Silver lame sofa9/15/2023 ![]() ![]() The films’ magical elements gave McMillan and Craig plenty to play with, so newly-sourced or existing items would often need to be adapted to fit their supernatural surroundings. McMillan explains how they created the Great Hall set for the Yule Ball scene: “We covered entirely the stone walls with silver lamé and made 17 sets of matching silver curtains with elaborate swags and tails, huge ice sculptures cast in resin and 250 silver cross-legged stools.” This alone took three months to prepare. The sheer scale of some of the sets, meanwhile, required months of military-like preparation. When the Room of Requirement in Deathly Hallows was transformed by 13 mountains of furniture, much of it came from the department’s own stocks. The Harry Potter prop store at Leavesden was legendary. I had enough time and money to get it right.” Working alongside production designer and long-time collaborator Stuart Craig, McMillan was quick to take advantage of the franchise’s resources to bring J.K. “When I think about the last ten years on Harry Potter, I rarely had to compromise. Landing the position of set decorator on the Harry Potter series in 2001, she relished the financial and creative freedom the production offered. “You have to make decisions really quickly and learn about compromise.” ![]() “Commercials are very good training,” she explains. ![]() Work in short films followed, before the move over to features. She then worked as a stylist with photographer Michael Boys before getting her first set decorator roles on commercials. After training as a secretary, she took on a job in a London architect firm where she remembers experiencing a kind of aesthetic awakening. McMillan wasn’t born into a filmmaking family she fell into the profession almost by accident. Set decorating should never steal thunder from actors, nor should it ever be so showy that you’re looking at the furniture rather than the action.” “The production designer has the vision,” she says, “and as set decorator you have to bring this vision to life. McMillan maintains a strong sense of modesty in her approach to her work. It’s an impressive back catalogue, but the success hasn’t gone to her head. Set decorator Stephenie McMillan has worked on a catalogue of modern classics, with film credits including the Harry Potter series, Chocolat, Notting Hill, The Secret Garden, Shadowlands, A Fish Called Wanda and The English Patient, for which she won an Oscar. ![]()
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