3 Ways To Make A Movie Set

The setting. This includes the time period, geography, and ambiance. Crucial background props. What props are named in the script? What parts of the scene do the character need to interact with (a TV, an oven, the blinds, etc. )? The mood of the script. Comedic and light? Dark and serious? Somewhere in between? This will profoundly impact your color choices. How many characters will need to fit into the space. If it is too big, the actors can be swallowed by the space, but if it is too small it will be awkward to film in. Remember, you can also use space size as a stylistic or symbolic element. Will the location need to be designed from the ground up (like a spaceship) or can they be adapted from pre-set locations, such as a house?[1] X Research source

Any tone, mood, or theme he/she wants to keep. Any color palettes that should remain consistent. The movie The Fall, for example, uses deep, contrasting primary colors to distinguish its locations and characters. [2] X Research source The budget. How much money do you have on props and set decoration? Extra props/furniture. Is there anything the character uses that isn’t in the script?

Photography. Create a small book of photos of props, locations, and rooms found online or in real life, then talk to the director about ways to redesign the rooms in the photos to fit the movie. You can also cut and paste photos together. Drawing. Simply sketch out the rooms on pencil and paper. You usually want a top down view of the set, listing all furniture, walls, doors, and windows, and a more artistic, cinematic drawing of the room. Other films. Pull up clips and shots from other movies you might want to emulate, then discuss how you’d change things to make them unique. Showing the director other movies can give a sense of how set design impacts the final film. [4] X Research source

Building a Set: This gives you full control over the set design. Usually, you build a 3-walled room, like a theater stage, then stock it will all of your props and designs. The camera crew then uses the space of the missing 4th wall to film. While the creative freedom is great, set building is expensive and takes a lot of time to get right. Shooting on Location: This is when you adapt a pre-existing location into a set. It is cheaper and faster, than set building, but comes with its own concerns. You must be sure you have permission to shoot there, and that the set won’t be altered or adapted while you’re not filming. You also need to be sure that actors, cameras, lights, and sound equipment can all fit, and you can make any changes necessary for the film.

Make sure you’ve called and checked if there are any fees to use existing locations as well.

The dimensions of the space. Whenever possible, make accurate measurements with a tape measure– there is a lot of film equipment you’ll need to fit in the set. Any fees or stipulations for the set. For example, you might be able to shoot in a public school classroom during the summer, but it will be nearly impossible to film in fall when all the students are back. What are the power capabilities of the set? You need to plug a lot of things in to make a movie. Hows the ambient sound? Will people be walking through the set, and is that okay for the script?

Where are the characters moving through the set? This is called blocking, and you should push the director to make a decision now so that you aren’t redesigning the set on the fly when shooting starts.

How can you get the illusion of depth in your set? What lines of perspective, furniture, and decorations will lead the eye to the most important prop/character in the scene?

How essential is a prop to a shot? If it is just a piece of background material you can often get away with a cheap, quick prop, as it will likely be blurred out anyway. Posters may help decorate a room, but they can also look cheap. Buying several inexpensive poster frames, however, can give the room a much more high-class feel. Make or buy one large centerpiece if you are on a budget. What is the focal point of the scene, and how can you make that as great a prop as possible? 90% of viewers will be focusing on that object the entire time, such as the couch two characters are sitting on. [6] X Research source

While you can think of many extravagant, complex sets (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Great Gatsby, Blade Runner, etc. ) these are not exceptions to the rule. Rather, the sets in these movies are made to fit a lush, extravagant, or chaotic script. Thus, they appear natural in the world of the movie.

This is done because a brand may not like how you use it in a movie. No toilet paper company, for example, want to see their product used by a serial killer to wipe up blood.

The cinematographer is also in charge of camera placement, meaning this is the time to work out crew placement and check how your scene looks at specific camera angles.

1 4x8’ sheet of Masonite. 5 pieces of 1"x3"x8’ wood for the frame. 1 4x8’ sheet of plywood for the jack, or base. Wood glue and a box of 1. 5" nails. [8] X Research source

Cut a third piece to this exact length as well and fit it into the middle. The whole frame It will resemble a classic two-part window frame when you are done.

Use two screws along each horizontal wooden part of the frame. This long piece in the center attaches your flat to the stand that will hold it up.

To make it easier to work, you can also use wood glue along the edge of the board before attaching the screws.