Set Decor: The Last Airbender
Visual-effects supervisor Pablo Helman ("War of the Worlds") and set decorator Larry Dias, SDSA ("Transformers") walked MTV News through the creation of these various features to give us the inside scoop about five cool weapons and powers. Photo: Paramount Pictures
Set Decor: 24
Set Decorator Cloudia Rebar, SDSA put together a mix of production pieces and custom designs. But when you're working on as many as eight scenes per day, as she does, it occasionally helps to get lucky. "A funny thing happens in this business," she says. "We're required to find so many objects, so fast, with such specific requirements, that we almost manufacture them out of thin air."
Read more about the sets within the pages of Interior Design Magazine:
SDSA members: 17th Annual Awards luncheon
Check out the photos Regina O'Brien and Lisa Dare took from the event!
THANK YOU!!
The SDSA would like to thank with our greatest gratitude the following sponsors whom without their donations this 2010 Awards Luncheon could not have been possible. For more information go to Decorator Resources for photos and website links!
20th Century Fox Studios, Aah- Inspiring Balloons, ABC Casket Company, Advanced Liquidators, AIR Designs, Alpha Medical Props, Apropos Interiors, Art Pic, Astek Wallcoverings, Cinema Paper Rental, Charles & Charles, Dozar, E.C. Prop Rentals, Eclipse-Worldwide, Farrow and Ball, Faux Library, Green Set Inc, Heaven or Las Vegas, History for Hire, Hollywood Cinema Arts, Hollywood Piano Company, Hollywood Studio Gallery, House of Props, Hand Prop Room, Icommunications, Independent Studio Services, Jackson Shrub Supply, LCW Props, LDC Design Studio, Lennie Marvin Prop Heaven, Local 44, Loft Appeal, Motion Picture Health and Wellness, NBC Universal Property, Drapery, Sign, Staff and Moulding Shops, Omega Cinema Props, Pinocoteca Picture Props, Playback Technologies Inc., Prop Services West, RC Vintage, Sandy Rose Floral Designs, Sony Pictures Studio, Skinny Dog Design Group, Square Deal Plumbing, The Vista Group, Tic-Tock Floral, U Frame It, Warner Bros Studio Services.
The Charity Art Auction was held also Sunday, March 7th at the SDSA Luncheon and the Community Outreach Committee raised over $7000! We sold sculptures, paintings, photography, printmaking, collage and pottery all created by SDSA members!
Proceeds benefited the charity organization Inner-City Arts. We love to see just how creative our members are while helping those in need.
Set Decor: The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
From the perspective of "Computer Graphics World", this website offers a behind the scenes, making of the film glimpse featuring (among others) the Set Decorator Elli Griff, SDSA:
...Nearly every single piece required by Griff's set-decorating team, Balfour's prop department and Hooper's armory crew was made in massive workshops in the Marrakesh industrial zone. Items like King Sharaman's ornate horse-drawn hearse and the overweight Mughal's palanquin were created and constructed by Stuart Rose.
"Visiting the set-decoration and props warehouses was one of the most amazing experiences I've had on any location of any of our movies," says executive producer Chad Oman. "They were gigantic warehouses filled floor to ceiling with props and production-design elements, from lamps to swords to saddles to all sorts of elaborate weaponry-all of it made right there on the spot, by hand, by local artisans. Really, I can't think of any other place in the world where you can get this kind of craftsmanship and artistry." ...
Set Decor: Sex and the City 2 "We had to work with the city and close down part of Fifth Ave. to pull it off," says producer John Melfi. "And to really sell it, we brought in dozens of period cars and hundreds of extras in '80s costumes." Add to that a hundred-person crew, an army of trucks carrying tons of
equipment, swarms of paparazzi and hundreds of onlookers, and you get
the challenge of filming on the streets of Manhattan.
"The palette in this closet is very different from the palette in Carrie's old closet," adds set decorator Lydia Marks SDSA "It's really about Carrie's grownup clothes. There are no tutus here."
Shooting in 3D doesn't seem to be much more intensive than shooting in 2D -- except for the set dressing. Sure, you have to attack a set with a critical eye in 2D, but in 3D it's absolutely crucial. The wrong colors can actually wipe out an entire image; improper depth management can scramble your brain. On the set of the upcoming Resident Evil: Afterlife, set decorator Cal Loucks, SDSA talks about how she balances an apocalyptic atmosphere with today's technology. Read what Loucks had to say...
Norman Balos, the quintessential gentleman behind House of Props, died Tuesday April 20th at his home in Marina del Rey.
Prior to establishing House of Props with then owner Al Torf in 1952, Norm worked in the auctioning of antiques and fine art. Those of us that knew Norm through House of Props know how extensive that knowledge was. Norm was a font of invaluable information, and his expertise was called upon daily for the 56 years that Norm ran House of Props. Norm was akin to having your own personal “Antiques Roadshow” at your fingertips. Decorated sets since the 1950’s were often more historically accurate due to Norm’s remarkable knowledge in the decorative arts of specific eras. With Norm’s passing we’ve lost an irreplaceable entertainment industry icon.
Read more about this admired man by clicking on "view pdf" below:
Legends of La Cienega: Celebrate Hollywood
Check back often as we post all the blogs that are talking about SDSA Set Decorators who participated at the Elle Decor sponsored "Legends of La Cienega" 2010 event.
Here is Melissa Levander's tribute to the musical comedies of the fifties and sixties at Dragonette. Photos by Victoria Amado
Read the full post at Cinema Style by clicking link below:
Set Decor: Tribute to film noir "Legends of La Cienega "
is a design-district open house, in which the public is invited to
showrooms normally open only to the trade. The showrooms collaborate to
create themed display windows; this year's motif is Hollywood.
Jean de Merry's showroom windows have been dressed by set
decorators David Smith, fresh off a Steve Carrell film, and Laura
Richarz, of True Blood. Their inspiration was 1940s Hollywood film noir, incorporating pieces from de Merry's showroom.
Set Decor: The Blind Side Set decorator Susan Benjamin, SDSA visited the family and studied Leigh Anne's decorating in order to capture it on film. I read in an interview with Leigh Anne that when asked what she thought of the movie, she said she'd have to see it again, as she spent the first viewing paying attention only to how they portrayed her home. And, that she didn't like the window treatments! I actually love the window treatments in the set - better than much of the furniture! Read more...
Set Decor: Cougartown
Bloggers everywhere are fascinated with the fresh looking Florida sets of "Cougartown". Set Decorator Archie D'Amico, SDSA does his best job to answer the flood of questions about his choices with pictures to match! Omega Cinema Props is one of the many resources mentioned below.
(Red) Designed to help eliminate AIDS in Africa Each time you buy a (RED) product or service, at no extra cost to you, the company who makes that product will give 50% of it's profit to buy and distribute antiretroviral medicine to our brothers and sisters dying of AIDS in Africa. Artist and former SDSA Business member Len Davis has created this one of a kind T-shirt sold in all Gap Stores available now. For more information on (RED) click on image above.
Beth Kushnick, Set Decorator, is here to answer your questions about
the look and set decoration on The Good Wife. Beth has worked in the
film and television industry for over 25 years on such projects as
Reversal of Fortune, Rounders, Law and Order Trial By Jury, and Fringe.
She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and The Set Decorators Society of America. Read her Blog on CBS.com and more in our own Set Decor Online feature!
SDSA members mourn the passing of Business Member Rhoda Treibitz
The SDSA mourns the passing of our Business Member, stalwart
supporter and friend Rhoda Treibitz, CEO of Hollywood Piano Company who passed Saturday
March 27th due to complications from a rare cancer called leiomyosarcoma. In
addition to be an amazing mother and business woman, Rhoda was an incredible
musical talent and was an accomplished singer, actress, director and
teacher. Read more by clicking on "view PDF".
In lieu of flowers please send your
donations to the National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation at NLMSF Donations, 18623
County Rd 12 S, Foley, AL. 36535-3738 - go to their website for more info. - http://www.nlmsf.org/index.html
SDSA Charity Art Auction: 17th Annual Awards luncheon
The Charity Art Auction was held Sunday, March 7th at the SDSA Luncheon and the Community Outreach Committee raised over $7000! We sold sculptures, paintings, photography, printmaking, collage and pottery all created by SDSA members! Framing discounts were donated from the following SDSA Business Members:
Congratulations SDSA Members Gordan Sim (Nine) and Katie Spencer (Sherlock Holmes) on your Oscar® Nominations! Watch for more details and photos of the making of these films -coming soon!
Set Decor Podcast: Beth Rubino Beth Rubino, the Set Decorator for Something's Gotta Give and It's Complicated.
The
Academy Award nominated, Set Decorator extraordinaire Beth Rubino SDSA sat
down at the Skirted Roundtable to talk about - you got it - Something's
Gotta Give, the popular Nancy Meyers film which starred the beautiful
Southampton beach house as much as any of its Hollywood actors!
(For more on It's Complicated and it's fabulous resources, go to "Hot off the Set"-link here)
Click below to go to blog and hear their recent podcast:
Set Decor: A decade of cinematic interiors Source: Focus Features
Hollywood has long been a trendsetter in style and taste, particularly in the area of design and interiors. Through the process of film design – known in the industry as production design and set decoration –the backdrop can literally become another character, supporting the actors, developing the story and most importantly, providing the overall visual look...
Set Decor: Nine
Brought by the creative team who gave us the musical Chicago, director Rob Marshall and production designer John Mhyre and set decorator Gordon Sim SDSA, the film has the look and feel of Fellini's 1963 film 8 1/2 (the original story) and La Dolce Vita (1963).
SDSA's Community Outreach Committee-Toy Drive
We thank the prophouses for their generosity in hosting a toy box, and all
of you for helping us make sure every child has a gift this Holiday
season!
A bedroom transformed by season four winner Antonio Ballatore;photo by Aaron Rappaport.
Designers, are you ready to see your name in lights? Your work broadcast throughout homes across the U.S.? HGTV is on the hunt for a few good interior designers and architects who think they have what it takes to host their own television series. The DIY-shelter network is currently casting for season five of its design-based reality show Design Star.
Where does one find a stuffed cobra in a basket? Set Decorator Amy Wells is responsible for dressing the Mad Men sets and locating the props you see on the show. She talks to AMCtv.com about turning around each episode in seven days, and reveals how she really feels about that fainting couch.
Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic "2012" is a special effects-heavy
thriller starring John Cusack, Danny Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda
Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt and Woody Harrelson. When destroying
the world, it often takes a large crew, equipment and a large blue
screen area to create CGI wonders. David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "2012" sets decorated by Elizabeth Wilcox, SDSA.
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "Community" sets decorated by Denise Pizzini, SDSA. See also: Spotlight article on Denise Pizzini from our archives(Click here)
We encourage all of the SDSA to visit these new members and to remember to check "Decorator Resources" for a complete list of businesses to help with all their set decor!
Set Decorator: Mae Brunken's Hollywood "Double Imdemnity" home
'Double Indemnity' house returns to '40s glamour
Mae
Brunken (SDSA Member and former Board of Directors) blends Art Deco
interiors and Spanish architecture to create a 'playful' environment.
"Set decorating has changed my approach to interiors of an actual
home," she says. "Because when I'm doing a set, I'm creating the
character, what she would have and what her lifestyle is."
For this modern-day woman, it's a home of glamour and elegance that even Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner would envy.
Click here to see many more photos! Read LA Times Story below:
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "Glee" sets decorated by Barbara Munch, SDSA. See also: Hot off the Set Barbara Munch Set Decoration of "Milk" (Click Here)
Behind the Scenes of hit TV show House, MD Footage has been released in advance of the premiere, this time a behind the scene look to the construction of the psychiatric hospital set. Production Designer Jeremy Cassels and Set Decorator Natali Pope, SDSA take viewers into the world of designing from creating the blueprint and the miniature to building the actual set. Click below for link to video:
Quentin Tarantino's Design Team Take You Behind the Scenes of "Inglorious Bastards" Production Designer David Wasco and Set Decorator Sandy Wasco SDSA The husband-and-wife team share details of their creative process and history of working with director Tarantino in this interview loaded with photos! For more on Film Decor and Inglourious Basterds, check out the all NEW SETDECOR Online: Click Here
EXCLUSIVE: Go behind the scenes of Ashton Kutcher's 'Spread' Production Designer Cabot McMullen and Set Decorator Beth Wooke SDSA. The creative minds behind Ashton Kutcher's latest film talk about bringing this Los Angeles feature to life. Plus take a visual tour of the movie's sets!
Set Decorator Amy Wells SDSA (2009 Emmy Nominee - MAD MEN) takes us shopping! Set Decorator Amy Wells SDSA has received her third EMMY nomination - this time for her outstanding work on the hit AMCSeriesMAD MEN. Recently the Los Angeles Times asked Amy to prowl the aisles of a discount store (her choice was HomeGoods) to show how she separates the chaff from the wheat. Follow the link below to read the full story.
Set Decorator Susan Bode Tyson SDSA Heats Up JULIE & JULIA Country Living Magazine has done a delightful piece on Set Decorator Susan Bode Tyson SDSA and her remarkable recreation of Julia Child's kitchen in the new film JULIE & JULIA- check it out here!
For Your Consideration! Congratulations Ann Shea, Susan Eschelbach, Amy Feldman, Kimberly Wannop, Ron Franco, Amy Wells, Halina Siwilop, Rusty Libscomb, and James Pearse Connelly on your Nominations for an Emmy! For a Full List of Nominees - click here for EMMYS.com
For the complete story check out "Awards" in our all new SETDECOR online:
By all who ever met him he will be missed as a true artist a brilliant eccentric and a lover of the occasional Gin & Tonic.
He is survived by his wife, set decorator Marthe Pineau.
Donations can be made to the New Hanover County Humane Society, 2405 N. 23rd St. , Wilmington NC 28401 , in memory of Hugh's love for animals, especially his own cats.
Xavier Nuez Photography-Fine art photography www.nuez.com
We encourage all of the SDSA to visit these new members and to remember to check "Decorator Resources" for a complete list of businesses to help with all their set decor!
Dress The Set With Tears: It's a Wrap The rattan sofa from “The Golden Girls” awaits its next role from a shelf deep inside the 20th Century Props warehouse here. Nearby is the futuristic shower Tom Cruise used in “Minority Report” and an armchair that starred with Marilyn Monroe in multiple films. Overhead: Art Deco chandeliers from “The Aviator.” 20th Century Props serves Hollywood with items like the alien from “The X-Files.”
On Tuesday, Harvey Schwartz stood amid it all, in tears, wondering how his prop shop, which offers a vast inventory of items to be used in film and television productions, became the latest victim of a rapidly changing Hollywood...read on here:
Set Decor: The Hangover One crew member spent a week just gluing beer bottles together as part
of an effort to inject just the right amount of destruction and
debauchery into the film's bachelor party site.
For "The Hangover," a movie about a bachelor party gone a little too wild, set decorator Danielle Berman didn't have a lot to guide her when thinking about how to trash the hotel suite the partyers wake up to. "Not a lot was actually written" in the script, she says. "The scene was just described as 'the destroyed suite.' " The crew had two days to prepare the results of the debauchery. "We just had to think: These guys took a form of Ecstasy. What would they be obsessed about doing?" So, the crew built an extreme house of cards, tied sheets into a swing and attacked the furniture with a sword. One crew member spent a week gluing beer bottles together. Some blow-up dolls, believe it or not, were deemed too risqué. -- Patrick Kevin Day
Website Committee News
New Chairman Victor Zolfo and past Chairman Beth Wooke have put together a message of thanks (click link below) from the Website Committee to all members of the SDSA!
Committee members include Set Decor Magazine, Karen Burg (Editorial contributor), Michael-3D Mike-Sabga (Gallery), Joanne Baker, Ken Haber, Bryan Venegas (Calendar), Jon Danniells (Events), Jennifer Gentile (Membership & Amazon), Natalie Contreras (Subscriptions/Box Set sales) and Maria Lopez (Advertising). Interest in participating on this committee is always welcome! For information on anything to do with the website contact us at website@setdecorators.org
“Star Trek” set decorator John M. Dwyer
explains a device held by Captain Kirk (William Shatner). What do Hollywood stuntman Dick Ziker and set decorator John M. Dwyer have in common? They have both won Emmy Awards; they both worked on the films “Patriot Games,” “Terminator 2,” “Star Trek V” and “Jaws;” and they were both guests at the 2009 Fallbrook Film Festival’s round of Q&A sessions held at the Art Campus of Fallbrook. Linda Mandrayar of Bonsall also hosted a Q&A session, sharing her experiences as a filmmaker in India. Link below:
Set Decor: Frost / Nixon Here is a blogger that fell for the interiors of the movie "Frost / Nixon". She gives us a mention (click on Hot Off the Set for more in Set Decor) but also tracks down some additional images from several other sources. Susan Benjamin, SDSA is the Set Decorator. Check out her perspective by clicking below:
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "Lie To Me" sets decorated by Susan Benjamin, SDSA and Tracey Doyle, SDSA. See Spotlight on another of Susan Benjamin's projects "Frost/Nixon" from our archives (Click here)
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "Big Bang Theory" sets decorated by Ann Shea, SDSA. See Spotlight on another of Ann's shows "Two and a Half Men" from our archives (click here)
Set Decor: On the set of CW's "Privileged" Get the inside scoop from production designer, Rachel Kamerman, and set decorator, Claire Kaufman, SDSA about designing teen character Sage's new dreamy bedroom set. Needless to say, the duo had a ton of fun putting this Palm Beach "It-Girl" abode together, but the duo also wants their viewers to know that the look is not all about expense. Lots of great photos to view and get details on from the blog "Set Envy"!
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "Rules of Engagement" coming back this spring. Sets are beautifully decorated by Jerie Kelter, SDSA. See Spotlight on Jerie from last summer (click here)
Tax incentives finally come to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former movie actor, has been trying for years to get tax credits to keep California's signature industry at home.
He got his wish early Thursday when the Legislature approved tax credits for film and television productions as part of an economic stimulus provision of the new state budget.
Good Morning America: Rosemary Brandenburg Rosemary Brandenburg is interviewed on the "Good Morning America" show as part of their build up to the Oscars. Great coverage of what a set decorator does. Click link below for video.
David Strick's Hollywood Backlot takes his camera back stage of the filming of "United States of Tara" a new Showtime series decorated by Beth Wooke, SDSA
BAFTA Awards 2009
Congratulations to SDSA members Victor Zolfo "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Debra Schutt "Revolutionary Road" on your recent BAFTA Production Design/Set Decoration Nominations! For a complete list of all nominees:
Apartment Therapy LA blog, just loves the show "Pushing Daises" and has many pictures from the show to illustrate details! Halina Siwolop, SDSA is the set decorator.
Interior Design: Mae brunken
Our own SDSA board member and fellow set decorator, Mae Brunken, has a successful interior design business to keep her busy (!!) between set decor jobs... She has been recently getting a lot of press for her restaurant and residential design jobs and here is a link from April 2008 of H-Magazine (a Los Angeles based art and culture magazine) as well as, the new Angeleno Interiors magazine November 2008. Check it out:
Set Decor: EMMY AWARDS
Congratulations SDSA Members Susan Eschelbach-How I met Your Mother, Ron Franco-Heroes, Amy Wells-Mad Men, Halina Siwolop-Pushing Daisies, Archie D'Amico-Ugly Betty, and Daryn Reid Goodall-Mad TV, on your Emmy Award Nominations in the category of Best Art Direction. Click here for complete list of nominees:
Set Decor: Lost
Due to an unforeseen family situation, Carol Bayne Kelley, SDSA will be taking a short leave of absence from the show "Lost" as their set decorator. In the meantime, Julieann Getman, SDSA will replace Carol on the hit TV show while production takes place on the island of Oahu, Hawaii over the next 4 months. For more information on the show "Lost", be sure to check out the website link below for fan widgets, videos, episodes and more. They have been nominated for 2 Emmys, congrats!
With Emmy buzz and secrets galore, it's a 'Mad' world ...Amy Wells is the set decorator for "Mad Men" and, like her boss, series creator Matthew Weiner, a fanatic for authenticity, down to minute details unlikely to be noticed on television...
TV: The cast of TNT 'Saving Grace' talk second season
"...We were all sitting together in Grace’s living room, a set filled to the rafters with an eclectic mix of House of Blues-tinged southern funk, sixties and seventies kitsch and earthy artwork and objects that reflected the disorganized, Bohemian tastes of Grace. “This is all the work of Richard Walker,” explained Holly Hunter as she swept her arm around the room, from the fireplace where I sat to the kitchen dishes stacked in the sink, beer bottles and stubbed out cigarettes filling each circa 1960’s California potteries colorful ashtrays. “He’s a genius set decorator.”
TV: Visiting 'Mad Men' set a trip back to the 60's "...It was like stepping into a time machine and being swept back to the days of Formica countertops, Lucky Strikes and bourbon lunches. This show's elaborate set design is a perfect example of how essential detail and careful research are to conveying a specific era and mindset..." Amy Wells, SDSA, is featured in this article:
Got Press?
Have you been featured in the NY Times, the LA Times, the London Times, the Skokee Times? Have you ever googled your show and found a blog going on and on about a set you decorated for TV or Film? Has a national (or local) magazine ever featured your set decor? If so, let us know, and we will do our best to link the blog, the forum, the news, the PRESS! We always love to read about anything to do with Set Decoration -and business members this includes you, as well...so don't be bashful, and send us or email us your news to website (at) setdecorators.org.
Sex and the City a must-see for deco hounds For fashionistas and deco hounds, some movies are a must-see. Two years ago, it was The Devil Wears Prada, while this summer it's Sex and the City. These movies hold up a mirror and often poke fun at the trends that we take so seriously. Remember Meryl Streep with her power handbags? Yes, the plots are fun and the acting amusing, but really, we are going to see the clothes, the sets and the styling.
Gayle Anderson from KTLA interviews Live! Gayle Anderson was live in Beverly Hills to take a look at the FREE exhibit that features the home library of an action hero, the bedroom of a mother-to-be and the office of a police chief will be among the installations celebrating the set decorator's art. Click on the Iron man, The Mummy and Spiderwick videos at the bottom of this link to view interviews with all the set decorators involved with the AMPAS Exhibition.
'Iron Man,' 'Baby Mama' and more: Exhibit showcases set decorators "PULLING Back the Drapes," a new exhibition at the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences' Fourth Floor Gallery, looks to shed some
light on an individual who is instrumental in breathing
three-dimensional life into the two-dimensional realm of the movies:
the set decorator.
"The set decorator is the person
who comes in and gives layer and depth and personality, so that actors
in that set will be sitting in the right type of furniture and interact
with objects that connect to their characters and help them build their
characters."
"As a compulsive moviegoing, dvd-obsessed, want-to-be film buff, I have come to the following conclusion: In almost every film, even the realistic, gritty types, there is at least one character with amazing digs. And more often than not, this character is the starving artist, or the wayward 20-something who calls a converted mattress factory (complete with a spiral staircase) home..."
LoftLife Magazine picks their top movie sets that include SDSA member decorated lofts such as Susan Bode-Tyson' "Unfaithful", Leslie frankenheimer' "Blade Runner", George Detitta' "New York Stories", Sandy Reynolds-Wasco' "Bottle Rocket", among others:
SDSA: Big Sunday
“Big Sunday” was different for a small group of SDSA members than it was for most people who volunteered to paint, fix, organize, build and plant all over LA County. Pam and Jim Elyea at “History for Hire” were asked to host a “Day with the Set Decorators” for teenagers from several shelters. SDSA members Laura Richarz, Corri Levelle, Nya Patrinos, Chris Champagne and Daryn Goodall were joined by shopper Janna Crawford, we gave several tours, talked about the craft of Set Decoration, shared war stories, demonstrated the tools of the trade and answered a thousand questions. A group of girl scouts arrived early to set up, stayed late to clean up and served pizza in the middle of the day. All in all, it was a great day. Special thanks to Fleur Nooyan for getting the SDSA connected with this special event(s)! For more information on "Big Sunday" events click on their website:
Community Outreach: L.A. Goal
The Community Outreach Committee of the SDSA supports the charity L.A. Goal. The Executive Director of L.A. Goal, Petite Konstantin, was interviewed by the Today Show about their book "Disabled Fables" and the artists that illustrated it. To learn more about the amazing work that L.A. Goal provides please click on the website below and be sure to watch the video linked there. Their book, which raises funds for their organization, is available at Amazon.com.
“EVEN WHAT NEVER APPEARS IN THE FRAME CAN INFLUENCE THE ACTOR’S PERFORMANCE, SO IT ALL COUNTS. IT ALL HAS TO BE TRUTHFUL, OR AT LEAST TRUTH-Y.”
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco is one of the most accomplished set decorators in Hollywood. Over the years, and nearly
always in collaboration with her husband, the renowned art director and
production designer David Wasco, she has worked on a long list of
A-list, iconic films, including nearly everything Wes Anderson and
Quentin Tarantino have done. She is also one of the leading experts on
postwar modernism... link to article below:
Set Decor: The 40 year old virgin "Set decorator K.C. Fox found herself logging hundreds of hours browsing comic book conventions, flea markets, vintage toy and movie memorabilia stores and scouring eBay for some of the hard-to-find collectibles..."
Movie Sets Set Up in Academy Gallery Beverly Hills, CA — The home library of an action hero, the bedroom of a mother-to-be and the office of a police chief will be among the installations celebrating the set
decorator’s art in “Pulling Back the Drapes: Set Decoration Revealed,”
a new exhibition opening on Friday, May 16, in the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences’ Fourth Floor Gallery in Beverly Hills.
Local 44
For those of us who may have been affected by the writers strike and potential SAG strike, Local 44 has posted a page on their website with helpful financial aid links to support it's struggling members. The website www.local44.org also is a great source for news about the strikes and impact on it's members. Remember, if you are a member, you can post a resume, get lists of productions in development, and get information on current productions for possible employment leads.
Set Decor: 1-800-autopsy LA Times newspaper featured a great story on SDSA Business member, 1-800-autopsy, and his thriving studio rental business morgueproprentals.com which started of all things from a previous living as the Deputy Field Investigator for Los Angeles County coronor's office. Check out the link or the pdf below:
Set Decor: Public Enemies
Columbus, Ohio, is one of many locations being shot for "Public Enemies" a Michael Mann-directed film about the life of the
notorious bank robber John Dillinger. It will star Johnny Depp and
Christian Bale.
...In preparation for next week's filming, street lights have been removed
and lines were taken off curbs. Fake walls are in place to show off 20
cent packs of cigarettes, old-fashion hats and dresses, and even
appliances that were used back in the day...
Set Decor: Miss Pettigrew The Satin and Silk world of "Miss Pettigrew" is featured in The Los Angeles Times. SDSA Member, Katie Spencer is the Set Decorator for the feature film.
Production Designer Voted Honorary Academy Award
Legendary production designer Robert Boyle has been voted an
Honorary Academy Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
An honorary Oscar is given out each year, but the last time a Production Designer or Art Director received this award was 1939, when William Cameron Menzies was so honored.
The award, an Oscar®
statuette, will be given to Boyle at the 80th Academy Awards®
presentation on February 24, 2008, “in recognition of one of cinema’s
great careers in art direction.”
Attached below is a letter from Jeannine Oppewall highlighting Mr. Boyle's distinguished career:
British Academy Awards Congratulations to SDSA Member Katie Spencer for your BAFTA award for Set Decoration on the movie Atonement. For a complete list of nominees click on the link below:
Set Decor: There will be Blood
Canadian and SDSA Member, Jim Erickson is profiled in this article about his life, his garden, and his nomination for an Academy Award on There Will Be Blood.
...Hollywood first noticed set decorator Jim Erickson when he helped send killer robots after Tom Selleck in the 1984 Vancouver-filmed sci-fi thriller Runaway...
The Show Must Go On! SDSA Members help at the office during the strike...
While the strike goes on with the WGA, many members of the SDSA have used their sudden "free time" to volunteer around the office. Today members Beth Wooke, Rosemary Brandenburg (& Valentino!), Gene Cane, Daryn Reid Goodall, Dan Schultz and Joanne Baker came in to clean up the email lists and to generally help with whatever they could. Members are encouraged to update their free listing on the website, add resumes, and upload photographs while waiting for the storm to clear... If you can volunteer any of your time or have questions, please contact the office at 323-462-3060. (Ken Haber took the photograph attached below)
Jim Mees on decorating Star Trek Jim Mees, SDSA talks on camera (with sets from Star Trek: The Next Generation) about what a Set Decorator does
and the particular challenges of designing decorations and furniture
for the world of Star Trek. In this exclusive interview, Jim talks about how he creates the look
and feel of both human and alien worlds as well as some of the
challenges he has overcome to accomplish this. Click on link below to view video:
Set Decor: There will be Blood
LA Times featured an extensive article on the filming of "There Will Be Blood" in the location of the Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles. SDSA Member Jim Erickson is the Set Decorator and quoted in the article linked below. If you are asked to "log in" to LA Times, it is free, but you can view also by clicking on the attached pdf:
Production workers urge end to strike
Hair and makeup artists, set decorators, grips, prop specialists and hundreds of others who work in television and film production marched through the heart of Hollywood on Sunday morning urging an end to the 5-week-old writers strike. Click on LA Times article below:
Diary of a Set Decorator
On the Architectural Digest magazine website BEYOND AD, we get a chance to spend the day with SDSA Set Decorators Erica Rogalla, Cloudia Rebar, Ann Shea and Ellen Brill on the sets of TV shows "Desperate Housewives", "24", "Two and 1/2 Men" and TV pilot "Marlowe". Click on link below, then on the tab The Design Scene (Top Left), then click on Diary of a Set Decoratorto read all three fantastic bios!
Chris Spellman, who has worked as a set decorator and production designer on films and TV shows, including Superbad, Freaks and Geeks, Magnolia, Grosse Pointe Blank, Knocked Up, The Man Who Wasn't There and the upcoming Pineapple Express is interviewed for an interesting Podcast-linked below.
The movie mostly discussed is The Big Lebowski.
THE AMC drama "Mad Men," which paints a gin-soaked, cigarette-stained,
ulcer-inducing picture of Manhattan's advertising industry circa 1960,
is a period-perfect re-creation of the past, colored by the emerging
trends of the present: When those hard-driving executives leave their
masculine Modern office suites, they go home to the feminine Colonial
Revival homes of suburbia.
Set Decorator Ellen Brill on Nip/Tuck's Move to LA
With a major move in the works for season 5, nip/tuck set decorator Ellen Brill, SDSA was given the chance to create an entirely new look for the hit FX show. She recently took time to speak with MediaBlvd Magazine and other publications about her work and some of what she has been doing for the new season.
Sex and the City
HBO has a detailed look at each of the main characters homes in the show "Sex and the City" and interviews Production Designer Jeremy Conway. SDSA members Karin Weisel and Ondine Karady decorated that show over the 6 seasons it ran on TV.
Deadwood
HBO has a detailed look at each of the main characters homes, saloons, and other unique locations (that take place in the 1800's) on the show "Deadwood" and interviews Production Designer Maria Caso. Ernie Bishop was the set decorator. Click on any building and it will take you to an inside look at the design choices.
BUSINESS MEMBER DIRECTORY FALL 2007
Print out a current copy of the Business Member Directory today for your productions. A quick reference for when out decorating your sets and on the go. (Accountants love having a copy for setting up accounts!)
Click on "Decorator Resources" on the left hand side to get your current copy. While you are there, check out various business listings and take advantage of direct links to their websites!
Mad Men
This blog discusses the amazing sets of AMC Network show "Mad Men" decorated with authenticity by SDSA member Amy Wells. Links to videos are also provided.
Grey's Anatomy
The Art (!) in the show "Grey's Anatomy" even gets noticed and heavily discussed in this blog. Karen Bruck, SDSA member is the Set Decorator for that popular show.
Richard Kurtz 1961-2007 The SDSA mourns the passing of business member Richard Kurtz, founder of kurtzunlimited. An SDSA member since 1998 Richard had been active in the organization including MarketPlace, both exhibiting and serving on the planning committee and supplying digital printing for The Secret Life of Sets at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He will be missed. Please check the kurtzunlimited website for further information
Press / News
