Vox Populi welcomed speaker April Jones-Sellers to learn about behind-the-scenes set design and film in Weiler Hall on Jan. 22. After a presentation about the job opportunities related to set decorating, Vox Populi members could design a paper set of their own. Jones-Sellers is an assistant set decorator and buyer who has worked for “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” and “The Runner.”
Jones-Sellers said her job involves acquiring props for sets based on a predetermined budget.
“The production designer tells the set decorator what they want, and then the set decorator tells me to go out and find it,” Jones-Sellers said. “I go to prop houses, I go online and I go to storeseverywhere. I can go anywhere I want, as long as our budget allows for it.”
Jones-Sellers said that an exciting part of her work is reaching out to various contacts for specific props.
“At the last show I worked on, the executive producer wanted a specific artist,” Jones-Sellers said. “I didn’t have his phone number, but I reached out to my contacts. The day that I called her to ask about him, he was in the car with her. And she was like, ‘Well, why don’t you just ask him right now? He’s in the car.’ That was probably the most exciting.”
Tess Latham ’27 said she appreciated learning about the teamwork that goes into set decorating.
“My biggest takeaway was that every single one of the positions [in set decoration] we learned about is so important in the making of the movie,” Latham said. “I didn’t fully realize the impact each role has and how every position has to work with each other to make it run smoother.”
Vox Populi Editor-in-Chief Chloe Kim ’27 said she appreciated learning about new career opportunities in film while taking a break from working on the yearbook.
“[Jones-Sellers] taught me new things about the film industry that I never knew about before,” Kim said. “It was nice being able to learn about set decorating, which isn’t something you get to experience every day. This opportunity was a nice break from the constant effort that goes into making the yearbook.”
Latham said she enjoyed participating in an interactive activity during the event and is motivated to attend more events offering similar opportunities.
“One part of the event I liked was the drawing part, I thought it made it so much more engaging for us to try and create our own sets,” Latham said. “I would go to an event like this again because it was a lot more engaging and interesting than I thought, and I liked seeing and learning about behind-the-scenes things I hadn’t before.”
Jones-Sellers said one of the hardest parts of working as a set decorator is the long hours and drives, but she recognizes the worth in all the effort.
“Some days, you go in at 5:00 A.M., and you may not get home until 7:00 P.M.,” Jones-Sellers said. “And the other thing is, being in the car all day by yourself. We’re driving from prop house to prop house, and sometimes we could drive from the Valley to Long Beach, so that part is quite challenging, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
