Bird Cage Set Design

A few weeks ago I got to do another set design for work. This time it was for Kari Jobe.

We have a monthly devotion at work, and Kari was asked to come in and do our March devotion.
We didn't feel the need to go overboard with a set, but wanted to add a few elements to the stage. A lot of Kari's merch pieces she sells on the road have birds on it, so we went with a bird cage theme.

Here's a shot of the full stage {with the horrendous fluorescent lights on}. I'll give you a breakdown of each of the elements.


I hung a few bird cages on each side of the stage from the ceiling with jute string. I filled each cage with a few battery operated votives. When the stage lights are on and the overhead lights are turned down, the votives give off a good glow/vibe.


I also hung a few frames on each side on the back wall. The back wall is basically carpet squares. I don't understand the science, but basically it helps with the overall sound in the room. I just used tiny nails and and hammered them through the carpet and barely into the wall behind it for the frames to hang from. These are the same frames I used in a set design for her before and also the ones I used for the Britt Nicole video shoot recently.


Curious what the thing hanging in the middle is?


It's actually a wire basket I got from Hobby Lobby that I turned upside down. I have seen a lot of cage lighting. When I saw these in Hobby Lobby, I envisioned turning these upside down and putting one of the battery operated votives hanging from the inside to make it appear like a light fixture.
I couldn't get the candle to stay that way, so I ended up putting one on top.


This bird cage was sort of the inspiration for the whole set. I loved the rusty look and wanted to make the rest of the elements tie into it. 


Here's the close up of one of the hanging bird cages again. I tweaked these a bit to make them tie into the whole set.


Here's what the bird cages actually looked like before.


I spray painted them with heirloom white spray paint.


After they were spray painted they felt a little plain. And since I wanted them to look like the bird cage I bought from Hobby Lobby, I thought I would distress them a bit.


Here's a side by side shot. The finished product is on the right and the bought bird cage is on the left. Pretty close, right?


Since I wanted them to look rusty, I knew I couldn't just sand them down. The silver metal was underneath and that's not the coloring I wanted to show through.
So I bought a little sample of brown paint.


And distressed them using a dry brush technique. You basically just dip your brush in paint and wipe off the excess and then lightly go over the spots you want to appear 'distressed.'


What's great about doing it this way is there really is no way to mess it up. I just sort of brushed here and there until I got it looking the way I wanted.


I think the finished product definitely had a rusty look to it. Which was my goal!
I'm hoping to be able to re-use some of the cages in some other sets for future in house video shoots so hopefully they'll go to good use again soon.
On a side note, I have to admit that I caved and read the first Hunger Games book and am going to see the movie tonight. I resisted for a while, mainly because I don't really get into the sci-fi/fantasy type books and movies. I never got into Harry Potter or Twilight and figured the Hunger Games would be along those lines. But, after a big group from work decided to go see the movie, and after some convincing, I just decided, what the heck, why not see what the fuss is all about.
I finished reading the book on Wednesday night. I have to say the story is good. I'm not necessarily obsessed like a lot of people are, but I can see how it can suck you in. I'm interested to see how the movie is and to see if the book is better than the movie.
Are any of you into The Hunger Games or seeing the movie this weekend too? Linking up to::The Shabby NestThirty Handmade Days Brassy Apple