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Scenery and staging for economical videomaking, impressive results.

When we watch a TV program or film we have an impression of total reality. We seem to be there where the action is, seeing everything as it's happening. We don't give a single thought to the mechanics of the production but accept what we see and hear as natural and real.

That's as it should be, for a production team has combined various skills for a carefully contrived illusion. Through a cunning blend of controlled camerawork, lighting, audio treatment, script, performance, editing, costume, and makeup they've created convincing make-believe.

Scenic design-referring to variously as sets, settings ordecor-is one of the more important components of that creation.

A subject's background directly influences how and audience reacts to what they're watching. It affects their response to the subject, their interpretation of what's going on-even what they're looking at in the scene.

Rising to the Occasion

The skill and effort required to develop decor-devising scenery, decorations, furniture, draperies, and other set dressings-will depend on the scale and complexity of the production.

For a small production, the director might select a few items from available stock and devise a very satisfactory background without the assistance of a designer. But specialist training tells, and certainly for a production of any size, professional experience and know-how is needed to create optimum results.

What's less obvious is the subtlety and sensitivity that underlies the craft of design. A skilled scenic designer may take a few unpromising items and weave visual magic on camera. Someone with less flair may construct elaborate, high-cost settings that appear on screen as little more than uncoordinated jumble.