Finding Emily

Set Decoration

When a lovesick musician (Spike Fearn; Alien Romulus) is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student (Angourie Rice; Spider Man, Mean Girls, Mare of East-town) to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious, campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.

Directed by Alicia MacDonald (Too Much), produced by Olivier Kaempfer & Cecilia Frugiuele of the amazing Parkville Pictures (Polite Society, Lollipop, Everybody Wants to Fuck Me) along with the creators of many, many rom-com legends, Working Title Films. Production designed by Bobbie Cousins (Hoard) and Cinematography by Rachel Clark (Queenie, I Am, Dreamlands). Written by Rachel Hirons with Alicia MacDonald.

A room with a green electric guitar standing next to a beige armchair with clothes on it, a soccer ball-shaped bean bag on the floor, and a small black amplifier. There is a desk with a lamp and various items, and a poster on the wall.
A bar with a backdrop of a sunset scene, containing various liquor bottles on illuminated shelves, a bar counter with tap handles, and four bar stools in front.
Cozy living room with exposed brick wall, various seating, lamps, a potted plant, and decorative items.
Modern lounge area with orange and yellow velvet seating, black and red throw pillows, potted plants, large floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and wood wall panels, illuminated by pendant lights and natural light.
A bedroom with a bed, pillows, nightstand, and a lampshade, against a yellow wall decorated with small picture frames. The bed has various patterned pillows, and there is a mirror to the left.
Interior of a living room with floral patterned wallpaper, framed family photos on the wall, a wooden shelf with decorative items, and a TV stand with speakers and vinyl records, along with various small decorative objects.
Promotional poster for the movie 'Find My Family' featuring two young adults, a man and a woman, holding a purple sign with handwritten notes. The poster includes text about the film's release date of May 22 and mentions from the producers of 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and 'Love Actually'. The title 'FIND MY FAMILY' is prominently displayed in large pink letters.
A cozy, decorated living room with hanging star-shaped paper lanterns, Christmas lights, a red lampshade, and various Christmas decorations and gifts.
A pink-colored room with a desk holding a laptop and DJ equipment, with a heart-shaped photo collage on the wall, a vintage-style lamp, and pink curtains.
Festively decorated fireplace with candles, garland, and colorful lights, with a large mirror and wreaths on the wall.
A decorated room with pink and purple lighting, red curtains, and a table with various items. There is a plant and a mannequin dressed in a striped dress on the right side.
A cozy, vintage living room with pink walls, featuring a floral dress on a mannequin, a table with a lamp and drinks, a fur blanket on a wicker chair, and eclectic decorations including a mirror, candelabras, and a wreath.

Party House

A cozy, decorated room with a rattan armchair with pillows, a side table with a lamp, a mirror, and mannequins wearing colorful clothing and wigs. The room has warm lighting and festive decorations.
A cluttered, decorated corner featuring a large decorative fan, string lights, hats, feathers, and various accessories, with a cowhide rug and framed mirror on the floor. There is a lamp providing warm light and a whiteboard with handwritten notes.
A collection of neon light jewelry and accessories in a glass bowl, with decorative dried roses in the background, illuminated by colorful neon lights.
A DJ setup on a red table with a mixer and turntables, a lit table lamp with a decorative shade, and black headphones with star-shaped earrings resting on the table. In the background, a wall decorated with a chandelier and a photo collage arranged i
A large group of women and a man taking a selfie at a colorful party with pink, purple, and gold decorations, star-shaped lanterns, and a festive atmosphere.
An indoor party scene with a wooden table filled with bottles, cups, and decorations, against a wall decorated with framed pictures, a star-shaped wall hanging, and a large fish plush. There are signs with handwritten messages, a lamp, and a glowing
A decorated room with purple lighting, a chandelier, window with curtains, a table set with glasses, a large star decoration hanging, plants, and a cardboard cutout of a woman in a striped dress.
A cozy vintage-style living room corner featuring a wicker lounge chair with pillows and a furry throw, a small zigzag side table with a vintage lamp, empty glass, and a red plastic cup, a mirror reflecting a mannequin dressed in a floral dress with
A living room with a wall decorated with various framed pictures, mirrors, and mounted animal skulls, featuring a vintage-style sofa with patterned cushions, and a collection of party cups and decorations on a nearby table.

References

  • Living room with large windows, a dining table, a couch, and a piano in the background.
  • An interior space with exposed brick walls, wooden flooring, and large arched windows allowing natural light. There is a shelf filled with books, a table with chairs, and potted plants, creating a cozy, eclectic atmosphere.
  • Interior of a room with beige curtains, a blue decorative wall with black tree branches, a bed with a wrought iron headboard, an ornate table with a red and gold tablecloth, and a small round stool with a woven seat.
  • Living room with tiled floor, staircase, armchair with blanket, chairs stacked on the left, various decorative items on small tables and walls, and a doorway with curtain.
  • The image depicts a room with a checkered black and white marble floor, a stone wall with a window, and furniture including a chair, a small table, and a pile of shoes. Playing cards and a die are scattered on the floor.
  • A living room with a window showing a sunset sky, and furniture covered with cloths including a purple draped item, a yellow covering on a sofa or table, and green and white cloths on chairs, forming an unorganized scene.

Owen’s House

Living room decorated with floral wallpaper, with picture frames, a lamp, plants, and stereo speakers on a wooden shelf and table.
Living room decorated with floral wallpaper, with picture frames, a lamp, plants, and stereo speakers on a wooden shelf and table.

The home of our leading lad, Owen (plus his big brother and girlfriend), this set had me in tears too often. The boys are in the process of potentially selling their house and moving on, following the death of their mum. So, sourcing all the details to show the traces of her and their still strong family bond cut me far more keenly, being a single mum myself.

We wanted to create a realistic interior filled with heart and soul that still bore the traces of her, so I gave this backstreet Salford terrace a bohemian slant with hints towards her 90s youth spent gallivanting in the Hacienda, filled with warm orange-y pine furniture with brushed chrome accents, mixed in with her charity shop vintage finds and an array of half-completed creative projects that the boys’ still hadn’t had the heart to get rid of.

As often happens, my own son Arlo made it into the set. His drawings and small hand-hewn gifts are often dressed in to my work, along with family photos. He can be spotted throughout the house in photos, several of his drawings, a heart coloured in pastels and an age’s old Mother's Day card.

I took direction from the existing frost glazed panel in one of the internal doors and incorporated the square motif throughout the living room dressing, with the Prop Gods being incredibly kind and throwing several perfect pieces of furniture my way.

BACKGROUND

A living room corner with a piano, musical sheet, and a cabinet filled with decorative items, plants, and books.
A living room with patterned wallpaper, a wall clock, a window with floral curtains, a table lamp on a side table, a flat-screen TV on a wooden stand, and a window with potted plants. The room contains various electronics, DVDs, and remote controls,
Indoor potted plants on a windowsill with a painted brick wall mural featuring a butterfly, flowers, and handwritten names.
A collage of various wooden furniture and home decor items including tables, chairs, a cabinet, a shelf, lamps, a shaggy rug, and decorative pillows, with a floral wallpaper background.
Floor plan of a living room with various furniture pieces and their measurements, including images of substituted furniture items.

References

  • Collage of six kitchen interior images showing different kitchen layouts, cabinets, countertops, and appliances.
  • Collage of six photos showing different living rooms and dining areas in homes, featuring furniture, decor, and windows.
  • Four views of a mural called "Mum's Mural" on CC Emily's house. The first image shows an outdoor wall with painted flowers and outdoor furniture. The second depicts an interior doorway with a drawing of a dog and flower outlines. The third is a corner of a room with painted floral designs and a small animal drawing. The fourth features a close-up of a flower with detailed, colored petals and leaves.

Owen’s Bedroom

Owen's inspirations were easy; this low-key mellow Mancunian lad's similarly lo-fi vibe had hints of 'Tokyo Style' with a make-do-and-mend spirit and lots of 90s honey pine and white melamine 'shit' furniture.

I always like to start a set by buying a character a hero chair to create the tone. Owen had two; one not shown was a 90s Swedish designer wood and fabric low-slung number that was a swine to sit in and soon got relegated to the prop-store shelves in favour of this fabulous green velvety number that I could easily imagine him sat on playing his guitar.

As with the rest of his home, I added in loads of hints of iconic 90s IKEA and Habitat - brushed chrome accessories sourced on ebay (the hands motif wall display panel above his fire surround was a fave) and, perhaps my pièce de résistance, the vintage clock with spaces for photos on each hour that I sourced from one of my favourite Etsy dealers… in Belgium and we filled with candids of the boys and their mum.

A cluttered bedroom with an unmade bed, a guitar on the bed, a nightstand with books, a lamp, and photos, a wall clock, an open closet with hanging clothes, a mirror, posters on the wall, and a fireplace.
A room with a beige armchair holding clothes and a scarf, with a large black-and-white soccer ball on the floor in front. To the left, a black stereo system with a lamp, a small speaker, and other items. Behind the stereo, a green electric guitar leans against the wall. The wall has posters and photos, including a cactus fighting poster. There are yellow curtains on a window to the left.
A room with a beige armchair holding clothes and a scarf, with a large black-and-white soccer ball on the floor in front. To the left, a black stereo system with a lamp, a small speaker, and other items. Behind the stereo, a green electric guitar leans against the wall. The wall has posters and photos, including a cactus fighting poster. There are yellow curtains on a window to the left.
A cluttered room with shelves filled with books and records, posters on the wall, a guitar leaning against a chair, and various small objects on a table.

References

  • Three different indoor rooms: a bedroom with a person lying on a messy bed, a living room with a chair, a desk, and a window, and another room with a chair near a window with patterned curtains.
  • Three different interior rooms: a black and white bedroom with hanging clothes and a bicycle, a living room with sunlight, a lamp, and furniture, a bedroom with a wooden bookshelf and bed with rumpled bedding.
A room with a bed, a white nightstand, a guitar, a blue plant pot with a plant, a small green lamp, an armchair with a pillow and blanket, a small table, and various equipment in the background.

Emily’s Flat

Living room with brick walls, various lamps, plants, and plush furniture on a wooden floor.

This was another swoonworthy location sourced by our incredible Locations Team of Dreams - this time based smack bang in the centre of Manchester at the iconic Chorlton Mill. Filled with exposed brick and pillars, it could not have been any more Mancunian and had the loveliest owner who made it a breeze to work there. I was aiming for iconic with this one and was channelling every John Hughes’ bedroom there ever was (plus a dash of Trax from Pretty in Pink).

Emily's flat from the very off was always going to be contemporary bold colours and this strongly modern palette was on my mind from the start, as can be seen from the accumulated palette of all the antique and vintage textiles, found objects & furniture that I'd been acquiring on ebay and vinted for weeks. I added some hand-made pieces sourced via several artist-makers I'd unearthed on Etsy, along with a dash of high street swag to keep it contemporary.

To add even more iconic elements, my multi-talented team helped create some bespoke textiles; including several embroidery pieces, including a delightful dancing almost-Josephine Baker) and a pair of applique curtains made up by my ever patient drapeslady. Emily's bedroom windows had about four layers of textile going on - antique lace cafe curtains + a vintage embroidered tablecloth, plus some striped curtains AND a voile. Layers upon layers of textiles, personal artefacts and life debris were dressed in over about a day and a half before the shoot crew were due to descend.

I also asked our lovely Graphics team to create loads of bespoke artwork and photography referencing various famous scenes from iconic films; including an Agnes Varda & the iconic 'Daisies', aiming to give these girls a little more cultural cachet.

Slightly swanky for a pair of students, but this was a Working Title world so I do feel some creative license is allowed.!

Living room with exposed brick walls, large windows with curtains, a wooden chest of drawers holding a TV, a table lamp, and various potted plants.
Window with lace and floral curtains, sunlight streaming in, a cushioned bench with folded embroidered linens on top, a potted plant nearby, brick wall, and a patterned rug on wooden floor.
Decorative display with wire mannequin frames on a light blue wall, adorned with jewelry and accessories, with a wooden dresser below holding various decorative items, a small mirror, and trinkets.
A hospital bed with floral bedding and a headboard made of metal pipes. On the yellow wall behind it are two framed photographs of young women, one in color and one in black and white, standing outdoors at night.
A cozy home office with a wooden desk, a rattan chair, a red desk lamp, various office supplies, plants, a stack of books, and a brick wall on the right side.
A cozy bedroom corner with a brick wall on the left, a wooden mirror, a bedside table with a lamp, books, a plant, a clock, and a cup. Wall art decorates the yellow wall above the bedside table, and part of a bed with pillows is visible on the right.
A cluttered white desk against a yellow wall, holding various office supplies, notebooks, a wire basket, a potted plant, and a small stack of books. Under the desk is a colorful storage box, a small chair with a patterned cushion, and a woven basket.
A living room with an exposed brick wall, a television, a lamp, and framed artwork, reflected in a large rectangular mirror with a silver frame.
Cozy indoor space with a table, table lamp, framed wall art, brick wall, and several potted plants.
A cluttered kitchen corner with a white refrigerator covered in photos and magnets, a counter with plates, a spice rack, and a bowl, a drying rack with pots and utensils, a wall with pictures and notes, and a small cart with jars and snacks.
A cozy indoor scene features a tall wooden floor lamp with a beige shade, a potted climbing plant with green heart-shaped leaves, a wooden chair with a knit blanket, a small wooden table with bottles of wine, and a wall-mounted lantern-style light fi
A cozy home office corner with a wooden desk, a brick wall decorated with photos, a fan, and various office supplies.
A wooden table with a beige lamp, a jewelry mannequin, a black box with jewelry, and some magazines. A large mirror behind reflects a woman's photo, hanging clothes, and part of a living room. A chair with a yellow-patterned cloth, and a wicker umbre
A wooden table with a round mirror, a small statue of a woman, red and black feathers, papers, a small black vase with a face design, and various other small objects.
A framed photo collage of eight photos of a person in different outfits and poses hangs on a white wall. Below, there's a light switch. A green leafy plant in a striped yellow vase sits on a table with papers and a bag, and a chair is partially visib
Bathroom with hanging laundry rack, various bottles, and a bathtub filled with toiletries and a sponge.
Living room with cream-colored wall mirror, beaded necklace hanging on the mirror, a black mask with feathers and jewels, various jewelry and accessories on a glass surface, beige lamps, and a large window with plants outside.
Interior of a room with a wooden cabinet holding potted plants, a table lamp, and magazines. Several green houseplants are on the cabinet and a large potted plant is beside it. A wall lantern and a patterned hanging textile are on the wall. There is
Living room with couches, pillows, a wooden coffee table with decorative items, and a patterned rug.
A bedroom with a cluttered bed that has multiple pillows and blankets. There is a wooden nightstand with a lamp, books, and small items. The wall is painted yellow, and there are small picture frames hanging on it. A mirror is visible in the background, and part of a red bag hangs on the right side.

References

  • Three paintings with different interior scenes, showing a woman relaxing on a sofa, a woman observing a painting, and a woman sitting near a table. The paintings use a palette of muted, pastel, and patterned colors.
  • Three photos showing vintage interior scenes. The first photo shows two men in a waiting room with a pink sofa, a glass coffee table, and a window with a city view. The second photo shows a desk with a stack of books, a pink vintage telephone, and a white table lamp. The third photo shows a woman in bed with a floral bedspread in a bedroom with gold accents and a framed painting.
  • A collage of eight photographs showing different bedrooms and living spaces with various interior designs and decorations.
  • A collage of eight images, all depicting different bathrooms and scenes involving bathroom settings, with a title CC Emily at the top and Emily R // Bathroom at the bottom.
  • Collage of nine images showing women in domestic settings, engaging in various activities such as painting, sleeping, reading, organizing, and relaxing.
An eclectic room setting with vintage furniture and textiles, including a metal bed frame, patterned rugs and throws, wooden chairs, a small table with books, a lamp, and decorative screens and drapery.
A wall display of various fabric and wallpaper samples, including a colorful woven rug, textured wall coverings, and patterned swatches in shades of blue, green, yellow, and neutral tones.

Other Places

View of a bar with liquor bottles on a backlit shelf, bar stools in front, and T-shirts hanging on a rack to the side, illuminated by colorful lighting.
A stage set up with musical instruments, including drums, keyboards, and microphones, decorated with flowers and lit with purple lights, in an elegant indoor venue with a checkered black and white floor.
Interior of a modern cafe with a wood-paneled counter, flowers, coffee cups, an espresso machine, and a decorative wall art piece with colorful geometric shapes.
A cozy coffee shop interior with large floor-to-ceiling windows, colorful chairs and sofas, wooden bookshelves with books and decor, ceiling pendant lights, and indoor plants.
Interior of a cozy cafe with round tables and colorful chairs, decorated with sunflowers in glass vases, featuring large windows with posters of diverse young people and an outdoor view of buildings and trees.
Modern interior with large floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden wall accents, colorful cushions, and plush chairs.
A decorative scene with a muscular plastic figure wearing sunglasses, surrounded by colorful string lights, with a fountain emitting blue and purple light in the background.