The Film and Furniture Podcast

🎙️ Episode Summary
In this episode of The Film and Furniture Video Podcast, host Paula Benson chats with production designer Mark Scruton, who brings us behind the scenes of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Mark shares his experience collaborating with Tim Burton, the creative process behind reviving the iconic Maitland/Deetz house, and the intricate film set designs that define the film’s world. From Victorian mourning aesthetics to the challenges of designing a surreal underworld, Mark reveals how every detail contributes to the film’s rich visual storytelling.

🎬 Episode Highlights
✔️ Working with Tim Burton – How Mark has developed a strong creative rapport with the visionary director.
✔️ Recreating the Maitland/Deetz House – The challenges of bringing the iconic home back to life after 30+ years.
✔️ The House’s Evolution – How its design reflects Delia’s artistic transformation.
✔️ The Black Veil Mystery – Was it real fabric or CGI? Mark spills the details.
✔️ Production Design Tricks – The use of forced perspective, surreal colour palettes, and the art of making real-world sets feel truly otherworldly.
✔️ Designing the Afterlife – How inspiration from global subway systems shaped the eerie train station.
✔️ The Importance of Physicality – Why real sets, props, and furniture enhance the performances and the film’s authenticity.

🎭 Guest Info
Mark Scruton is a production designer known for his work on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wednesday, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. With a deep appreciation for Tim Burton’s signature style, Mark’s designs balance gothic surrealism with practical storytelling.

⏰ When to Watch/Listen This Video? You can watch or listen to this video podcast before seeing the film, and it may enhance your viewing experience. However, please note that it contains SPOILERS. If you're sensitive to them, feel free to watch it after you've seen the film—chances are, it might make you want to watch it all over again!

📌 Links & Resources

🔗 Read the article

🔗 Discover where to buy key items of furniture and décor in Beetlejuice 2 in our marketplace

🔗 Explore the Film and Furniture website for many other fascinating articles on the design, furniture and décor of film

🔗 Sign-up to our Newsletter

👀 Check out the Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum

🔔 Subscribe for more exclusive interviews on film design, furniture, decor and set decoration!

Credits
Film and Furniture Founder/Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage Video/Podcast
Editor: Ira Putilova
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to Universal Pictures

#Beetlejuice #MarkScruton #TimBurton #SetDesign #ProductionDesign #InteriorDesign #FilmDesign #BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice #SetDecoration #DesignInspiration #Architecture 

In this episode of The Film and Furniture Podcast, Paula Benson interviews production designer François Audouy about his work on A Complete Known, the film directed by James Mangold and starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan.

François takes us behind the scenes of this remarkable film, which captures the cultural revolution of the early 1960s, exploring how music, art, and society collided to shape history.

François shares insights into the creative process of designing iconic sets, from Bob Dylan's meticulously recreated apartment, filled with period-accurate furniture and details, to the authentic feel of iconic folk venues like Gerde’s Folk City.

We also explore the homes of pivotal figures such as Joan Baez, brought to life by Jessica Chastain, and the handcrafted homages to Pete Seeger’s cabin, with François revealing how even cooking a meal on set helped create a truly lived-in atmosphere.

We discuss the influence of Greenwich Village, the authenticity of the Newport and Monterey Folk Festivals, and the role of Columbia Records in showcasing Dylan's transformation as an artist.

With a focus on authenticity, texture, and historical detail, François shares how his team created a world that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

Listen to this episode to uncover how the design of A Complete Known brilliantly brings the spirit of the 1960s to life, and get an inside look at the world of production design for a film that immerses its audience in one of the most transformative times in American culture.

When to Watch/Listen This Video?
You can watch or listen to this video podcast before seeing the film, and it may enhance your viewing experience. However, please note that it contains SPOILERS. If you're sensitive to them, feel free to watch it after you've seen the film—chances are, it might make you want to watch it all over again! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

Links mentioned in this video:

Film and Furniture website: https://filmandfurniture.com/

Find furniture, lighting and décor in this film: 
https://filmandfurniture.com/film/a-complete-unknown/

Sign-up to our Newsletter: https://filmandfurniture.com/membership/

Read our feature: https://filmandfurniture.com/2025/02/the-times-they-were-a-changin-the-film-sets-of-a-complete-unknown/

Credits
Film and Furniture Founder/Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage Video/Podcast
Editor: Laura Spini
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to Searchlight Pictures

In this exclusive video podcast with Film and Furniture’s Paula Benson and Dune: Part Two production designer Patrice Vermette, and set decorator Shane Vieau, we reveal how the film’s designs go beyond aesthetics to reflect the cultures and identities of the film’s three primary worlds: the resilient Fremen of Arrakis, the oppressive Harkonnen of Giedi Prime, and the opulent Imperial society of Kaitain.

Discover how Vermette and Vieau’s creative vision brings Denis Villeneuve’s exploration of colonialism, environmentalism, and religion to life in this extraordinary continuation of Dune’s visual and narrative storytelling.

Through meticulous world-building, the design team infused the sets, furniture, and architecture with symbolism and cultural depth, blending practical craftsmanship with artistic vision.

When to Watch/Listen This Video?
You can watch or listen to this video podcast before seeing the film, and it may enhance your viewing experience. However, please note that it contains SPOILERS. If you're sensitive to them, feel free to watch it after you've seen the film—chances are, it might make you want to watch it all over again!

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

Links mentioned in this video:

Film and Furniture website

Find furniture, lighting and décor in film: The Film and Furniture marketplace 

Sign-up to our Newsletter


Read our feature: Design Secrets of Dune: Part Two: How Spaces Shape Cultures


Credits
Film and Furniture Founder and Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage
Video/Podcast Editor: Emma Youell
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures

In this exclusive video podcast interview with Film and Furniture’s Paula Benson and The Brutalist's production designer Judy Becker and set decorator Patricia Cuccia, we explore the design, furniture and architecture of the film The Brutalist.

Directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Brady Corbet, The Brutalist tells the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a fictional Hungarian Jewish architect and furniture designer who survives the Holocaust and relocates to America in 1947 to rebuild his life.

The film draws inspiration from the lives of pioneering architects and designers such as Marcel Breuer, Louis Kahn and Mies Van der Rohe.

Join us as we explore the design details and furniture in The Brutalist and how they shape the narrative. We uncover how the production design team captured the essence of early Modernist and postwar designers, and the challenges they faced in crafting the world of The Brutalist.

Also starring Felicity Jones as Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, and Guy Pearce as the wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren, this film places the creation of groundbreaking furniture and monumental architecture at its core, telling the story of one man’s resilience and vision.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

When to listen/watch this video podcast?
You can listen/watch before seeing the film, and it may enhance your viewing experience. However, please note that it contains SPOILERS. If you're sensitive to them, feel free to watch it after you've seen the film—chances are, it might make you want to watch it all over again!

Read our feature: Furniture in The Brutalist: How Early Modernist Designers Influenced a Monumental Tale 

Discover more and buy the furniture mentioned in this video podcast in the Film and Furniture Marketplace

Sign up to our newsletter

Credits
Film and Furniture Founder and Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage
Video/Podcast Editor: Ira Putilova
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to A24, Universal Pictures, Focus Features

The movie Wicked brings to life a magical world where both macro and micro design elements work in harmony to immerse the audience in the origin story of Elphaba (The Wicked Witch, played by Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda/Glinda (Ariana Grande).

In this exclusive video podcast interview with Film and Furniture’s Paula Benson and the film's production designer Nathan Crowley, we explore the design process and reveal the intricate details of the Wicked film sets that make the movie visually spectacular.

The film’s world-building draws on history, fantasy, and nostalgia, crafting a space that feels both familiar and completely new.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

Read our Wicked feature: Macro to Micro Magic: Behind the Film Sets of Wicked with Nathan Crowley

Take a look at the Wicked book and other film related books mentioned in this podcast:

Film and Furniture Marketplace: Books

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Credits
Film and Furniture Founder and Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage
Video/Podcast Editor: Laura Spini
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to Universal Pictures

Welcome to the Film and Furniture video podcast! If you’re a film fan with a passion for design, grab your headphones and/or screen, because, you’ve just found the perfect place to geek out over the magic of film design.

Every episode, will take you deep into the world where cinema and design collide, with an incredible lineup of video interviews and insights that you won't want to miss!

Film and Furniture is the home we created for design and film lovers like you who are hungry for all the insider information - on the big picture of how these immersive worlds are created to the details of the furniture, décor, and design elements that make film sets so stunning. Whether it’s the chairs, wallpaper, glassware, or even those carpets that make a scene pop, we uncover the stories behind these iconic items, how they came to be there —and exactly where to find them to bring a touch of the silver screen into your own home.

In our world, the interiors, furniture and set decoration is the star: Far from just the background noise, we believe they tell the story. We dig deep into why these pieces and concepts were chosen for the set, what they say about the characters—and give potency to the film.

Thanks to our direct line to the clever people who create these film sets and choose the items that make them, we will be bringing you behind-the-scenes industry scoops and exclusive interviews with the world’s most revered production designers and set decorators, as well as famous creatives from the wider world of design.

It’s a treasure trove for anyone with a serious interest in the art of film design, so join us as we unlock the secrets behind some of the most memorable films on the Film and Furniture podcast.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Website: FilmandFurniture.com

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Credits
Film and Furniture Founder and Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage
Video/Podcast Editors: Emma Youell, Laura Spini, Ira Putilova
Graphics: Paul West @ Form
With thanks to all the relevant film studios.

Join Film and Furniture’s Paula Benson and Conclave's visionary production designer Suzie Davies, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes video interview on the design of the film.

This video podcast contains spoilers.

Conclave, a gripping political thriller, takes audiences behind the locked doors of one of the world’s most secretive events—the election of a new Pope. Set within the Vatican’s hallowed halls and the imposing Sistine Chapel, the film is a masterclass in atmospheric production design.

We explore the thought process, creativity, and intricate décor details that shapes the world of Conclave.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

Read our feature: FilmandFurniture.com

Take a look at the furniture and products mentioned in this feature: Conclave

Sign up to our newsletter

Credits
Film and Furniture Founder and Editor: Paula Benson
Podcast Producer: Suzanne Courage
Video/Podcast Editor: Laura Spini
Graphics: Paul West @Form Design and Branding
With thanks to Focus Features