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We all love to see the glitz and glamour of the stars drifting along the red carpet at awards time, but making a film or TV series takes a lot of talent from a huge backing of craftspeople.

The prestigious Emmy Awards are handed out for excellence in television. Its Creative Arts Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on Sept. 8 and will be attended by a number of excited Calgary film industry workers. Some 15 have been nominated and will make the trip to nervously wait for the announcements to see if they have won. Half a dozen have been nominated for work they performed in the production of FX’s Fargo 5.

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One of those talents is Amber Humphries who was part of the team nominated for outstanding production design and art decoration. Humphries was set decorator, Cathy Cowan was art director, and production designer Trevor Smith led the trio.

Her career began in studying theatre arts at Mount Royal University but she was attracted to the film industry with the opportunity to work under costume designer Wendy Partridge. She was enamoured by the realistic environments film and television allowed her to create.

It was followed by being offered a position as production assistant under her mentor Janice Blackie-Goodine, on the Disney TV series Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

Since then, Humphries has worked as a freelance set decorator on a host of films and has become one of Canada’s most sought-after decorators and diverse stylists with the ability to adapt to any genre.

After studying and understanding a script, the set decorator — consulting with the other members of the art department — is charged with conceptualizing and sourcing all of the elements needed to dress a set. They include furniture, draperies, lighting fixtures, artwork and countless other objects required to populate a set.

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Humphries has a special knack of finding unique, one-of-a-kind pieces and specialty fabrics, which capture a character’s personality and bring sets to life. This is especially important in period productions, where it is vital — for example — not to show a map, a book, a lamp or any object that was created years after a scene is supposedly taking place.

She has been fortunate to stay extremely busy (apart from unforeseen lulls in the industry caused by the coronavirus and last year’s actor’s strike), amassing an impressive portfolio from a variety of shows.

Smith says it is important for him to build a relationship with people he can know and trust, ones that he can lean on to support his vision, and he has been fortunate to be able to have Humphries join him as set decorator on a number of projects including television series Fargo 5, High School, Let Him Go, and Wynonna Earp — all shot in the Calgary area.

Humphries is looking forward to working on Die My Love, a feature show that is currently prepping, while Smith will be working with a UK reality show and a Korean television series.

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But there are many others busily involved in a very healthy Calgary film industry right now. According to Luke Azevedo, Calgary film commissioner and vice president of creative industries and operations with Calgary Economic Development, there are currently between 3,000 and 4,000 people involved in the industry here that recorded an economic impact of $530 million to the city and area in 2022.

Locations, experienced crews and good infrastructure are all necessary in attracting productions, but Azevedo also says we are recognized as a film-friendly province with a straightforward process.

The TV series Fargo has earned 70 nominations and won six Emmys. Four of the five series have been shot in Calgary; while another massively popular series, Heartland, is wrapping Season 18.

Notes:

More retailers and office additions continue to open along Main Street in University District. Those expected to open later this year include Shoppers Drug Mart, UNA pizza + wine, Native Tongues Taqueria, Seed N Salt and Stephen Cleaners.

A recent announcement also informs that Servus Credit Union will be opening along the street to offer the district a new financial services provider. The branch is slated to include a Business Banking Centre.

David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.

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