Running With Scissors

Yum...stylish imagery. When I watch TV, I like to see commercials for their styling. Things in the background capture my attention: the wallpaper, the lamp, the telephone, the house that was plucked from the pages of Dwell, whatever. Many times these commercials are probably not working in the way intended because I often miss the message completely: I mean, I don't remember if it was a cellphone or credit card commercial. All I remember is that cool 1970s clock in the background. (If anything, these commercials send me straight over to eBay instead.)

The same thing happens when I watch films--except I really pay attention to the story. My multi-tasking brain gladly works overtime: my ear digests dialogue, my brain covers plot, and my eye harvests visual inspiration. No doubt, film is such a rich source of inspiration. Whenever I see the trailer for Running with Scissors or Marie Antoinette, they certainly appear to be films I'd watch repeatedly for imagery, regardless of the storyline. What a treat to be the set decorator (which sounds like an awesome job to have) or costumer for these films!

And isn't that wallpaper with the scissors at the end (above) so very Dan Funderburgh? It brought to mind his carcinogenic wallpaper (below).

Comments

[Jessica]

that wallpaper is too cool!

[trish]

check out "Lucky # Slevin" for another great wallpaper flick.

[meg]

yes, trish...i've been meaning to watch that movie!

[Carson]

Hi there
Just discovered your blog.
I'm a set/production designer, which means I design sets for theatre and film etc.
I mostly teach set design now.
And while it does seem an 'awesome' job, and it is true that the work is varied..like any job there's a lot more than meets the eye.
Like any job it has its fair share of dry-as-dust technicalities, tedious paperwork, endless documentation and people management (with more than its fair share of managing huge egos), usually ridiculous deadlines, schedules and budget responsiblities which strain everyone to the max.

You get the occasional 1/2 hour here and there where you can have a giggle over wallpaper swatches but like so many other design paths ..it's mostly "meat n potatoes" with the occasional "treat".