The Set From Hell began with an idea and a pitch that blossomed into a series of 3 episodes. As the Production Designer I was in charge of organizing the art department and the set design for all of the episodes, however, I will only focus on episodes 2 and 3. These 2 episodes not only showcased my set building skills, designs, and prop usage the most out of all the episodes, but were also my favorite to watch. In the beginning of pre-production I first delegated tasks to my art assistants, making one of them the Prop Master, in order to research different props to source, and finding broken equipment. 

I then went over the different creative ideas I came up with (the photos to the right) and shared them with my assistants, as well as the Makeup Artist, in order to come up with a feasible plan to execute our ideas: by researching ways to squirt blood without a squib, how to discreetly protect the flooring from blood, and finding proshetics to use. I took the ideas I heard from the pitch and found photos on Pinterest that I thought would be the most fitting for the genre and theme of the series. This then led to a group discussion with the rest of the crew in order to make a cohesive project that was viable for everyone. 

The production of Set From Hell didn’t start off on a smooth sailing, due to changes of the script at the last minute. Therefore, the first day was a bit chaotic and confusing. Also, the days following weren’t smooth either because I essentially ended up doing most of the manual labor by myself. I moved chairs, tables, pews, a piano, as well as crew members’ and actors' belongings from one side of the room to the next, every 5 to 10 minutes due to inconsistencies and unorganized plans. 

Although many crew members saw me struggling by myself and were eager to help, I essentially did mostly everything by myself. My assistants were either too preoccupied helping the Makeup Artist, who had 2 to 3 assistants already, or nowhere to be found when things needed to be moved and changed quickly. However, they did help with laying down the tarp when needed and cleaning blood throughout the shoot. Unfortunately, the Prop Master had a health issue and was unable to finish the shoot midway through, but did manage to be available during the storage room shoot.

The 2nd episode is my favorite episode for a multitude of reasons, for instance, it showcased the storage room where I got to build the set from scratch and execute my creative ideas the most. It was hard work, but my team really helped me out for this one by helping me with manual labor and decorating. Firstly, we took the wooden bookshelf from the prop room along with other miscellaneous items to fill the space. Since we didn’t have any other shelves, I decided to stack tables on top of each other, and use the sound sheets as a wall behind the makeshift shelves. 

I set the scene by arranging the props and furniture to look like a storage room, along with the help of the director and DOP. Other crew members also brought miscellaneous items to fill the shelves as well. The director printed out religious photos and I placed them around the set. Also, I set a large painting on the ground, used red cloth to dress the set and give a more haunted and eerie tone, I added a vintage lamp to age the room, and many other items I managed to bring in order to fill the space as much as possible. Since I made the room a little more than half of its size, it wasn’t enough room to stay on set so I just watched the scene from another room, and was on standby for any changes or mishaps that occurred. Overall, the set went well. 

The last week of the shoot was the smoothest out of all the days, and the director and 1st AD were really on point and sharp, so we were able to wrap early everyday. Also, it was less crew members and I was on my own in regards to my team, but luckily the production assistant and producers were really helpful. Since the storage room needed to be cleaned out and back to its original state in a timely manner, the Prop Master and assistant were delegated to go to the school and clear the room. On the last day, my assistants also came and helped clean up and move all of the props back to the school. However, when I went to the school to take all the props back to Men At Work, the Exit Sign prop attached to the ceiling in A1-5 was stolen and had not been removed the day the room was cleared out. Unfortunately, it never recovered and I am still trying to find it in order to return it back to Men At Work, along with the other props.

The Set From Hell in many ways was a double entendre. As my last collaborative project at Metfilm School, this was truly a learning experience that I will never forget. Throughout my years attending this school I haven’t had the best experiences with collaborating with my classmates. During this project in particular I felt as though my leadership role was not respected and I was treated as the laborer of the group, and not valued as a leader, a creative, or given a voice. 

A lot of miscommunication and disorganization happened mostly due to other crew members addressing the Makeup Artist or Prop Master as the Production Designer instead of myself, during presentations and the exchanging of ideas in class and outside meetings. As well as disregarding me in conversations about stunts like the camera falling, which resulted in an actor tripping over the crash mat, and my props getting damaged. If I knew in advance I would have gotten more broken equipment, instead of using a prop that wasn't. Also, props were not only broken (luckily were fixed) and stolen, but no one cared or even gave much concern, some even laughed about it. I did back breaking labor, was never late, and showed up diligently to move an entire church around every 5 to 10 minutes, without a thank you or even asking nicely. 

Regardless, I still got the job done and I truly appreciate how much I’ve learned at this school and the fun times I did have. I have learned valuable lessons and skills that I can apply in my future endeavors.