Baron Shaver is the construction coordinator at a Fraser Valley-based company called Reel Fake Stuff building set designs for television and film productions. Shaver recently moved to Powell River and continues to commute by plane to his job in the Lower Mainland. His design work was displayed locally as part of Beauty and the Beast Junior, a Musical Theatre Kids production that took place at Evergreen Theatre earlier this month. Shaver built an impressive castle for the play’s set.
Tell us about what you do in the Lower Mainland?
I build movie sets for television series and feature films. We work directly with the designers. They come up with the idea and we create what they want.
Building movie sets isn’t typical art, but it’s definitely very creative. Can you tell us about that creative side?
Let’s say we are building a set for a science fiction show, we’ll get the basic dimensions and reference photos and we’ll build a spaceship or a futuristic town. It is quite the creative process.
Is building the sets more of the work side for you, or the creative side?
I’d say the creative side. I’m the construction coordinator so my position allows me to come up with designs and follow my imagination.
What’s the set design you are most proud of?
It was a design of X-Men mansion common room for a commercial. There was a lot of detail, like huge crown mouldings. I really like doing science fiction and fantasy because you can do so much with it. We work a lot with sculpting foam and you can do tons with that. I also ran a paint crew for a long time, so that gives me an edge creatively. I still dabble in both.
How did you find yourself living in Powell River?
We were looking for a nice, quiet place to move. I fly back on the weekends. We picked Powell River because of the little airport here and it’s a 25-minute flight, so it was the type of place we were looking for, being close to the ocean and wilderness.
Do you pursue other forms of art in your personal time?
Well, I used to jam a lot and have sung in bands in the past, but that was just a hobby.
Is building film sets a viable path for artists?
Oh, definitely. The film industry allows creative people to make money doing the kinds of things they like to do. It’s long hours, sometimes seven days a week; but if you love it, it doesn’t matter.
For more information, go to reelfakestuff.com.
