Every set relies on a secure and stable frame. It’s what enables designers to be ambitious, knowing the foundations will hold. These support structures are rarely seen on screen, but they’re designed to be strong, safe, and easy to build or dismantle to meet the fast-paced needs of production. And critically, they take deep expertise to design and construct to support and enhance the creative vision.
SCAFFOLDING: A STRUCTURAL SKELETON
Scaffolding is often the backbone of a set – a framework of steel tubes, fittings and boards that supports everything from flattage to staircases. It’s light but strong, quick to put up, and adaptable to studio or location needs.
On exterior builds, cement blocks are commonly used to weigh it down and keep things secure.To do this, the scaffolding must be triangulated backwards from the flattage, with concrete blocks placed along the run to hold the whole structure in place. This means you need enough space behind the scenery to safely set the angle.
In a studio, it’s a different approach. Scaffolding is used to hold the set in place by building a vertical framework behind the flattage, which is then fixed to ladder beams on top of the set. These beams are secured using chains tied to the ceiling grid above – keeping the build upright without needing extra floor space.
Scaffolding is also used to create raised platforms for access, particularly when scenic finishing work needs to be done at height. You’ll find it behind many of our builds, including This England, Hijack and The Take.