In broad terms, scenography is the set of arts, techniques, and crafts that build the appearance of a movie production: set design, lighting, costumes, sound, and so on. In this article, we’ll focus on set design and how an accurate movie setting is crucial for any film production.
Set Designer: A Job Between Art and Craftsmanship
A film location may be ready for shooting or need some construction work. Once the structure of the site is prepared, the set designer will have to complete it in accordance with the type of scene and other elements, such as the available space, lights, and actors’ movements. It’s a job that requires vision, experience, and creativity.
Contemporary Settings
Movie scenes may be shot in real homes and villas, while other sets may be completely built into a studio. It depends on the director’s instructions and on the type of production. In any case, the set designer will have to make some adjustments. Furniture may need to be moved or wholly changed. As these sets are decorated by real masters of interior design, that know how to create the right atmosphere, they can be a source of inspiration if you want to give a makeover to our home that looks and feels as if you were in one of your favorite movies. All you need is a shop/company that offers a complete range of products, such as the Royal Copenhagen website, featuring pieces of furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles, tableware, and small decor items.
Period Pieces
Movies set in the past, whether it’s only a few decades or centuries, may confront the set designer with a few challenges. In these instances, there is plenty of study and pre-production work to be done in order to faithfully recreate a setting. The designer will have to source antique or vintage furniture, textiles, and homeware, making sure that all that is shown on screen did actually exist in the time and age described by the movie script.
Where to Find the Right Furniture and Accessories
Studios have large depots, full of props and all kinds of materials. Nonetheless, if there is a big production involved, the director may decide to build, buy or create all the settings from scratch. Some smaller-budget movies or TV series have sponsors that provide furniture and interior decoration in exchange for the advertising that their products will receive when appearing on screen.