Cheryl Kerney shares with FIDM

Steve Abrams Designs Post in Cheryl Kerney，Tags: , ,
28 March 2010
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Cheryl Kearny–Sharing Her 30 Years of Experience

SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PANEL SPEAKS TO FIDM STUDENTS

Lights, cameras…advice! For anyone hoping to break into the entertainment industry, good advice from insiders is worth the price of a big-budget movie. FIDM students had the chance to listen to three industry insiders dish out experiences, advice, and encouragement. The panelists represented three aspects of the entertainment world: costumes, sets, and graphics. They agreed on the three most important words of advice for success in the industry: contacts, determination, and more contacts. After the talented guests shared their wisdom, FIDM students had a chance to ask questions and talk to the panelists in person.

CHERYL KEARNY, Set Decorator for Film and TV

Cheryl Kearny wowed the crowd of FIDM students with her 30 years of experience on film and television sets. She has created an astounding variety of sets, ranging from courtrooms to cemeteries and almost everything in between! Some of her credits: Coming to America, Encino Man, the TV show Picket Fences, and her current show, The Practice. Cheryl took an indirect route to the world of set decoration by starting out with her B.A. in interior design. After graduation, she went to work for a design firm but quickly became bored with it. She longed for more excitement and a different kind of artistic challenge in her work, so she went back to her college placement department and redirected her career path. The perfect solution was waiting for her, right in front of the cameras. She worked as a set designer for a year and found the challenge she was looking for. Cheryl moved up to set decoration and has never looked back.

As a set decorator, Cheryl is challenged every day to create a real environment out of an intangible vision. With a palette of four blank walls, she must convey the story’s overall feeling, down to the last detail. Cheryl described the process she goes through with each new job. First she reads through the script and breaks it down, scene by scene, and makes lots of notes about the setting details of each scene as she goes along. She analyzes characters, gets a sense of the period and style, and begins to plot room plans. She must learn the layout of each location where the production is to be filmed, and often studies the actual blueprints of the structures. Her quest for set decor then begins. She finds everything and secures permission to use it all, down to the art on the walls and dishes in the cupboards. A lingerie store set she worked on was a especially challenging because she had to find every piece of lingerie and get permission to use each one, and then arrange them perfectly on the racks of the store set.

Every production is a huge collaborative effort, and every job has a particular person assigned to it. It takes at least 100 people to produce a 42-minute TV show like The Practice. After all the other jobs are done on the set, Cheryl uses her artistry to fill it with details. She is the last one to perfect it before filming. Cheryl showed photos of courtroom sets for The Practice, and explained how each one was an exact replica of real city courtrooms in L.A. and Philadelphia. She totally impressed everyone with photos of a room that she took from blank, white emptiness to a beautiful, fully-rendered bar with all amenities, including shot glasses and full liquor bottles. Another series of photos showed her work on The Addams Family, including Uncle Fester’s bedroom and the family cemetery complete with pseudo-stone Styrofoam headstones. Cheryl’s advice for entertainment industry hopefuls was right on. She told students to never, ever give up their dreams. “Persistence pays off. Don’t let people disappoint you. Stay true to yourself.” She strongly advised students to learn about unions and their influence on jobs in the entertainment industry. Cheryl’s artistry and professional advice were a treat for all to experience!

What do Set Decorators Do?

Steve Abrams Designs Post in Uncategorized，
28 March 2010
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What do Set Decorators do?

Set Decorators provide anything that furnishes a film set, excluding structural elements. They may have to provide a range of items, from lumps of sugar and tea spoons, to newspapers, furniture and drapes, to cars, carriages, or even cats and dogs. There are two types of props: action props, or all props that are described in the shooting script; and dressing props, or items that help to bring characters to life or to give a certain atmosphere and sense of period to a place.

Small details often tell the audience the most about characters in feature films: the pictures hanging on the walls of their homes; the contents of their fridge or bathroom cabinet; their books; the treasured objects kept in a box hidden in the desk drawer. All of these details are created by the imagination and creative flair of Set Decorators, who research, prepare and oversee the dressing of every set and adapted location on a feature film. Many Set Decorators work on commercials, where they are known as Stylists, as well as on films. They work on a freelance basis with a number of Set Designers who usually specifically request them. The hours are long and the job can involve long periods working away from home.

Once Set Decorators have met with the Production Designer to discuss the agreed aesthetic of the film, they visit numerous Prop Houses, where they carefully select the bigger props and book them for the shoot. In the Art Department office, Set Decorators prepare a detailed prop breakdown, marking the script up and listing requirements for action props, animals, vehicles, dressing props and any graphics items (letters, newspapers, posters, books etc). Production Buyers and Graphic Artists also prepare their own lists which are compared to check for any missing items. These lists are combined to make the definitive list from which Set Decorators work. The required items are then located, purchased or hired, and where necessary model-makers are commissioned, arrangements are made for furniture to be re-upholstered, etc. When the Final Schedule is delivered (detailing the precise shooting order of scenes in the film), definitive lists of all props and set decoration are prepared according to daily requirements.

Set Decorators may also work on product placement arrangements, or on acquiring copyright clearances for branded items. Close to the beginning of the shoot, Set Decorators photograph all items, taking careful measurements where necessary, and allocate the appropriate props to each set. The day before shooting begins Set Decorators and their teams arrive in the early hours to begin dressing the set. After the Set Designer has checked over the dressed set and made any last minute changes or additions, and the Director and the Director of Photography have given their final approvals, Set Decorators begin work on the next scene detailed on the schedule. Because locations and prop hire can be very expensive, striking (dismantling) each set and returning all the props must be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How to Become a Set Decorator

Steve Abrams Designs Post in Uncategorized，Tags: , , ,
28 March 2010
0

How to Become a Movie Set Decorator

Contributor

By an eHow Contributing Writer

(6 Ratings)


A movie set decorator is a key team member for the production team of a movie. The set decorator creates the environment by “dressing the set” once the sets are built or the location has been chosen. Though it’s a behind-the-scenes job, a set decorator’s work often takes center stage.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Develop artistic ability. A movie set decorator must create a visually appealing area that represents the vision of the production team. Whether you develop your ability through formal education in art or you have natural talent, you must be able to make the set look as realistic as possible.

  2. Step 2

    Get your foot in the door. You need to meet the right people in the industry who can help you become a movie set decorator. You should join the Set Decorators Society of America which is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1993. Along with this, they offer fellowships and networking opportunities in the industry, have an Associate and Student Membership available and also offer internships and educational opportunities. You can join the Society online at their website.

  3. Step 3

    Gain the necessary skills. A movie set decorator often has to oversee the process of dressing the set. This can include meeting with the production designer and determining their wishes, researching period and style and negotiating the budget. In addition, you need to be prepared to shop for supplies, fabricate items that are not available on the market and work with specialty craftsmen.

  4. Step 4

    Know how to express personality through the set. You need to analyze the characters that will be interacting on the set. Then you integrate their idiosyncrasies into the set. To be successful at this, you must pay attention the smallest detail.

    How to Become a Movie Set Decorator

    Contributor

    By an eHow Contributing Writer

    (6 Ratings)


    A movie set decorator is a key team member for the production team of a movie. The set decorator creates the environment by “dressing the set” once the sets are built or the location has been chosen. Though it’s a behind-the-scenes job, a set decorator’s work often takes center stage.

    Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
    Instructions

  5. Step 1

    Develop artistic ability. A movie set decorator must create a visually appealing area that represents the vision of the production team. Whether you develop your ability through formal education in art or you have natural talent, you must be able to make the set look as realistic as possible.

  6. Step 2

    Get your foot in the door. You need to meet the right people in the industry who can help you become a movie set decorator. You should join the Set Decorators Society of America which is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1993. Along with this, they offer fellowships and networking opportunities in the industry, have an Associate and Student Membership available and also offer internships and educational opportunities. You can join the Society online at their website.

  7. Step 3

    Gain the necessary skills. A movie set decorator often has to oversee the process of dressing the set. This can include meeting with the production designer and determining their wishes, researching period and style and negotiating the budget. In addition, you need to be prepared to shop for supplies, fabricate items that are not available on the market and work with specialty craftsmen.

  8. Step 4

    Know how to express personality through the set. You need to analyze the characters that will be interacting on the set. Then you integrate their idiosyncrasies into the set. To be successful at this, you must pay attention the smallest detail.

  9. Step 5

    Create a reputation. Most movie set decorators start off on smaller projects like commercials or television sets. You need to be willing to work your way up the industry ladder, building your credentials and establishing your reputation. Many movie set decorators are hired for their good reputation and word-of-mouth referrals.

  11. Step 5

    Create a reputation. Most movie set decorators start off on smaller projects like commercials or television sets. You need to be willing to work your way up the industry ladder, building your credentials and establishing your reputation. Many movie set decorators are hired for their good reputation and word-of-mouth referrals.

Set decorator

Steve Abrams Designs Post in Uncategorized，Tags: ,
28 March 2010
0

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A set decorator is in charge of the set dressing on a film set, which includes the furnishings, wallpaper, lighting fixtures, and many of the other objects that will be seen in the film. Props and set dressing often overlap, but are provided by different departments. Props are defined as items which are handled directly by actors, and discussions take place between set decorator and prop masters in order to check that everything is being covered. The set decorator gives direction to buyers and to the leadman, who is in charge of the set dressers. The set decorator maintains a set dressing budget separate from the set budget or the prop budget and answers directly to the production designer.[1][2][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ LoBrutto, Vincent (2002). The Filmmaker’s Guide to Production Design. New York: Allworth Press. p. 21. ISBN 1-58115-224-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=0it57rC7HMQC. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  2. ^ Cury, Ivan (2007). Directing and producing for television: a format approach. Oxford: Focal Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-240-80827-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=46YtphIDVasC. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  3. ^ Rizzo, Michael R. (2005). The Art Direction Handbook for Film. Oxford: Focal Press. p. 37. ISBN 0-240-80680-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=so-cu6QzFPkC. Retrieved 2008-05-23.

[edit] External links

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