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"   Michael Bednark Brooklyn, N.Y. Age: 28 Years on Job: 5     Michael Bednark got the bug for building sets in high school. &amp;quot;I started with the local drama club doing The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, all the classic musicals,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;I liked creating\u2014building stuff with your hands.&amp;quot; Now the 28-year-old&amp;#039;s Bednark Studio specializes in constructing sets and props for TV commercials and print-advertising photo shoots. Bednark\u2014who has put Stephen Colbert&amp;#039;s head on a faux Mount Rushmore for Rolling Stone; made a ray gun out of a plunger, PVC pipe and silver spray paint for Skittles; and placed a chef&amp;#039;s head on a platter for The New Yorker\u2014must make a client&amp;#039;s vision come to life in his own way. &amp;quot;Set designers are hired based on what their look is,&amp;quot; Bednark says. &amp;quot;I always put my signature on what we build.&amp;quot;  How It Works: Set Design 1. Conceptualizing Bednark uses Vectorworks, a 3D drafting program, and Photoshop to add dimension to the sketches an ad agency provides. &amp;quot;That gives us a rough feel for the shoot,&amp;quot; he says. Next, he creates a board with the design&amp;#039;s color palette, fabrics and textures, and \u00ADmeasures the shoot location. 2. Building Constructing a set takes from a single afternoon up to five days. Bednark uses mostly plywood, factory foam, fabric and recycled newspaper pressed into shapes that can reproduce stone and 10 types of brick. The team builds sets in 4 x 10\u2013foot sections using pneumatic nail guns, furniture staplers and glue. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re not doing precision\u2014ever,&amp;quot; Bednark says. &amp;quot;We just move it as quickly as possible.&amp;quot; 3. Assembly  Bednark&amp;#039;s crew constructs the set on-site. In one technique, the team stretches muslin over lauan flats. When it&amp;#039;s painted, the material tightens, creating a seamless surface. &amp;quot;We can do a 20-foot wall in 40 minutes, and you can be shooting in 90,&amp;quot; Bednark says. 4. Breakdown When a shoot is over, Bednark must dismantle the set. &amp;quot;Sometimes the paint isn&amp;#039;t even dry and we&amp;#039;re throwing it into the Dumpster,&amp;quot; he says. But some materials end up back at \u00ADBednark&amp;#039;s 3000-square-foot shop. &amp;quot;We try to get as much use out of things as possible,&amp;quot; he says, &amp;quot;without making them look like other designs.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/a6673/set-designer-this-is-my-job/>