A big stage door leading into a film set.
setting the stage Set Design Can Make or Break a Movie, Yet It Goes Largely Unnoticed
By: Isabel Sosa
Rain hits the roof like popcorn. The hall is dark and drab, lit only by the glow emanating from behind the large door labeled “Stage 1”. Inside the door it’s an entirely different world. Bright lights are everywhere, vivid yellow and red wallpaper cover everything, and ornate furniture fills the room. People scurry around like ants. It’s like walking through a portal to a place miles, years away from the blank corridor. That change doesn’t come from a wave of a wand. Scene designers around the world spend weeks, months designing, building, and constructing sets. Their job is crucial to the success of film; a good enough set can mean an Emmy. Despite their importance, when people think about jobs in the movie industry they’ll think of actors, directors, and producers. Not the location managers and set designers that are tasked with producing the entire world characters inhabit. “It’s the sense of reality,” says John Rakich, president of Locations Manager Guild International. “The visuals are critical to the sort of storytelling that we’re doing both on stage and in film,” emphasized Gallo. Visuals are an integral part of viewing any form of entertainment. It can make or break your film. Without even noticing it, people’s Lights Out! - Setting the Stage - pg 6
