LOS ANGELES – The iconic symbol marking Los Angeles as the entertainment capital of the world marked its 100th birthday on Friday, Dec. 8. Universally recognized across the globe, the sign began its sojourn as a literal billboard sign to advertise an upscale residential real estate development. The sign was first illuminated on Dec. 8, 1923, originally saying “Hollywoodland.”

According to the sign’s official preservation website:

Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and, increasingly, an aspiration, was officially crowned when the “Hollywoodland” sign was erected in 1923. Built by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as an epic $21,000 billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real estate development, the Sign soon took on the role of giant marquee for a city that was constantly announcing its own gala premiere.

Dates and debates swirl about when the Hollywoodland Real Estate development – and the massive electric sign that advertised it – actually came into being. But a review of local newspapers from the era (i.e., The Los Angeles Times, Holly Leaves, Los Angeles Record, Los Angeles Examiner and the Hollywood Daily Citizen) clears up any confusion. For instance, a Hollywoodland ad in the Los Angeles Times (June 10, 1923) states that the real estate development launched in late March of that year and that by June, 200 men were employed, 7 miles of road had been cut and 300,000 cubic yards of dirt had been moved.

And while some sources still cite that the Sign was born in 1924, the correct date is indisputably 1923. The earliest found mention of the Sign appeared on December 14, 1923 in a Holly Leaves article about the Mulholland Highway soon to be built, which would extend from “…from the western end of the (Griffith Park) road, under the electric sign of Hollywoodland, around Lake Hollywood and across the dam.”

Just two weeks later another Los Angeles Times article (December 30, 1923) with the headline “Hollywood Electric Sign Reached by Car,” reported on actor Harry Neville’s epic, experimental trip to test whether a motorcar could reach the Sign on the unpaved grade, and whether the car’s brakes would work on the precipitous path down. According to the article, “A motley crowd of hillclimbers, workmen, salesmen and curiosity thrill-seekers …stood by with fear and trembling as the loose dirt began to give way but Neville stuck by the ship…” to make it safely back to the “wide smooth roads of Hollywoodland.”

There has also been debate about whether the Sign was originally erected without lights (with the thousands of bulbs added later). However, historic photos from the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph collection, taken just as the Sign was being erected, show workers carrying parts of the Sign that include the original lights in frames or “troughs.” Bruce Torrence, curator of the photo collection, notes that the shape of the light boxes indicate that these sections were probably part of the letter “A” and possibly the “L.”

Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon – lights ablaze – for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis.

The “billboard” was massive. Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and approximately 43 feet tall, constructed of 3×9′ metal squares rigged together by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles.

All of this material had to be dragged up precipitous Mt. Lee by laborers on simple dirt paths.

Few know that a giant white dot (35 feet in diameter, with 20-watt lights on the perimeter) was constructed below the Sign to catch the eye. The Sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart.

At night the Sign blinked into the Hollywood night: first “Holly” then “wood” and finally “land,” punctuated by a giant period. The effect was truly spectacular, particularly for pre-Vegas sensibilities.

Originally intended to last just a year and a half, the Sign has endured more than eight decades – and is still going strong.

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Local photographer Cam Byrnes opened a show at the Juneau Artists Galley on March 1 showcasing over 100 photos documenting 35 years of the performing arts in Juneau.

Here is a collection of just a handful of those photos featuring moments from the Alaska Folk Festival, Perseverance Theatre, Juneau Symphony and more. All photos are by Cam Byrnes.

The show runs through the month of March at the Juneau Artists Gallery, 175 S. Franklin Street.

Byrnes was interviewed on Juneau Afternoon about this particular subset of photography. The following is an excerpt, edited lightly for clarity.

Cam Byrnes: This is my fiftieth year. Yeah, this summer. At the end of August, 50 years ago, I moved to Juneau. My entire career in Juneau has something to do with photography. I actually worked for KTOO-TV for 10 years. Through all that time though, regardless of what else I was doing, I photographed theater, I mean, everything, Perseverance and things that happened at the halls in town and at the bars in town.

It’s basically 35 years of performance in Juneau. So if you’ve been in a show, or know somebody who’s been in the show, there’s a good chance they’re on the wall at the Juneau Artists Gallery. I did put a big collage on the wall, about 100 pictures from the last 35 years.

I really like planting myself, like, in front of the symphony orchestra with a long lens and looking for the perfect expression, the perfect bow move, the perfect blow on the horn, something like that. So I can focus in on one person and take hundreds of shots. Yeah, okay, I got that; now let’s go over here to the bass, and get a couple of things. And that’s fun for me.

One of the most fun things is the Folk Festival because you can just go anywhere and move around while they’re performing and every 15 minutes, it all changes. And then you go out in the lobby, and there’s always stuff going out there and people in the back rooms. So I just kind of browse around the Folk Festival, usually four or five nights, and just shoot everything that’s going on there.

And yet, stage (i.e. theatre) is different. Also, it’s sort of fake. Because what looks good to an audience doesn’t look good to a camera. So I’m always stopping and saying, “Oh, can we move these people closer together?” Well, that’s not how the show is gonna be. But I really need all five in one shot so that they can put it on a poster.

Dance is tough. So when I shoot dance, I usually try to get them to explain who’s coming in where and what are they going to do? Are they going to do a throw, you know? And fairly often, I just say I missed it, let’s do it again, sometimes two or three times I say, “Oh, let’s just do it one more time.”

One of my favorite things is just a group of performers like the Folk Festival or even like the symphony orchestra, just people working together. And then, for me, I’m hunting for those moments where they make a connection, where the violin player looks over at the cello player and makes that connection. And then bang, bang, bang, I get three shots, and I go, “Oh that’s, that’s what I’ve been waiting for all night. I’ve been waiting for them to look at each other.”

So for the show, I went through about 22,000 pictures, picked out about 140 of them, printed them all in different sizes, and then put them on a wall in the gallery. So, it’s a big collage. So, if you go down there, you’ll probably see somebody you know, or you might see yourself on them.

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the Absence of a Sign Quest has Cloud and Aerith tracking down photographs across Cosmo Canyon. This FF7 Rebirth Absence of a Sign guide will explain how to find to all photograph locations.

FF7 Rebirth Absence of a Sign photograph locations

You first unlock the Absence of a Sign quest in FF7 Rebirth after reaching Chapter 12: A Golden Key. Once you’ve progressed the story far enough, the new quest will be added to the Cosmo Canyon region and is activated by visiting the Planetology Assembly.

The quest works like this: you have to defeat Reapertail in Cosmo Canyon and snap three photographs of the Celestial Phenomena in the area. Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately, knowing where each photograph is located is only half the battle, as you need to know how to actually get to these locations. Below, we will break down the exact path you must take to reach each Celestial Phenomena.

FF7 Rebirth Celestial Phenomena photograph location 1

The first Celestial Phenomena in the FF7 Rebirth Absence of a Sign quest can be reached by warping to the Cosmo Canyon Airstrip. Once you’ve fast-traveled to the landing area, you want to take the mountain path left of the shack. It can be hard to see at first. For your convenience, we have provided an image below that shows the exact spot you need to go to:

After taking the winding path up the side of the mountain, you will eventually counter a giant scorpion-like enemy called a Reapertail. Prepare for a tough fight, as the monster has quite a bit of HP. The Celestial Phenomena you need to photograph will appear after you kill the Reapertail.

To take the Absence of a Sign Photograph 1, you must walk over where Aerith stands. Press “Up” on your D-Pad to pull your camera out. Aim the lens to the left so it’s focused on the rocky mountain archway. Keep moving the lens until the zoom turns green and says at least 80%. Press “R2” to snap the photo when it’s the right distance. You will know you’ve done this correctly because Aerith will say it’s a “perfect” shot.

FF7 Rebirth Celestial Phenomena photograph location 2

The quickest way to reach Celestial Phenomena 2 in the FF7 Rebirth Abscene of a Sign quest is to warp to the Phenomenon Intel 1: Planetological Ruins. If you haven’t unlocked this warp point yet, this map area can be reached on foot without needing to use the gliding Chocobo ramps.

Once you arrive at the Planetological Ruins, run past the Intel spot and continue heading north. You will eventually see a giant mountain path with massive ruins on either side. For this first step, you want to travel up the winding path and head towards the mountains.

Walking up the path, you will see two sets of white stairs broken up between the rocks. Climb up each step and then take a right to reach the giant platform. Once you step on the platform, you will see another giant Reapertail. Like the first location, you will need to take out the creature before the Celestial Phenomena will appear in the sky.

For the Absence of a Sign Photograph 2, you must again walk over to where Aerith is standing. Press “Up” on your D-Pad to pull your camera out. Aim the camera’s lens so it’s hovering above the tip of the giant rock jutting out from the mountain on the left side of the canyon. Keep moving the lens until the zoom becomes green and reads at least 80%. When you have found the right distance, press “R2” on your controller to take the photo.

FF7 Rebirth Celestial Phenomena photograph location 3

I’m not going to lie; finding the Celestial Phenomena 3 Photograph spot is really confusing. Because of this, it’s a bit difficult to explain without an actual video. The easiest way to reach the FF7 Rebirth Absence of a Sign photograph is to warp to the Activation Intel 6: Ancient Capital Tower fast travel point.

For your convenience, we have provided a map that shows the path you must take to find the Celestial Phenomena 3 photograph:

See? I told you it was confusing. The map above assumes you have unlocked Gliding Range No. 16-124m already. To reach this point, you actually have to take five separate Chocobo Gliding ramps in total. To make this a bit easier to understand, I’m going to provide you with a list of all the ramps you need to take and the order in which you must take them:

• Step 1: Gliding Range No. 6-61m.
• Step 2: Gliding Range No. 7-78m.
• Step 3: Gliding Range No. 13-88m.
• Step 4: Gliding Range No. 14-90m.
• Step 5: Gliding Range No. 16-124m.
• Step 6: Fly to the Activation Intel 6: Ancient Capital Tower.

Gliding Range No. 6-61m

Use your Chocobo mount to run up the ramp and hold up on your joystick to glide across to the other side. After landing, take the winding path that wraps around the rocky mountain. You should eventually find Gliding Range No. 7-78m, which will send you across the entire canyon.

Gliding Range No. 7-78m

Run up Gliding Range No. 7-78m and glide across the canyon. Make sure to use the air vents to keep your Chocobo Mount flying. After you land on the other side, head straight up the rock-made stairs and travel north until you reach a set of wooden stairs. At the top of the stairs, hook a right to find Gliding Range No. 13-88m.

Gliding Range No. 13-88m

At Gliding Range No. 13-88m, have your Chocobo glide across the gap and use the air vents to keep its momentum going. As soon as you land, take an immediate left and take the wooden ramp, which is Gliding Range 14-90m.

Gliding Range No. 14-90m

This is the shortest jump out of the entire quest, so it should be easy to hit. Use your Chocobo and run up Gliding Range No. 14-90m and hop across the small gap. You should now be on the mountain, which also has the Moogle Emporium.

Gliding Range No. 16-124m

Finally, head up the mountain and take the windy path that wraps around until you reach the top. Eventually, you will find Gliding Range No. 16-124. This is the final ramp that you need to take. The gliding range will shoot you across the entire Cosmo Canyon. Use the air vents throughout the map to push you across to Activation Intel 6: Ancient Capital Tower.

Activation Intel 6: Ancient Capital Tower

Finding the photo spot is fairly easy once you have access to Activation Intel 6: Ancient Capital Tower. Fly past the tower and head into the ancient ruins. After you go up the stairs, make a right and keep heading north until you exit the ruins. Keep following the Celestial Phenomena marker until you reach a giant rock you can climb with your mount.

You should see a fan hidden at the end of the rocky platform, which will send your Chocobo flying to the Celestial Phenomena plateau. Like the previous sections, you must take out a Reapertail before the Celestial Phenomena will appear in the sky. While this is another tough fight, this is the final one.

After the fight, a cute scene will trigger where Aerith will ask Cloud for a selfie. Once this is over, press “Up” on your D-Pad to get your camera out. For this photo, you will need to aim the camera lens in the middle of the two mountain peaks. Adjust your zoom until it’s at least 80% and green. Once you have the right angle, press “R2” to snap the picture.

Now that you have photographed the three Celestial Phenomena, it’s time to head back to the Planetology Assembly. Speak to the two Planetologists and give them the photos. Below is the list of rewards you get for completing the FF7 Rebirth Absence of a Sign quest:

• Deck of Tarot Cards.
• 10 Party EXP.
• 1,600 EXP (for each character).
• Your relationship with Aerith has changed (positive bond points).

The Absence of a Sign quest is pretty important as it can help you Romance Aerith in FF7 Rebirth. If you make it to Chapter 12 and don’t have enough points to score a Gold Saucer date with Aerith, completing this quest can tip that in your favor. Just make sure you don’t complete any other side quests.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now available on PlayStation 5.