Realistic Homes - Set

When creating a set for any film or theatrical endeavor, the main goal of the set designers, builders, painters and decorators should be to make it look as realistic as possible. There are many ways to go about doing this, from studying two storey house designs for the right layout and square footage in your set, to building mini models of the finished product that can help the team visualize any changes or improvements that need to be made to ensure a realistic outcome.

The era and geographic location that your play, movie or television show is set in will play a large part in determining what the final set will look like. This requires a bit of research on the part of the set designer, to see what homes were like in the time and location in which the story takes place. For instance, if you are trying to recreate current Poughkeepsie NY homes, a field trip to one of these homes should provide you with all of the information and inspiration that you may need to design an authentic set.

Furthermore, if the scene is set in the Victorian era, collecting furnishings from local antique dealers to decorate the set will enhance its believability, and help you to recreate the inside of a Victorian home the way it would have looked in those days, complete with oil-burning lamps on the tables and cloth diapers in the cupboard. Often it is these little extra touches that add to the authenticity of the set and create a believable setting for your Victorian characters. Finding a skilled set decorator can make or break your attempt at creating a realistic setting that is true to the era in which your piece is set.

It is important not to overlook anything in the set that will be captured on film, or seen by a member of the audience. For example, if we stick with the above example of a Victorian-period piece, it will obviously not enhance the reality of your set to have a modern bathroom vanity in the lavatory of your set. If you are unable to find an antique vanity for the set, perhaps you should scrap the prop all together, since this modern addition will not work with the rest of your Victorian recreation. Finding the right set piece is not always easy, but it is better to leave something out than to put something on the set that clashes with the implied time period. Viewers will be quick to spot these incongruities, so it is important to keep a keen eye on anything that is going into the set design and decoration.

Other sets that can be just as challenging as recreating a home include outdoor venues, or businesses, such as a post card printing company or a coffee shop. These sets require the same amount of research and attention to detail as recreating a home, and can be just as authentic as the real thing if these are done successfully.