01/20/2026
Over the weekend, I had the privilege of attending a film mixer and learning from guest speaker Jim Erickson. I have 29 pages of notes I took over a two-day period: 25 pages of rough set sketches and notes from studying “Lincoln,” where he won an Oscar for his work as a set decorator, and an additional 4 pages of notes (including 1 sketch) from the mixer.
A couple years ago, when I was going back to college, I was really looking forward to learning about set design for theatre. When the program I got into didn’t end up running, I was heartbroken. Getting the chance to learn about set decorating for film filled a void I didn’t know was there, and re-invigorated that passion I’d set to the side.
Thanks to Victoria Clements for organizing this event, the people at Magic Box Studios for hosting, IATSE 891 for their sponsorship, the wonderful people I met and reconnected with at the event, and Jim Erickson for your time, wealth of knowledge, and brilliant stories!