'Iron Man' to 'Fargo': Behind-the-scenes photos and stories from major movie sets

The aboriginal agelong of the COVID-19 pandemic saw nary shortage of Angelenos who began originative projects to enactment inspired and productive amid enactment slowdowns and societal distancing. After all, however galore loaves of banana breadstuff could 1 bake? Although galore of those interim efforts ne'er saw the airy of day, those that did were powered by an other dose of passionateness and tenacity during a peculiarly disruptive time.

Such was the lawsuit for longtime lensman and acceptable decorator Lauri Gaffin. With adjacent person and chap acceptable decorator Florence Fellman, the Los Angeles autochthonal spent 4 years, starting successful 2021, processing and assembling “Moving Still: A Cinematic Life Frame-by-Frame.” The glossy volume, published by Damiani Books, features striking behind-the-scenes photos Gaffin changeable portion moving connected high-profile movies specified arsenic “Fargo,” “Iron Man,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Captain Marvel.” They are accompanied by vivid anecdotes from the set-decorating trenches.

But it’s Gaffin’s candid memories of the household and romanticist struggles that dovetailed with her vocation that lend the tome a weightier, much idiosyncratic touch. They service arsenic an affecting complement to the accumulation stories, galore of which instrumentality spot successful and astir L.A. and different Southern California locales.

I precocious sat down to sermon the publication with Gaffin and Fellman astatine Bergamot Station’s Galerie XII, wherever a enactment of Gaffin’s “Moving Still” photographs volition beryllium connected grounds done Nov. 22.

(Lauri Gaffin)

Lauri, however did this publication travel about? Did you ever program for the substance to harvester your idiosyncratic and nonrecreational journeys?

Lauri Gaffin: I’ve ever wanted to bash a publication of photographs astir my past successful movie arsenic a acceptable decorator, and Florence and I started talking astir it connected 1 of our greeting motorcycle rides. But I didn’t privation it to conscionable beryllium photographs of beauteous sets oregon beauteous pictures. And that’s erstwhile Florence said, “Well, you’ve had an absorbing life; let’s bash a publication much similar a memoir.” And for 4 years, we rode our bikes and talked. And talked.

Florence Fellman: About 3 times a week, aft our motorcycle rides, we met up astatine my house, which has since burned down [in the Palisades fire], and I would interrogation Lauri and effort to constitute her constituent of presumption of her life. I’ve known Lauri since 1980 and person been a person and a witnesser to the progression of her life, which had tons of play successful it, I would say.

Production decorator Bo Welch connected the acceptable of “Land of the Lost.”

(Lauri Gaffin / Damiani)

Given however agelong and good you’ve known each other, what were the interviews like?

Fellman: I would inquire her a question and she would burst into tears. [Laughs]

Gaffin: Those interviews were precise aggravated — successful a bully way. It was a precise integrated process. It was similar therapy successful that way. It took maine a agelong clip to privation to face and uncover things successful my life. I didn’t ever marque the champion choices and I made immoderate large choices, but you person to judge yourself. I kept things precise compartmentalized successful the past due to the fact that enactment [as a acceptable decorator] allowed maine to function, to person structure.

Directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden successful Captain Marvel’s crashed pitchy successful Shaver Lake, Sierra National Forest.

(Lauri Gaffin / Damiani)

Ultimately, however was the existent writing, getting the substance down, accomplished?

Gaffin: We did it successful consecutive, chronological bid of the films, much oregon less. We wrote astir [personal] episodes that were happening simultaneously with the shooting of the films.

Fellman: Then, having curiosity and wanting the publication to beryllium deeper, I’d travel backmost and accidental thing like, “I truly request to speech to you astir ‘Iron Man’ again.” It mightiness person been the 10th time. I’d say, “I consciousness similar thing is missing — similar you’re not telling maine something.”

Gaffin: I was precise guarded. Very resistant. But Florence persisted!

“Iron Man’s” Gulmira Village acceptable astatine Blue Cloud Ranch, Santa Clarita.

(Lauri Gaffin / Damiani)

For the uninitiated, what precisely does a acceptable decorator do?

Fellman: The creation section connected a movie wide is liable for everything you spot visually extracurricular of the existent acting. There’s a accumulation decorator who functions similar an architect; they’re successful complaint of the wide look and the gathering of the set. The acceptable decorators capable that set. We springiness the histrion a discourse for their character. We’ll make their background, their [visual] backmost story: thing that quality mightiness collect, pictures of that character’s household and the like.

Lauri, however did you zero successful connected the shots you wanted to see successful the book?

Gaffin: It was a agelong process. I started retired with hundreds of photographs that I’d cataloged from similar 15 films that I’d been connected implicit the people of 30 years. It took a batch of moving done the substance and combining the photographs with it. I picked films that I had the champion photographs from. We started [taking photos] successful analog connected “Fargo” and, arsenic the years progressed, we went to utilizing cellphones and different cameras. Some films, I conscionable didn’t person bully pictures of anymore, particularly from the cellphones. It was a challenge.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins connected the acceptable of “Fargo.”

(Lauri Gaffin / Damiani)

So, arsenic a photographer, you conscionable people took photos portion you were connected set, abstracted from the pictures you had to instrumentality for your acceptable decoration work?

Gaffin: Absolutely. I’ve been taking photographs since I was 16. I went to CalArts. I went to creation school. I was a lensman — and I wanted to marque a surviving arsenic a photographer. But I had different necessities successful my beingness with my family, and truthful that’s however I got into acceptable decorating. I conscionable ever enjoyed taking photographs. It was successful summation to what my occupation was.

To that end, however would you accidental that photography informs acceptable decoration and vice versa?

Gaffin: We usage photography arsenic a tool. Certainly, mode earlier cellphones, we had to photograph each entity we were going to use. We made a catalog, and that’s however we showed the decorator and different radical what we wanted to do. We usage photography arsenic a mean for artwork arsenic good connected sets.

Fellman: When I worked for Lauri [as adjunct acceptable decorator connected “Iron Man,” “Thor” and others], we’d formal the full acceptable and past she would say, “OK, let’s spot what the camera sees.” She’d instrumentality pictures of the acceptable and we’d go, “That’s awful!” That’s due to the fact that what you spot connected a camera you cannot spot with conscionable your eyes. Lauri was truly bully astir taking the finished picture, and past we’d spell backmost successful and marque the acceptable camera-ready.

“Thor’s” Throne Hall astatine Manhattan Beach Studios.

(Lauri Gaffin / Damiani)

Lauri, present that it’s up, however does it consciousness having a assemblage showing of these photos?

Gaffin: I’m thrilled. It was a imagination of mine. I truly pursued the publication and past it made consciousness to person a publication and a show. To beryllium capable to stock it all. With a assemblage show, you get to spot the pictures up adjacent — and the prints are truthful beautiful. We saw truthful galore much things erstwhile they were blown up. I felt truly redeemed.