A sample rendering of a location, edited through Photoshop to show how the purchased set dressing would look. Historically accurate wallpaper, window dressings, and bed linens are used.

So what does your background in film have to do with to library science of all things?

I worked in film right out of college, first working as a set PA, and quickly escaping to the art department, where I quickly became the go-to answerer of all manner of specific questions. I help department heads—production designers, set decorators, prop masters, etc.—fill in blanks during pre-production by putting together reference images and researching basically any question they had while reading the script. My work includes Black Mass, Chappaquiddick, Twisters, Spotlight, and other movies that aren't as good. 

How is that--

Relevant? Great question. Anyone who has ever worked freelance knows it's pretty grueling, and after some time I started to look into how to do that same sort of research work in other fields, where I realized that I had essentially been doing the work of a reference librarian--people come up to you with weird specific questions (What side of the road do they drive on in Northern Ireland? How much was gasoline in rural Louisiana in 1994? What photos can you find of Whitey Bulger's victims' crime scenes?) and you have about 10 minutes to answer it before cameras are rolling and you're getting shrieked at by David O. Russell. Basically, I was a reference librarian for film, and if I wanted to do that same work anywhere where I had health insurance and a Human Resources department, I'd have to go back to school and get my MLIS.

So what now? You didn’t really answer the question.

Wow, that’s kind of rude! Well, I’m a digital asset manager and researcher, splitting my time between various projects. So I not only keep all of the digital assets (drawings, plans, photographs, documents etc.) organized and easy to find, but pull together visual research on whatever comes up during production. I love it.

Those seem like very specific example questions, by the way. What are the answers?

So glad you asked! In order: on the left, same as the rest of Britain; about $.98 a gallon, depending on what part of the state and month; and if you make friends with the photo archives folks at the BPL, most of them.