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!