4th December 2025
As the last of the year’s sawdust settles, we at DRS Film Sets find ourselves in a familiar state of mild bewilderment.
How did we get here?
And how did we manage to be a small part of so many genuinely exciting projects without accidentally painting a prop bright pink?
It’s a mystery, but one we’re grateful for.
We’re not the ones in the glamorous trailers.
We’re the folks who build the walls, lay the floors, and make sure the whole thing looks convincingly like a hospital ward or a perfectly preserved Regency drawing-room.
We are, in short, the people who make the backdrop look good so the actors can do their thing.
And we bloody love it.
This year has been a masterclass in contrasts.
On one hand, you have the epic, location-based productions that send our colleagues packing for far-flung, beautiful places as they did on Frankenstein. An intense trip to Scotland which reinforced the belief that sometimes, only the real world will do.
On the other hand, the beating heart of the industry remains right here in London. We’ve been busy helping to craft the urban realities for projects like Bugonia and Malice.
But the real unsung heroes, the quiet, tireless workhorses of the industry, are the studio builds.
These are the projects that keep the lights on and the hammers swinging, where we get to truly flex our creative muscles.
We’ve been fortunate enough to contribute to the enclosed worlds of Goodbye June and Thing with Feathers, where every single detail, from the skirting boards to the ceiling roses, is our responsibility.
And of course, there’s the magnificent machine that is Bridgerton. Less a job and more a beautiful fixture in the studio landscape.
It’s a privilege to work alongside the talented carpenters, painters, plasterers and riggers who turn a bare soundstage into a fully realised world.
Their dedication is the bedrock of this industry.
And a wonderful reminder that all the long hours and late nights eventually pay off will be the release of Wuthering Heights in February next year.
Looking further ahead, the horizon for 2026 looks bright.
The industry is buzzing, the studios are booking up, and the scripts are flying.
We are genuinely hopeful for a year of sustained creativity, challenging builds, and, most importantly, continued employment for the thousands of skilled craftspeople who make British film and television the global success it is.
Thanks 25 – you’ve been great.
