5 Things to Keep in Mind When Dressing a Set

When it comes to filmmaking, the devil really is in the details – and nowhere is this more apparent than set dressing. Crucial to a production’s success, a well-dressed set uses color, texture, pattern and various props and décor to create an immersive and authentic storytelling environment. 

Done right, it’s a nearly seamless element in the final product. Done wrong, and well… let’s just say, it stands out.

If you’re doing your own set dressing or just looking for a little more insight on the craft, then you’ve landed in the right place. Below, our friends in the art department explain what makes set dressing so important and what key elements should be top-of-mind.

Getting the Look

“There’s a saying in screenwriting: show don’t tell. I feel that set dressing amplifies this rule,” says Shane Richard, Art Director / Prop Master. “So much of who we are as people and what defines our character can be learned through not what we say, but how we keep ourselves and more specifically, our space.”

Simply put: environments provide context.

A well-dressed set helps audiences understand the mood, tone, and time of a scene, whether they’re watching a big-budget narrative film or a 30-second commercial. As a result, little details make a big impression.

“It’s important to have all the right things – maybe that’s a typewriter or a cellphone or a period-correct world map with accurate representations of the all countries as they existed at that time,” says Bay Area art director and prop master Andrew Lewis. “It’s so many details and if you’re good at your job, you look into them.”

1 - CHARACTER

The features of a set – and how they’re manipulated – can speak volumes about a character’s motives or state of mind. Seeing a flashy Wall Street exec come home to a drab apartment sends a subtle message to the audience, one that changes if the space is luxurious or cluttered.

“When dressing a set, you should always ask: does this fit the character?” says Shane. “How will these items help tell a story about the character? How does it help contextualize their motivations? If you ask yourself these questions, it will help tell the audience a story through subtext.”

Disregarding character can lead to generic-looking or disingenuous sets. How many times have you seen a teenager’s room conveyed as the same messy, colorful space with band posters on the wall? Sometimes it fits the character, but oftentimes it merely fits a caricature.

The same concept applies to commercial work. “You just treat the product like you would the main character,” says Shane. Consider what it does, why it’s important and why a viewer might want this specific product in their life. Then use the set dressing to help communicate that.

2 - COLOR

A key design element, color plays a critical role in conveying a particular aesthetic. Consider a film like Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, which takes place on the hottest day of the summer. Warm colors and earth tones seep into every setting, helping audiences feel the heat – as well as the rising tension throughout the story.

Sometimes a color palette is attached to a specific character, like a stuffy headmaster who’s always seen in and around shades of brown or an eccentric neighbor constantly being associated with busy, multi-colored patterns. These small visual cues can do a surprising amount of heavy lifting, revealing things to viewers in a totally unspoken way.

Just remember, color has the power to both reinforce and distract – so use it wisely. Placing a product against a poorly contrasting background can frustrate viewers as their eyes struggle to find focus. Use colors that play well together, or at least contrast in a visually pleasing way.

3 - CAMERA

“If the camera doesn’t see it, it doesn’t matter,” says Shane. “What matters is how your frame looks.”

That means, even if something doesn’t look quite right in the space – like, say, a crooked picture on the wall – it may look right on camera, based on the lens or angle. Similarly, if the camera won’t see something (or won’t see it up close), it’s important to know that before allocating set dressing resources.

For example, if a scene calls for a woman walking a baby stroller down the street, but it remains in the distant background, then the inside of that stroller doesn’t contribute to the story and doesn’t require much (if any) attention.

“But if we’re going to see it up close,” says Andrew, “then a real baby will be used, and I need to know how old that baby is and how many pounds it weighs. Is the stroller the right one? Does the baby have its own blanket? Toys? The details become important – and there’s a lot of details.”

4 - COMMUNICATION

Sometimes a specific prop or set element is too difficult to source, or a director decides they do want to show the entire room, not just a sliver of it through the doorway. The crew has special logistical needs, the client has budget requests and everyone has an opinion.

Good communication – and a willingness to compromise – ensures the art department can pivot gracefully and keep production on track.

“You have to ask questions,” stresses Andrew. If you picked up his copy of a script, he says you’d find copious notes scribbled in the margins. Piles of color-coded post-its help track who will be responsible for what on set, as well as which props belong where and when.

“Then we take notes, ask questions, have a meeting, ask more questions, have another meeting, right up until the day of filming,” he says. “And even then, the paint might still be wet because a change or last-minute request is made.”

As you can imagine, experienced set dressers and prop masters become very good at anticipating adjustments. At Kraken Cove, we’ve found the best art people to always be extremely over-prepared. If a script describes “a basket for bread rolls,” they not only bring an additional five options to set (beyond the previously-approved three), but also a few non-basket options, too - just in case. 

Planning ahead requires more sourcing on their part, as well as space, but since these items often can be returned or are already a part of their kit, it doesn’t have much impact on the overall budget.

5 - CONTINUITY

Due to scheduling, budget, location requirements and a myriad of other reasons, films are often shot out of order. Sometimes a reshoot is necessary, or the director realizes an additional scene would help the story. “Maybe a couch needs to be moved so the camera can get in there,” says Shane. “If the viewer is going to see it again, it must be dressed exactly how it was.”

This is where detailed notes and a sharp eye come in handy. “Continuity errors can really stand out to viewers,” says Andrew, who explains that it’s not just about mistakes between shots. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve noticed a 1930s gangster wearing a digital watch or heard a character exclaim they found a bullet while holding a shell casing.”

It’s worth noting that another part of art’s job is re-setting a location after a shoot takes place. That means, once a production wraps, these folks need to remember where every picture hung on an office wall or exactly how a family home had its books and knickknacks arranged. They often take all sorts of photos before anything gets moved to ensure they can return a location to its original baseline.

Good set dressing requires a good team. It’s a lot of problem-solving – and more than a fair bit of juggling – but Shane and Andrew both admit that’s what they like most.

From chasing down a specific prop to blocking out an entire stadium’s worth of advertisements (seriously), everyday is different for these guys and so are the tools at hand. One day, Shane’s wielding a tape measure and the next, “I’m filling balloons full of blood to throw at a character,” he says laughing. “It’s always something different.”