ́s weathered wood and corrugated iron structure gives it a movie set vibe and it now has a secure place on our list of favourite bar locations. There are thousands of bars in America, but we know of only a handful that tick all the boxes for us. The Joshua Tree Saloon is one, partly because the owner, Camille Robbins, is always so accommodating to our crew and our guests. It is essentially a bikers’ bar and I felt no need to play outside that vibe. It tends to be my default position to exaggerate the protagonist and the narrative in a Coen Brothers way. We are playing parody, not working for Nat Geo. So, into the bar we brought some of
the most uncompromising looking bikers we could find (not a hard ask in California), the meanest looking wolf in the region and then to create the visual disconnect, some A list femininity.
The composition had to be precise, tight and layered. The human component was easy, but we needed the big black wolf to cooperate and play to the camera. It’s difficult to articulate the mood of menace to an animal, but luckily he briefly gave
us the look I was hoping for without instruction. The end picture tells the story I wanted. This is not a bar for the frail, timid or callow, rather it is for Big Dogs. But no matter how tough the bikers may look, one pair own the room and the table, and that is the lady and her wolf. They are not in any way troubled by the bikers - in fact the Big Dogs seem rather in awe.