Looking for a new perspective? Here we talk to more of the top professionals in the field to bring you the latest career advice!
When it comes to making a film or TV set feel like a real space, there’s a lot to consider. Not only does that audience need to be drawn into a real world, but the actors also need to believe they’re somewhere realistic to make their performances believable. Sets and locations are a team effort, designed, built, and crafted by many crew members, especially set dressers like Laura Collins.
A set dresser who works in the greens department—her specialty is everything from large landscapes to the house plants that may appear onscreen—Collins has worked on films like “1917,” “Jurassic World,” and “Wonder Woman.”
Wondering what it takes to create the look of a set? Collins spoke to Backstage about her career and offered advice for following this career path.
What does a set dresser do?
A set dresser’s job is to decorate a set to a given brief depending on department. I work for the greens department, so the team provides landscaping and groundworks as well as dressing and decorating sets with plants and trees, both live and artificial. As a dresser specifically, my job is more aesthetic than functional; I have to create certain looks to bring a set to life.
The work that I do provides actors with a space that feels authentic to the story and I hope that the impact would be that they can get into the mind of their characters more easily. For example, building a live jungle for “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” provides a world that the characters would be in rather than the backlot of a film studio or blue screen.
What’s your process when approaching a new project?
If I’m starting on a job from the beginning rather than joining halfway through (the company I work for usually has more than one film job going at any given time so it’s not rare to jump from one to another), the team will go through all the work we have and sets we’re going to be involved with over the coming months. We’re often given concept artwork as a guide so we can think about what plants and trees or landscaping tasks are required. It’s very much a team environment so we’re able to put forward ideas for achieving tasks and looks. We often make sample work for the production designer and director to come and view, then we receive feedback and make any requested changes before embarking on the task of creating the onscreen world.
What training do you have? What training does someone need to become a set dresser?
Apart from my film and television degree, I have no further training for my job which is the same as most of the other dressers I work with. The job doesn’t really require specific qualifications. It’s more about having a keen interest in plants and having an artistic eye and passion for the job. As with many roles in the film industry, it’s more about who you know than what you know so networking is key.
How + Why You Need to Build Your Crew Network What is a day on set like for you?
We have morning briefings with the whole team about what we have to achieve that day and how we’re dividing into smaller teams to do different tasks. We then go off in our teams for the day, whether that be out on location, out collecting materials, prepping materials in the workshops, or dressing on set. Every day in my job is different; there’s so much variation from day-to-day. For example, we could go from removing artificial cherry blossom heads from their stalks to attach onto a real tree to achieve a springtime bloom to digging holes in the ground for burying plant pots so the greenery appears to have grown in a place naturally to astroturfing a stage floor to look like an American football pitch! No two days are the same.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hours can be very demanding at times. Our standard day is 10 hours, but if we’re working with the shooting crews, the overtime can be quite intense: pre-calls as early as 4 a.m. and weekend work can sometimes mean we work seven days a week. You have to be prepared to cancel on your friends and family regularly and with little to no notice if sets need to be finished. Also having areas that you’ve dressed changed multiple times can be disheartening. Designers often change their minds, so once you’ve finished, sometimes a whole space has to be altered to a different idea. It’s all part of the artistic process! But once it’s all done and everyone is happy, the job satisfaction is very fulfilling.
Want to Make Film Locations Come to Life? The ‘1917’ Location Manager Has Some Advice Do you have advice for someone’s first day on the job?
Arrive on time with a great attitude and be ready to take on any job given to you. I think finding a balance between initiative and listening to what is being asked of you is key. Be confident to offer any ideas you have and show you’re thinking about the best ways to do things, but also listen to the experienced team around you and take what’s suggested. Having a basic tool kit is also a plus!
What advice would you give aspiring set dressers?
Be open-minded toward all opportunities that arise, work hard, and be flexible. When I started my career I always tried to be the “yes” person: yes to later hours and weekend work, etc. Show an employer your commitment, even to the tasks that may seem meaningless. If you want to get into the greens department as a dresser, plant knowledge is always helpful, and studying natural environments to see how things grow will help when you recreate them for the screen.
Are there any films that inspire your work or you wish you’d worked on?
In terms of greens dressing, I really would have loved to work on “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. I know a few people who did and it would have been something that I really would have liked to be a part of; lots of forests and fantasy-based work. I also would have loved to work on “The Virgin Suicides” by Sofia Coppola. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. A heartfelt story, a great cast, and I love Coppola’s style! She’s one of my favorite directors.
Want to learn more about working on a film crew? Visit Backstage’s crew hub!