Set Decorator: Barbara Munch, SDSA
Production Designer: Bill Groom

Focus Features

Set Decorator Barbara Munch, SDSA on the set of Harvey Milk’s Apartment, for the much-lauded bio-pic MILK. The fringed chair and ottoman, like much of the film came about through a serendipitous moment. When walking around the corner from the set’s building, Munch saw a van pull up to a consignment store. She laughs, “So I ended up buying the chair out of the back of somebody’s van!” Munch had it reupholstered & fringed to anchor the bay window.

Several of the people depicted in the film actually took part in the paeanic filmmaking. Others who had known MILK brought photos and objects to share. Munch says, “I think we were all very much aware of who these people were and we all had special thoughts about them. It was important to us that they each had a completely different look, as far what their environments were—we wanted to be very careful to make sure that their personalities showed in their living environments and in their working environments.”

“We had to be on our toes with logistics and I couldn’t have had a better crew, my lead John Micheletos and gang boss Louis Visco – they were just wonderful. Always being there, and always on time…we had a small window of time everywhere we were, steep hills and a tightly congested city to negotiate trucks through…with a 3 page list of over 90 sets. It was just a lot. All the little vignettes mattered, too, because everything had to be period correct.”

Producer Michael London affirms, “Bill, Barbara, Charlie, [Production Designer Bill Groom, Set Decorator Barbara Munch SDSA, Art Director Charlie Beale] and the crew did the best kind of work – not showing off, but helping everyone live inside that world.”

[For more on the making of MILK click on SET DECOR-top left menu- and download the Winter 2009 issue]