Once-in-a-Lifetime Invite to Bring Typewriter Art to the Red Carpet

Typing on the Red Carpet: Mission Impossible Premiere

At no point this year did I imagine I’d be creating typewriter art at a film premiere…let alone walking the red carpet with my little 1970s yellow Silverette in one hand. It was an incredible privilege and was a wild experience, not just for me…but also my sister I managed to get into the event.

By the way, if you haven’t already watched the video, check it out here.

So here’s how it all happened. Let’s rewind back to March where I receive an email in my inbox from the production team behind the latest Mission: Impossible movie. They wanted to know if I’d be up for creating a one-of-a-kind typewriter artwork of the movie poster at the London premiere. I gave a tentative (but exciting) yes! Fast forward several months and there I was, suited, typewriter in hand, stepping into Leicester Square for the big night.

Setting up for a video shoot at a red carpet event is no small task. Between the 7kg typewriter, a camera, a heavy tripod, and the half-finished artwork itself, I needed an extra pair of hands. Enter: my sister, who often helps me behind the scenes. She ditched the afternoon at work for the day, much to the envy of her colleagues, and joined me.

We arrived just after 5:30pm to meet the Paramount social media team. Screaming crowds had already gathered around the perimeter, craning necks and hoisting selfie sticks to catch glimpses of Tom Cruise. One particularly-eager fan even stole a chair from a very fancy restaurant, the Leicester Square Kitchen; next door to the premiere. His plan was to stand on it and be above the height of the crowd, only to be swiftly confronted by security and have the chair returned to its rightful owner. I have to say, seeing the hype and energy of the crowds was quite nerve-racking. I don’t tend to get too nervous for my projects, but this one was very glitzy and glamorous and so I felt an extra amount of pressure to deliver the best possible artwork and video from the event.

One thing I hadn’t anticipated was the weather. I’d assumed the event would be indoors, so it was a bit of a panic when I arrived and realised everything was set up outside. Miraculously, after several weeks of unusually warm and sunny weather for the UK, the forecast had taken a turn, windy, overcast, and a real risk of imminent rain. As any artist working outdoors with paper knows, rain is the enemy; I’ve learned that the hard way before. Thankfully, the rain held off much to my relief.

Assuming I’d slip in through a side entrance to the premiere behind-the-scenes, I was surprised to find both me and my sister were guided by Paramount production on the red carpet to the setup where I would be typing the whole evening. With thousands of fans holding out posters and pens, hoping for signatures, I caught a few puzzled glances as I passed by, lugging a bright yellow typewriter. There were two things that crossed my mind on the red carpet: I couldn’t help wondering, has there ever been a typewriter on a red carpet before? And secondly, “whatever you do James, do not trip over and make a fool of yourself.”

My setup was thankfully simple: a table, a chair, and space in what they called the Creator Zone situated on a raised platform directly next to the red carpet. I’d explained to production that I would need at least a week beforehand to get the artwork to about 80% completion. Typewriter art as you would guess is a slow, meticulous task, and I had a genuine fear of sitting at the premiere for two hours with little more than a single wing of a biplane typed out in front of me if I had started from scratch.

Most of the creators were a pleasure to be around. I had the chance to meet Thomas Duke and his sister from @steppingthroughfilm on Instagram; both of them were genuinely lovely people. Unfortunately, a couple of influencers made things a bit tricky by repeatedly standing in front of the typewriter. As I later discovered the next day, this became a continuity nightmare for video editing. My sister and I hatched a plan: throughout the evening, we gradually inched my table forward, millimetre by millimetre without anybody noticing, until we’d reclaimed a clear shot. Even the nearby security guard didn’t notice our stealthy repositioning!

As for star-spotting, we saw Tom Cruise scaling the red-and-yellow biplanes on display, Simon Pegg, and even some unexpected guests such as Rod Stewart. My sister, who seemed more thrilled by Rod Stewart than anyone else, turned out to be a surprisingly good celeb spotter.

Though we didn’t originally have tickets to the screening, we were offered last-minute seats from no-shows. In the end, we decided to stay outside for the sake of getting the best video would get from the event. That decision paid off because after the crowds cleared and we had unique access to sneak onto the stage and biplane set used for cast interviews earlier in the day. Thankfully, I managed to get final camera shots of my typewriter artwork and typewriter next to the real biplane featured in the movie; a perfect ending to the night.

And as for Hayley Atwell? She gave me a very much justified slightly-bewildered look as she walked past; probably wondering what on earth a man was doing typing furiously on a typewriter at a Hollywood premiere. Fair question, to be honest.

Overall, this was a unique experience to say the least. Most of my projects are typed from my studio and so it was nice to be outdoors on-location at such a thrilling event.

Marking One Year With a Fan Favourite

A quick reminder that to celebrate this one-year milestone, I’m bringing back the very first print that launched my shop’s relaunch last year: Below the Surface: St. Pancras and King’s Cross.

🛒 Print Drop Ends: Monday, June 2nd at midnight UK Time

Exempt from Tariffs:

An important notice. My prints are exempt from the all US tariffs that have recently come into effect. This means the price you see at checkout is the final price, no additional tariffs or surprise fees.

That’s all for now!

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