She has been hugged by Clint Eastwood and he said her work was “perfect.” Anthony Hopkins has told her she was a “true artist.”
Janice Blackie-Goodine is a set decorator. She has created the backdrop scenes for some of the biggest movies of our time and has worked with many famous actors.
She grew up in Calgary and in Drumheller, Alberta and came from a farming and ranching background.
After attending the Alberta College of Art, she soon realized that it was hard to make a living as an artist. She then found her way into the film industry.
“I was one of the first women in the film industry in Alberta when it was really a man’s world,” explained Blackie-Goodine. “I had to work really hard to prove myself.”
She started out doing sets for educational television. The more experienced she became, the bigger the projects.
“My first really big break was when Superman III came to Calgary and I got hired as a set decorator,” she said.
In order to do her job, Blackie-Goodine first reads the movie script. She researches the time period the movie takes place in and analyzes the characters. She meets with the film’s designers and directors and then does a budget.
“Then I get to go shopping with other people’s money,” she said. “I have to provide all the furniture, appliances, floor and window coverings, ornaments and anything that would be in the home or business environment that the film is taking place in.”
When decorating for a period show set in the 1800s or 1920s, she must search the country for antiques, often poking around in people’s sheds and attics. She’s travelled around with a buyer and a five ton truck, buying items from collectors and antique stores. She has even bought items locally.
Blackie-Goodine explained that it can be a real challenge to decorate for a movie that is set in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, due to the fact that we have become such a disposable society.
“People discard things, furniture and appliances,” she said. “People don’t keep things like they did in the old days and things use to last longer. Now everything breaks down and gets chucked.”
Once the carpenters have built the movie sets, Blackie-Goodine and her crew go in and decorate, paying attention to detail.
“We have to make sure we are as technically correct as possible,” she said. “We want people to believe it is in that era and it helps the actor’s performances if everything around them is correct for the period. It transports them back.”
It is also in the details that movie watchers can get a feel for the characters.
“We’re developing the character through their belongings,” she explained.
The down side of a set decorator’s job is the amount of work that goes into creating a scene and how little of it is actually visible in some movies.
“In Jessie James, I decorated four blocks of downtown Winnipeg, turning it back into the 1860s,” said Blackie-Goodine. “In the movie you only saw one corner. When you’re watching your work it can be either exhilarating or really depressing.”
The majority of the actors Blackie-Goodine works with are hard working and professional. They treat her with a great deal of respect and courtesy, she said.
With her husband also working in the film industry, as a prop master, they often times don’t see each other for months. After one such time the couple came to the Okanagan for a vacation. They discovered how lovely Summerland was and purchased a home in Trout Creek. That was 11 years ago.
Since moving here Blackie-Goodine has had more time to paint and has been inspired by the natural beauty of the landscapes around her. She also finds Summerland’s arts community to be very vibrant and supportive.
“I think one of the best decisions we made was coming here,” she said. “When we’re not working in film, we can have a normal life in a nurturing, peaceful, beautiful community.”
If you know a positive story about someone in our community, contact Carla McLeod at carlamcleod@shaw.ca or contact the Summerland Review newsroom at 250-494-5406.