Okay, folks, grabbed my coffee this morning and figured I’d jot down exactly how I went down this rabbit hole looking for Ruth DeJong production design tips. Seriously, everyone keeps dropping her name like it’s magic, but actually finding concrete stuff she says? That turned into a whole thing.
It started simple enough. I was watching this behind-the-scenes thing for some big show, and they kept mentioning her influence on the sets being super authentic and gritty. Got me hooked. I wanted to know how she does that vibe, you know? Like, the practical dirt.
So first thing I did? What everyone does. I just typed her name plus “tips” or “techniques” into every search bar I could find. Big mistake. Mostly got flooded with news articles about projects she worked on, interviews where she talks about what she did (“Oh, we used distressed wood here…”) but hardly how or why. Lots of “her work is amazing!” which, duh, but that wasn’t helping me replicate the magic. Felt like hitting a wall.
Got frustrated quick. Felt like maybe she just didn’t do the whole “sharing tips online” thing. Almost gave up. But then I remembered seeing her name pop up on that HBO show about movie magic stuff – you know the one? So I dove headfirst into video interviews instead. Scrolled through hours of YouTube stuff, finally landed on segments where she talked about her process on that show. It wasn’t a step-by-step guide, obviously, but hearing her talk about “finding the soul of a place,” really studying existing buildings, using layers of history on set – that started to click. Still, it was broad.
Needed more. Started digging deeper, way past page one of search results. That’s where I stumbled onto some random forums dedicated to set design and indie filmmaking. Goldmine! Well, kinda. People there weren’t Ruth herself, obviously, but folks who worked with crews influenced by her style or who admired her work. They were discussing how they tried to replicate that “lived-in” feel. Stuff like:
- Scouting junk shops and salvage yards religiously – not just buying things, but understanding why old things look the way they do.
- Thinking about how actual people move through a space and what objects naturally pile up where, instead of just decorating symmetrically.
- The importance of weathering everything – dust, scratches, sun fading, water stains. Nothing looks new.
It clicked then. Realized I’d been looking for “Ruth DeJong Says Do XYZ Step 1-10.” But that wasn’t happening. What I could find was piecing together her philosophy from interviews – how she thinks about realism and authenticity – and then seeing how other experienced designers interpreted that into practical steps in those forum discussions. The tips weren’t coming directly from her mouth on a blog post, but from people actively dissecting how she achieves what she does.
The big shift? Stopped searching just for “Ruth DeJong tips.” Started looking for discussions about her techniques, analyses of her work, and especially conversations among practical set designers trying to emulate that grounded look. That’s where the actionable gems were buried. It wasn’t a straight line, more like connecting dots scattered all over the place.
