CoastLine: Set Decorator Marthe Pineau on making The Crow, Idlewild, and the questions filmmakers need to answer about firearms on set

By Rachel Lewis Hilburn

Published November 9, 2021 at 9:34 AM EST

Marthe Pineau in the CoastLine studio November 8, 2021

Marthe Pineau has helped to create the look and feel of Idlewild, The Crow, Bolden, the TV series Matlock, the pilot for Dexter — among many other film and TV productions. Being a set decorator, she says, taps her working knowledge of history, literature, fine art — and her love of learning. As an officer of IATSE Local 491, she also explores the latest film set tragedy on Rust and what that could mean for a contract agreement.

Matlock, Sweet Bird of Youth starring Elizabeth Taylor, Muppets From Space, Anna Karenina, Dexter, Tammy, Bolden, Idlewild, The Crow… What do they have in common?

Some were shot in North Carolina – but not all. Some are period pieces and some are set in modern times. Some are comedies, some are dramas. Some are TV productions. Some are films.

But they all have a look that film set decorator Marthe Pineau helped to create.

On this edition of CoastLine, we find out what it means to be on the team designing the look and feel of a film. We also explore the film community’s conversation and self-examination, after the most recent fatal shooting on a film set, and we hear how her experience on The Crow has shaped her view. The star of that film, Brandon Lee, died nearly three decades ago after another actor fired a prop gun at him containing a live bullet.

Guest:
Marthe Pineau, Set Decorator, Officer on the Board of Local IATSE 491

Sample credits: The Devil All The Time, Idlewild, Bolden, The Sweet Bird of Youth, The Crow, Dexter (the pilot), Anna Karenina

The North Carolina Filmmaker Series is holding a free screening of Idlewild on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 4 PM at The Pointe 14 in Wilmington. Marthe Pineau will participate in a live question-and-answer session after the showing.