Cheryl Nelson Costumes

We had the chance to visit the film department while they were building a set for a film. It is not often that you get the opportunity to see what lies outside the lens, so we all went along with plenty of curiosity.

I was particularly impressed by the amount of work that goes into the props department and by how small and simple some of the sets actually were. There was no enormous film set, just a collection of tiny rooms and carefully constructed spaces.

We were told that the camera sees things very differently from the human eye, and they explained how the set was designed and constructed with that in mind. I found the whole process fascinating. Things that looked quite ordinary when viewed in person could become something completely different once seen through the camera.

As sets for theatre and film are areas where some of us may eventually find ourselves working, I think it was really valuable to see, at this early stage, the kind of environments we might be working in. It gave me a much better understanding of how much thought, creativity and practical work goes on behind the scenes before the camera ever starts rolling.