SDSA Glee Field Trip

Set Decorators Society of America

"Day with the Set Decorator"

Field Trip Review

Whether you love it, hate it, or just can't make up your mind everyone has heard of the phenomenon that has become Glee. What you probably do not know about Glee and all your favorite television shows is that behind the scenes there is a set decorator devoting their life to creating an entire world for the characters to live in with only a few walls and a short period of time making sure that every set is perfect down to the last name plate on Sue Sylvester's trophy.

The first stop on our trip was at the Hollywood Studio Gallery. This gallery houses a huge selection of artwork that is used as props in various television shows and movies. We were taken on the tour by the President of SDSA and set decorator for the show True Blood. He took us to the many rooms of the prop house filled with paintings from floor to ceiling with art varying from a portrait of a U.S. Senator to Van Gogh's famous sunflowers. He explained to us that each piece of art or photography in the Hollywood Studio has gone through the process of being cleared to be shown on television or in the movies. It is critical that each piece must go through the proper paperwork in order to avoid lawsuits that can potentially hold up the release of a show or movie. Touring the Hollywood Studio Gallery gave me much more respect for set decorators who not only have to design the set but also take into consideration what can actually be used on screen. There is so much more that goes into the finished product that we as viewers watch on T.V.

Prop Services West is a prop house that specifies in furniture. Here we were taken on a tour of their warehouse where there were tables, chairs, and sofas stacked on shelving units filling the showroom with every type of furniture you can imagine. The most interesting part of this stop was a presentation by a set decorator who explained the history of Hollywood sets and how they have changed over the years. Areas where some of the most famous movies were shot in sets are now grocery stores or places where hookers can be found. Show business is ever changing and hearing about what old Hollywood was like from someone from the inside was fascinating.

Now to the main event: the set of Glee. Glee is filmed at Paramount Studios. Entering Paramount the most iconic studio in Hollywood was a privilege in itself, but once inside Paramount we were even luckier to be taken into Stage 14 to tour the sets of Glee. Going into this experience I thought they would show us a few sets and we would be on our way, but I was pleasantly surprised that we were going to tour every set. Each set had a docent ranging from shows like All My Children to Melissa & Joey there to tell us a little bit of information about the sets. The first set we were taken to was Rachel's bedroom, which was one of my favorites. Every little detail in this set was completely thought out with the character of Rachel Berry in mind, from the broadway posters on every wall to the notebook of "future acceptance speeches" this room was definitely the room of a Broadway diva in training. Next we moved onto Mr. Schuester's apartment which happens to be right across the hallway from Rachel's bedroom. The Schuester apartment includes the living room, dining room, and kitchen shown on the show. The most interesting part of his apartment was Mr. Schuester's desk. It is a simple desk tucked away in the corner, but I think it shows everything the set decorating profession is about. There were Spanish books stacked with a book titled "How to be Divorced" with a few graded papers scattered next to a "to do" list of "make set list for sectionals" and "grocery shopping." I just loved this little desk because it showed how much detail a set decorator puts into designing a set for a character. They care about every little detail in order to make the character's space believable. The desk represented how set decorating is truly their passion.

McKinley High is spread out over Stage 14, but as you walk through the various sets it actually has the feeling of a real high school. We were taken to the library, cafeteria, teacher's lounge, and every teacher's office. The McKinley High hallway was one of my favorite sets. As I walked down the hallway I couldn't help but think how many of my favorite scenes were shot there like the many times Glee members have been slushied in that hallway or when Rachel performed the overdramatic"Run Joey Run" song and the list can go on. From the hallway you can see a glimpse of the choir room and being in that choir room seeing the chairs the cast sits in, the piano, and the huge Cheerios trophy that sits in the room providing a backdrop for the cast of Glee to perform spectacular performances in over and over again was a surreal moment.

Seeing all the sets collectively also gave me much more respect for the actors as well. Every set has fly walls which means that they can be taken apart easily if the cameras need more space. There are no hard ceilings on the set, only soft muslin sheets over the top. The sets look real on television but standing in them is a whole different feeling. They have a hollow, disjointed feeling which is exactly what is needed to shoot a great show, but it made me think how an actor must adapt to the set in order to make the scene successful in this very exposed space. Whether the scene is fun and playful or serious and somber the actor must perform accordingly. This is why I think that the attention to detail is important to making the scene look real. The small details of a picture on the wall or a memo on a bulletin board can make the actor feel more at home in the space because this is where their character lives and interacts. So much more goes into the one hour show that we see on T.V., and I now know how many people must work together as a team to make the show successful.

Lastly, we were taken to Stage 12 where an exact replica of the auditorium from a school in Long Beach where Glee previously would shoot on location is now right across the way from the McKinley set. We were told it costs about $100,000 for the show to go on location for one day making it more cost effective to just build the auditorium. That's show business for you. The set decorator, art director, costume designer, and two set dressers of Glee were available for question and answer after the tour. It is crazy to think that for each show there is one set decorator. I believe in this case the set decorator, Barbara Munch had three weeks to make the set of Glee which is a feat itself. She explained that set decorators are sometimes given a script to go off of to build a set and sometimes they have nothing. It is an extremely time consuming and difficult job but definitely one of the most rewarding to see the finished product and to be apart of the small society of successful set decorators in Hollywood. All in all it was an amazing field trip giving us a small insight into the life of set decorator. I will never watch television the same knowing the time and effort that has been spent on minute details by a fantastic set decorator never seen on the screen, and I will without a doubt be a Gleek for life.

Charlene, Sevanna, Cheri, and I at Paramount