Who are the people behind the grand sets, expensive costumes and spectacular looks of Bollywood films? Know the complete system

Who Creates Bollywood Grand Movie Sets: Whenever we see a grand palace, a magnificent mansion, an old market, a luxurious house or a song in a Bollywood movie, the first thing that catches our eye are the actors and actresses. But months of hard work of hundreds of people is hidden in creating this beautiful world visible on screen. Many creative teams start their work even before the shooting of the film starts. These include production designers, art directors, costume designers, set makers, carpenters, painters, tailors, sculptors and many technical experts. These people together completely transform a common place according to the story of the film, so that every scene seems real to the audience. Let us know about this in detail.

The set is prepared according to the story of the film

The first step in creating film sets and costumes is the script. When the director decides the story, he sits with the production designer and discusses each scene in detail. Together they decide what the set of the film will be like, what colors will be used and how each location will look. If the story of the film is of an old era, then research is done on the buildings, houses, utensils, furniture and clothes of that time. Many times the help of historians, architects and research team is also taken so that everything shown on the screen seems according to that era. After this the designer makes a sketch. After this, finally a 3D model of that sketch is prepared with the help of computer. The work of creating the reality set is done only after getting the approval of the director and cinematographer.

How are grand sets of films prepared?

When the design is ready, the art director hits the ground running with his team. This team includes many creatives like carpenters, welders, painters, sculptors, fiber artisans and civil engineers. These people build grand sets with the help of wood, iron, fiber, plaster of Paris (POP) and other materials. Many times the entire palace, temple, village or city is built inside the studio itself. Even normal fiber and plaster appear like real stone or marble on camera. For this, very detailed work is done on color and design. The grand sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films and S.S. The Mahishmati empire shown in Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali’ was prepared in a similar manner. It takes many months and sometimes years to prepare such sets.

It’s the little things that make a set real

Let us tell you that after the walls and buildings of the set are ready, the turn of another team comes. Which is called set dressing team. Their job is to decide the location of every small and big thing kept in the set. If the film is historical then the old-time chandeliers, swords, carpets, utensils, furniture and other things are set according to that period. If a film is from today’s era, then the books, photo frames, laptop, posters and other items kept in the room are kept accordingly. After this, the lighting team and cinematographer come into their role, who look at the right lighting and camera angle to determine which thing will look real. This is the reason why the audience feels that the film has been shot in a real palace or an expensive house, whereas many times the entire set is built inside the studio itself.

Expensive costumes are the identity of the character

Just as the set creates the atmosphere of the film, similarly costumes are the real identity of a character. Costume designers decide what an artiste will wear in the film, which color will look good on them and what their look will be like in which part of the story. For this they first read the entire script. Then we see whether the character is rich or poor, which city or era he hails from, what his nature is like and what changes come in his life with the story. The clothes, color and fabric of the clothes are selected accordingly. In historical films, even hand-woven clothes are sourced from areas like Banaras, Kanchipuram and Chanderi, so that everything on screen appears to be of the same period. In Bollywood, designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Neeta Lulla and Anaita Shroff Adajania have designed costumes for many big films.

It takes several weeks to prepare a costume

The dress that you see in the film for just a few minutes takes weeks of hard work to create. Especially in historical and big budget films, each costume is hand embroidered. According to the information, many artisans together do the work of Zardozi, Gota-Patti, beads and threads with their hands. Many times the weight of a single dress reaches several kilos. After the clothes are ready, the artists undergo several fitting sessions and look tests. They are made to stand in front of the camera in different lights to see how the artist’s look appears on the screen. If any flaw is found then adjustments are made in the clothes accordingly. Whereas in action films, many costumes of the same design are prepared, because there is a high possibility of the clothes getting damaged during stunts.

Crores of rupees are spent on sets and costumes

The budget of big films is not spent only on artist fees. Sets, locations, costumes and other related works also form a major part of the budget. Crores of rupees are spent in preparing sets and costumes for many films. In this expenditure, along with wood, iron, fibre, clothes and other things, there is also huge expenditure on wages of hundreds of artisans, studio rent, transport and technical things. Producers consider this a necessary expense, because today’s audience wants better visual and real experiences in films. If the set or costume is not good then it directly affects the film. This is the reason why film producers do not shy away from spending on these.

What happens to the sets and clothes after shooting is over?

After the shooting of the film is completed, these grand sets and expensive costumes are not left unused. Most large sets cannot be kept in the studio for long, so they are dismantled. However, wood, iron and other materials are kept at the right place for re-use. Many times the things left from the sets are used in making sets of other films or web series. On the other hand, the expensive costumes worn by the artist are kept safely by the producer or its owner. Production houses keep them safe with codes and tags in their warehouse. Later, these can be used in other films by making slight changes. Some special costumes are also kept as souvenirs and sometimes auctioned for charity or special events.

Also read: Explainer: How much does a film cost from its making to its release? Know its complete details here