10/10/2024
A week ago, I had the opportunity to work as a set designer on an upcoming film titled “Maguy,” directed by Francesco Zarzana and produced by Simone Borsci.
This film brings to life the true story of Marguerite B., a young girl unjustly placed in a “re-education” system to facilitate her reintegration into society. Maguy’s narrative highlights the failures of supervised education in France and represents one of the darkest chapters in French history, which ultimately led to the closure of all French correctional institutions.
Collaborating with talented actors such as Magdalena Korpas, Manon Elezaar, F***y Gilles, and others, we worked together in Lyon, France, to bring this remarkable true story to life.
My responsibilities as a set designer included:
- Researching the story and the relevant decade
- Creating sketches and vision boards to illustrate potential set designs and then adapting them for our production
- Working closely with the director, producers, and other departments (like costume and lighting) to ensure cohesive design
- Sourcing necessary items and creating props for the set
- Analyzing the script to identify required props
- Designing and reorganizing the set layout
- Ensuring the safety of historical items from the museum where we borrowed some items
- Suggesting how to use props and position the frames
- Keeping track of the timeline and ensuring the set could be restored as needed
- Addressing any design challenges that arise during production
I am genuinely grateful for this opportunity and look forward to future collaborations.