As critical as the exterior atmosphere we’ve created that is so pivotal in the film, the interior had to exude the perfect look and feel, since it play an equally important role. In so many films I’ve watched over the years, the best directors have not just used their sets as default background for their characters, but instead used their sets to amplify the characters and action being played out by the performers. I approached this that same intended result. The ambiance of our old farmhouse hits an immediate nerve when you walk in. It feels aged and while at first it may appear warm and inviting as, perhaps, you remember your grandparents house being during your childhood, you soon find that this house feels lived in. You expect the walls to creak, the knick-knacks to harbor dust in their crooks, the photos to have have stories behind them, and someone to know the whos and whens.
There is a deliberate darkness to our house, and everything from the contracts on the wallpapers to the highlights in the floor were created to lend themselves to the environment. The colors were decidedly neutral, but muted. I wanted more shadows than light.
The interiors have taken much longer than the construction of the actual house itself, because we had to know about the people living there to give it a signature feel. She might have picked up a vase at an antique store in 1970, and the picture of her grandchildren in the heart frame was probably given to her already framed, because she would have never bought a frame like that. With careful precision we considered every aspect of Benny and Mildred, including their lifestyles and aesthetic preferences.
As of this writing, we’re still making a few minor adjustments, adding specifications that the audience will not likely notice but it’s important in the overall picture to have them present. Things like magnets on the antique refrigerator. The appliances I imagined they would have had for many years, already, and it was imperative that no part of their home acknowledge the various styles of today, so I decided to keep metals and clear glass structures entirely from their little abode. Old woods and faded fabrics were key in creating their world from within.