What it's like to be a film set decorator

As a set decorator it’s her job to interpret movie scripts and make the location of every scene look convincing right down to the smallest detail.

She is responsible for finding, hiring or commissioning all of the necessary items to furnish the interior and exterior sets.

“I love creating everything from nothing. It’s all hypothetical when we start. It’s our job to help put the flesh on the bones of the film and help it all come together,” Liz tells us.

Her journey into the world of entertainment began as one of the founding members of Wolverhampton’s Central Youth Theatre when she was just 15.

But the former Royal Wolverhampton School pupil, who grew up in Dudley, soon discovered that a life under the spotlights wasn’t for her.

“I will always be grateful to Central Youth Theatre for giving me such a good grounding. Although I tried acting, I was always more interested in what was happening back stage with stage management, lighting and sound.” explains Liz, who now lives in London.

After leaving school, she went on to study stage management and technical theatre at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda).

From there Liz moved into theatre, which included spending two years working at the Royal Shakespeare Company where, at the age of 21, she was the youngest stage manager.

While there she was responsible for a vast array of productions including Richard III and Much Ado About Nothing.

As much as she enjoyed the experience, Liz wanted a role that would allow her to exercise her creative flair. After a spell working at a prop hire company, she moved into set decorating and has never looked back.

Her impressive CV boosts television shows including Doctor Who, Hustle and The Reckoning as well as films like Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, The Mummy, Free Fire, Dad’s Army and Johnny English 3, which is due to be released later this year.

One of her first projects saw her invited, by set designer Edward Thomas, to be part of the highly-anticipated return of Doctor Who.

“This was an amazing opportunity and I got to work on seven episodes in the first series with Christopher Eccleston,” Liz tells us.

British films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, with Simon Pegg gave her the opportunity to get creative with the former involving zombies and the latter requiring the fictional village of Sandford to be created from scratch.

And the cricket bat seen on the movie posters for Shaun of the Dead actually belonged to her father. “I should have kept it, it would be worth a fortune now,” says Liz, who is a member of the British Film Designers Guild and sits on the jury for the Baftas.

The re-make of Dad’s Army in 2014, which starred, among others, Catherine Zeta Jones is another of her many career highlights so far which saw the production team set up in Bridlington, Yorkshire.

“We transformed the town into 1944 Walmington-on-Sea which involved dressing more than 40 shops. This was a lot of fun and a really nice film to do. It’s a cult classic so it was a real joy to help create a fresh take on this,” says Liz who now lives in London.

It also saw her working once again with actor Bill Nighy who she would also see on the set of Their Finest, which also starred Gemma Arterton as a script writer in charge of writing the female dialogue in propaganda films during the Second World War. “I’ve done a lot of with Bill and I get on really well with him. He’s lovely and very down to Earth,” she says.

Every project is approached in a similar way although Liz says when she starts she never knows what she might soon be trying to source for a set.

“The vision of the director and designers will always be different so that keeps it fresh and exciting. Although the recipe is always the same, the ingredients are different.

“I get a real buzz from seeing everything coming together. When I see the finished film at the cinema with my friends and family – that makes me feel really good,” she adds.

Inspiration can strike when she’s out and about and she will be often be on the hunt for items at antiques shops or flea markets. “You always have to keep you eyes open and I always take lots of photos. You don’t have to spend a fortune. You have to keep on top of current trends and what technology is doing,” she says.

Every item sourced for a film, whether it’s hired, purchased, borrowed or specially-made, is catalogued to ensure it goes back to where it’s needed after production has finished.

Liz’s dedication to detail and ‘photographic memory’ can make it hard for her to watch other films without disagreeing with their set decorators.

“I don’t like it when there is lazy decorating and people have gone to the obvious prop house. You might see the same Chippendale furniture that has been used before for a film set in the same era. I think it’s important to offer something different and make each film special while keeping it authentic,” says Liz.

So, what is top of the list of films Liz would love to work on if she had chance?

“It’s got to be the next Bond movie that would be a great pleasure and a great aspiration to have.”