Making a Tex-Mex Joint an Art Deco Bar

When I was the Production Designer* on a silly web series "Put it On the Table" and one of the challenges we were given was to transform a contemporary Tex-Mex restaurant into an Art Deco vibe.

I'm proud of finding that sconce lamp and think it really made this shot. 

Now I love Art Deco period design. like LOVE. As in, I'm a member of the LA and NYC Art Deco Societies, go to the annual Jazz Age Lawn Party, (so in other words I'm a little nuts) and my dream is to work on a period piece film or TV series set in the era. 

Considering this, it was both a fun challenge and a frustrating experience to work with a micro-budget to capture the essence of the Art Deco aesthetic (the era in which Monopoly was designed) on a set that wasn't suppose to be a faithful and historic Art Deco interior but rather a surrealistic and disjointed fever dream suggestion of the Art Deco aesthetic. 

Additionally, the location they found for us to use for these shots was a Tex-Mex restaurant and we would have 20-30 min to dress the set in between other scenes shot there. 

Considering this, I think we got the job done for under $30:

*I mean I was Production Designer, Set Decorator, Set Dresser, Props, and On-Set....you know for these small things you are basically the whole Art Department.  In this case it was my talented friend Eimi Imanashi and I who were the Art Department for the whole shoot. 

Searching for the Perfect Cake

I love nothing more than being on a quest for that *perfect* item (which is why I find Set Decorating work so fun). And once I'm on the hunt it is hard to temper that impulse to check "just one more store."

Sometimes you have to go through a lot of options (see the range of options I scouted above) until you find that perfect one that the Production Designer (in this case Angelique Clark) had in mind.

and we all know *perfect* means available right away, right size, and good price

you can watch the whole funny promo spot for Odd Mom Out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dioLWF6oLL4

Decoration of Spaces and Meaning

My friend recently posted a longread from Slate magazine about gay identity. 

One thing that really jumped out at me in the article (in relation to this blog) is the intro which discusses decoration of interior spaces in relation to gay identity quoting some notable writers. 

I've pasted below the interesting snippets about the function of decoration in spaces and their meaning.

““The apartment treated as a stage set—dramatically lit, designed to be taken in all at once and from the entrance,” Edmund White wrote in his road-trip survey of American gay life in the late 1970s, “remains a gay apartment, whether the décor is high camp or high tech, cluttered comfort or austere emptiness.”

Less than a decade later, the writer and director Neil Bartlett observed of English gay spaces: “Our rooms are not decorated to announce our occupation or our family status; they are not really ‘domestic’ interiors. They need reflect nothing but the tastes of their owner, the pleasure he takes in his life, his ability to choose and arrange his possessions.” ”

— http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2015/05/can_you_be_homosexual_without_being_gay_the_future_of_cruising_drag_and.html

Gems FROM Adventures in Shopping

Sometimes sorting through piles and masses of junk to find that perfect gem is all you need.  For me, the promise of finding those gems is what keeps me going. 

 The one find that I'm still coming down from my shopping discovery high over:

Gangsta dolphins with swagger and bling and a treasure chest of gold on a towel? YES!

The Whole World Cardboard Electronic Props

One of my favorite things about this job is uncovering whole worlds and industries I didn't know existed before.  

This afternoon it is the world of cardboard electronic props. 

That's a completely fake cardboard computer for film and tv sets or consumer displays. 

The cool thing about small industries like this, is one phone call and a chatty person, and you know everything about the industry. 

But if you want to really learn about the history and intrigue of this industry read up here (of course I read that article with much interest)

Still getting over there are people making fortunes producing fake TV's and microwaves out of cardboard. 

oh and on my quest I came across these other specialty computer props (hilarious to me, because of course in this day and age dolls need computers too!) 

Broad City Season 3

today was an exciting day as I started as part of the Art Department team as the Set Decorating assistant/PA (the only non-union position on the Art Dept team). 

so so so thrilled to be working with such a great Art Department team on such an importantly clever, feminist, and funny show. 

the view from the Art Department production offices. 

Food Styling from 1937

(screenshot from my laptop via Netflix, no way around the menu showing up a little bit)

I recently watched the 1937 classic film A Star is Born for the first time. 

One of the things that struck me was this shot of the main character Esther/Vicki holding a platter of food (when she was doing a gig as a catering waitress).

This is food styling in 1937! Totally different aesthetic from today's splattered ever so casually on a rustic piece of wood aesthetic.  

Also the parsley falling out of the orange (looking a bit like pacman) is very amusing to me. 

You can watch the whole movie on Youtube because it is now a public domain film. 

And when you're done you can also read the original film review from 1937 (the film debuted in NYC) and see if you agree. 

Aerial Lift/Genie Boom Training

training to operate and drive these

recently joined the certified aerial lift training so I can apply to Local 52. Luckily set decorators never really have to use these on the job cause it was slightly terrifying being 10 ft in the air in these circumstances.  though now I notice them all around the city and feel like I have even more common with construction workers than ever. 

co-training classmate Gillian (a sound mixer) took this of me while we were in the air. you can see the trepidation in my profile.