Question about Permanent Sets vs. temporary/take-down sets

[jo.frank88]

With the news of changes coming for Days' DiMera Mansion sets I have a few questions. To me, it seems that once a set is built/decorated and ready to use that really the only cost upkeep would be to store it (if it is a permanent set and doesn't require constant tear down/ put up) so I guess my question is this... Do they literally take down EVERY set?! I thought some sets were permanent and were never "broken down" (for example on Days I would think the Horton house, DiMera mansion, Kirikias mansion, Horton Town Square - basically sets that are used nearly everything day- would not be broken down/ put up). I'm interested to know more of how this works- with both Days and all the soaps in general. Thanks for your thoughts/comments!

[titan1978]

The main floor nurses station on GH used to be a permanent set. At least the old one, from Monty to JFP. It had been updated, but was still a permanent set. I'm not sure if the current one with the visible stairs is as well.

[ReddFoxx]

Don't union rules require sets to put up and taken down? I know that's how it worked with the east coast soaps and was one of the challenges towards reviving them.

[Michael]

What are the upcoming changes to the DiMera mansion set? I got a little weirded out in yesterday's episode when Kate was in some random study-looking room...

[jo.frank88]

That new DiMera set of the study is (for now at least) the only DiMera Mansion set we will be seeing... I'm going to start calling that new set DiMiniMansion

[Paul Raven]

Not sure these days with the frantic taping schedules but back when shows shot an episode per day,I think most shows had a few permanent sets eg main characters house/apartment,local restaurant etc and then the rest of the sets were assembled each day. The studio could only fit a certain number of sets.

Crews would be at the studio early morning to assemble the sets required for that day. Not sure where unions came into this and whether a certain amount of new sets were required to be erected to keep these guys working.

Back in the days of 30 min live tape shows the same few sets could have been used for several days. Watching The Doctors reruns,the hospital set was on almost every day and the Powers house was used often so were probably already up.

Writers would have to write around the sets available.

Sometime in the 2000's when P&G had big budget cuts,the sets shrunk in size so more permanent sets could fit into the studio.

I remember at one point on GL they had the diner,hotel room which was redressed and a couple of other sets available.The police were having meetings in the diner.

[Michael]

Thanks. I'll miss that living room -- it's classic Days to me -- but I guess it doesn't make a ton of sense to use studio space on it, considering Chad and Kate are the only cast members living there now.

[KMan101]

I guess I missed the DiMera mansion set going away. Where did they say that? I guess it makes some sense.

I swear I remember hearing how sets are left up now because of the cost of taking them down and putting them up. I'm sure there's a rotation of sets or something. They probably leave certain sets up for a certain length of time and then use others. GH seems to do this.

And Days sure seems to love that damn blue room. And that hotel room.

[jo.frank88]

They haven't said anythign on screen. Jason47 just made a post about the set not being used (for now at least) and Lauren Koslow confirmed that they are currenlty not using it.

[SFK]

I will miss the revolving portraits. The Sami-Kate one was perhaps greater than the Stefano original.

I seem to remember that back in the day, AMC's and OLTL's sets were broken down every night then trucked to storage in Jersey, brought back to Manhattan to be put up the following morning. I think I read this in one of their coffee table books. Admittedly, this never made much sense to me. I don't know if it was a matter of studio space and usage, or even a union thing.

[All My Shadows]

I believe this was confirmed in the Biography/TVography special A&E did on AMC. They did some historical stuff plus tracked one episode of the show from the writing stage to broadcast, and there was a segment on the crew going in at the buttcrack of dawn every morning to assemble the sets.

[SFK]

Seems so tedious. And expensive! Like, "!@#$%^&*] it, somebody hang up a shower curtain and grab me a butterfly chair, I'm not DOIN' this tuh'DAY."

[KMan101]

Ohhhh ok. I did miss that. Thanks I'll miss the set but if it means other sets or new sets then I might be OK with it going away for a bit. It has been used a lot, and I guess it makes sense considering Kristen isn't in town, Stefano is never in town, and it's just Chad and Kate.

LOL. It does seem so tedious to go through all of that effort. Damn.

I do recall that special though and now it's ringing a bell that they did trek those sets in. Wow.

[EnglishTea]

Each show had semi-permanent sets. It isn't that a set can't be taken down, but that they try to keep out of the rotating sets if possible. Turnaround is determined by the producer who schedules the show who is working in conjunction with the art department. The less sets that need to be taken down, the better. It isn't determined by the union.

[Mitch]

I don't think the east coast soaps had any different union regulations...GL had those permanent sets during Peapack...which, while everyone complained some of them were quite nice (The Spaulding study got a nice two story makeover, the Towers club looked good, and Company also...others not so much, the Cop Shop, Reva/HollyBend/Farmhouse...looked like three people would be tight and of course Harley's crap house, which matched her junk filled back yard.)

I remember an interview with Kathryn Hays where she first joined ATWT they had permanet sets up and were right across from each other in a row, so the camera could roll to the next set ona track, which seems an effienct way to do it (her funny story also included her, waiting in her set, getting into motivation across from Fulton, and loosing her train of thought as she watched Fulton;s Lisa being LISA! as she put it.)