: Film set design and decor details of the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect are revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette about the film’s production design and what’s more, we have an exclusive to share it with you today dear Film and Furniture fans!
Friday, November 05, 2021
Respect is due for the authentic film sets of Aretha Franklin biopic
Film and Furniture
: Film set design and decor details of the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect are revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette about the film’s production design and what’s more, we have an exclusive to share it with you today dear Film and Furniture fans!
: Film set design and decor details of the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect are revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette about the film’s production design and what’s more, we have an exclusive to share it with you today dear Film and Furniture fans!
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It's insane to see the amount of detail that goes into these movies set right down to the candlesticks. I think theatre can be a bit different than movies because the space is often opened up and doesn’t have to be as realistic as a movie set might be. A room in a theatre can be created with just some chairs but in a movie, you need every little detail to evoke the idea that someone lives there. Also, the thought that most of those minute set pieces never even get touched or seen, but they still exist simply to create the ambiance of a space. Also, it was interesting that the designer changed the furniture to match the era and follow the trend of those times. In addition, it was kind of cool that this article linked in the exact places where you could get similar pieces. I think that also highlights how people have become very nostalgic with décor so those shown in the article from the ’60s and ’70s are making a resurgence today.
Film sets to me are something completely different than theater sets, sometimes their fourth wall is the camera, so their sets are completely enclosed, meaning that if I were to step into their set without the crew or the cameras or people out of costume I would be utterly immersed in a way that is near impossible in the theater. I love the idea of complete immersion, and wonder often how that affects the performances from the actors in the scenes of the films of the movies and the productions. However, nowadays films don’t even need sets they can just generate them in post, but false sets have a far different feeling than real tangible flats making up the four walls of a set. For Ms. Franklin’s biopic, I think it is absolutely essential to ground the film and not let it live in the ether of technology rather than analog.
I am always so impressed with film sets, especially those of homes because I think it is crazy how much detail goes into them and how much research was done to get the house to feel lived in and look period and look like it is of this particular family, and everything else they need to think about when they are building this set. And the reality of it is that most of these details may never be seen on camera or may go unnoticed by the average viewer of the movie. But to see the quote from the cast member about how much they respect the set and how they notice everything is great. I would think that the cast spends a lot of time on that set so for them to get into the world of the characters it is probably great for them to see all of the little details that are in this home.
This set is absolutely stunning. I always appreciate it when such care is taken to ensure that every single little detail on a set is taken into consideration. For instance – the candlesticks. Visually, they just fit. But there is so much more to it than just that – such candlesticks were only ever produced until 1969. I feel like at least 90% of the audience of the film will have no idea about the details of the candlestick and pay them no mind (in part because they fit in so well) but there will always be that select few who know exactly what candlesticks those are and will appreciate the fact that they are in period. I cannot even begin to imagine how much time was spent sourcing all of the various furniture pieces and small pieces carefully placed around the set. I have so much respect for the production designer and the whole production team for intricately crafting this beautiful set. From the sofa and armchairs to the lamps to the French doors – everything just works so well with everything else. I love it.
This set is absolutely incredible. As Jeremy said it is so different from a theatre set, in which the audience can only see from their seats. In a movie set they have to be able to film everywhere, so all sides must be “finished.” Looking at the set, it looks more like an actual house than a theatre set with flats and masking and all. Additionally all the details and set dressing are so specific and genuine to the time. In theatre the audience will never be super up close and thus although the set dressing is important, it does not have to have the minutiae that it does in film. It is also fascinating to me that within one set it is almost like they have three other sets considering the furniture from three different eras. I wonder if they merely changed out the furniture or if they changed the walls too. I also find it interesting that items are from the actual period, whereas in theatre we make things to look as though they are from the time.
I really love period piece sets, because they often and by that I mean the designers, Have to walk a fine line between historical accuracy and modern creativity. And I like that you can really see in the set how they were able to capture the emotions and the personalities of these characters. It says in the article that they captured the essence of the 50s to the 70s, and how even these designs that were meticulously put in the set, aren’t always completely of that year but it still serves so well. But I think it’s a misconception to think that these kinds of historically accurate sets require less creativity than those sets that are outside of our timeline because it requires more research and More creativity in order to create something that is not only accurate to the time But also accurate to the emotions and the story.
Though this is, of course, a gross generalization, it's interesting for me to glance into the world of film set design from time to time. Film and TV are so often realistically portrayed, and so are so often about the tiniest details, and it really offers an interesting contrast to theatrical design, where realism is a very specific and rare choice, and the closest we usually get is naturalism. The constrains of live theatre just so often lend themselves to more abstract or even impressionist and expressionist portrayals of place than to the realism allowed by film. I think they really have a lot to learn from each other. Film sets almost feel to me like costumes do in theatre: they are extensions of character, and the details tell us about the people who created those spaces, who curated, intentionally or in passing, what those spaces contain and how they are kept. On the other hand, live performance sets are often so heavily rooted in a concept or an idea, a strength that sometimes gets lost in the trees with film an TV sets.
I didn’t get a chance to see this movie in theaters but I am excited for it to come out on streaming platforms. I have heard great things. It is so refreshing when you hear that the production team for a movie about a beautiful black woman is comprised of powerful black women. I didn’t realize how many sets that they build from the ground up for this production. The pictures for the set look so aesthetically pleasing as well as realistically grounded in time period. This biopic covers several decades so they really needed to get it right to help establish time period. Not just the decade but specific research for each year, as mentioned ’52, ’56 and ’72. From shape to color everything is just plain fabulous. It’s unfortunate that Aretha didn’t get to see the finished product herself but I am happy to know that she took part in most of the process.
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