Occasionally Production Plus gets the opportunity to put a little bit more than their usual efficiency into a project.  That’s exactly where this corporation’s holiday set led us.

Festive!

“We went back and forth quite a bit about the colors of the bows on this set,” said Phil Huber, master scenic technician for Production Plus.  “What color should they be?  How can it say ‘holidays’ without being overly Christmas-like for those in the audience that celebrate other holidays?”  This cozy fireside chat with the firm’s CEO was not a set that required massive amounts of work and ground breaking technology to make look and feel right–but it did need careful attention, some intelligent choices, and no small amount of old-school theatrical know-how.  “That fireplace in back is quite big,” remarks Phil when asked about the process.  “Much bigger than you’d might expect.  But for it to look right on the set we had to make it larger than life, just to have the presence it needed.”

Production Plus loves to work on these kinds of sets; the staff all has their roots in traditional theater.  “We had a blast making the fire gag work,” said Phil.  “The cloth ‘flame,’ the rotator in the base to make it look like the embers were glowing … lots of fun.  It’s not exactly the newest trick in the book, but it was great to do it right.  And on that scale.”

The fireplace.

The set did not break the holiday piggy bank either.  “We worked hard to bring this set in under budget and still look good,” confirms Phil.  “The client was looking for an intimate holiday setting.  And, in this economy, not every corporation is throwing huge dollars at every meeting–but they still want something nice.  That’s where our theater background really helps us out.  We know how to make things look good.”

Many pieces of this set will be added to Production Plus’ permanent rental inventory.  A good looking set like this is frequently put away and stored carefully for the next time another client needs something similar but really does not have the budget to support a full custom build.  “Many people appreciate the fact that we’ve got so much in stock,” remarks Phil.  “We can offer them something professionally done and great looking for a fraction of the cost it would take to have it made for them.”

The original rendering.