Most people are completely unaware of all that goes into the production and design of a film set and sound stage studio. They watch a movie and enjoy the results of all the work that went into it, without ever knowing what took place in the actual production process.
It all begins with a production designers plans for a sound stage. This will be an enclosed, sound proof area where the scenes for the movie will be set up. Often times, of course more than one sound stage will be built. However; for budgetary purposes most often several scenes will be planned for one sound stage. In most sound stage studios several scenes will be shot in succession. This means that the sound stage must be designed to accommodate all the particulars that go into each scene that will be shot in it.
Also, don’t forget that the lighting technicians and the work that they do will also have to be accounted for. This means that the all sound stages have to be built to adapt in any lighting that must be done and do so without it inhibiting any of the actual shooting. Grips, the crew and camera technicians also have to do their job as well and everything that they will have to do must be accounted for in the original design of any proper functioning sound stage.
Production designers must be knowledgeable of all aspects of film making as it pertains to the actual shooting of scenes on sound stages. One great place to begin to learn about production design is at a community your local college. All of them may have a theater arts department, sound stage and production design as part of their curriculum.
Production designers have to be familiar with numerous assorted crafts including basic construction, model building and limitations, lighting schematics and aspects of set decoration to suit time periods that a film will be shot in, just to name a few. In essence, it is their responsibility that the scenes in the movie look real and indistinguishable from the real thing. Imagine their challenges, considering so much of what they create is fake and they always have budget constraints to consider.
This is why qualified, skilled film sound stage production designers are always looking for ways to create the best quality product with their budget. Los Angeles sound stage rentals are becoming a viable and cost effective atlernative for designers. Most studios will be familiar with lighting schematics and have several props available that suit the designer’s needs.
A sound stage is an enclosed area usually inside a movie studio that is specifically designed and built to keep outside sounds out. While this may appear to be simple on the surface, in fact designing and building sound stages is a complex craft.