Set Construction
Interiors, exteriors, facades and full standing sets for film and television. Framing, flats, platforms, doors, windows and stairs built to plan and built to last the shoot.
Strong Arm Sets
Est. 2002 · North Hollywood, California
Feature films. Commercials. Music videos. For 25 years Strong Arm Sets has turned drawings into full-scale, camera-ready sets — domes, arches, staircases and anything else a production can dream up.
Who we are
Strong Arm Sets Inc. — known to the industry for years as Strong Arm Scenery — is an independent set construction shop founded and run by builder Duane Russell. From our shop on Cahuenga Boulevard we have framed, skinned and finished sets for feature films, national commercial campaigns and some of the most-watched music videos of the last two decades.
We are back up and running, stronger than ever. All the hard work and relentless battles are finally coming to fruition, and this year marks our 25th anniversary. We have survived for one main reason: to deliver a jaw-dropping, successful product every single time.
“I appreciate everyone's trust and support. We've worked hard to survive for one reason — to provide a jaw-dropping, successful product in return.” — Duane Russell, Owner
What we do
One crew, one shop, from the first drawing to the last coat of paint.
Interiors, exteriors, facades and full standing sets for film and television. Framing, flats, platforms, doors, windows and stairs built to plan and built to last the shoot.
Our specialty. Domes, groin vaults, arch tunnels, oculus skylights, spiral staircases and radius walls, laid out and framed in-house with precision.
Fast-turn builds for agency and label productions. Stylized environments, oversized props, miniature streetscapes and fantasy worlds delivered on schedule.
Hero props, practical rigs, breakaways, custom millwork and one-off pieces. If it has to look real on camera and survive the day, we build it.
We fabricate in the shop and install anywhere in Los Angeles and beyond: stages, practical locations, backlots and remote sites, with strike and wrap included.
Three studio and production office units next to the shop, available to productions that want their art department steps away from the build.
“If it has to look real on camera and survive the shoot, we build it.”
Strong Arm Sets · North Hollywood
Recent builds
Sets we have built for music videos, commercials, film and hospitality. Shop floor to final shot.
Rotating Set RigFull room inside a steel gimbal
Light TunnelCurved tunnel set, lit for camera
Boxing Ring SetRing, bleachers and barn boards
Prison CorridorForced-perspective timber hallway
Prison WashroomConcrete and tile, aged on set
Neon StageFloating frame in red
Faceted TunnelAngular walls, colour-lit
Tunnel in the ShopRibs and skin, before paint
Suburban StreetFull stage-built neighbourhood
Pastel HousesPainted sky and practical yards
Corner HouseSidewalk, lawn and street
Town FountainCast stone fountain and arch
Game ActivationAged walls and graphics
Clock TowerScenic tower, built to travel
Beach ActivationVenice Beach brand build
Skate Bowl DeckPlatform over a working bowl
Rock TunnelCarved and painted cave
Tomb EntranceLocation build, desert exterior
Carved HieroglyphsRelief work, hand finished
Arch CorridorReceding arches in perspective
Throne RoomPanelled walls and gilt furniture
Monumental LetterSteel and skin, hillside install
Bar Build-OutFull bar, millwork and finishes
Mosaic FloorInlaid logo, laid by hand
Lantern CeilingHundreds of hung fixtures
Club FloorThe same room, lit red
Brick LoungeChandeliers under open trusses
Fireplace SurroundCast mantel and firebox
Covered PatioAwning, herringbone deck, lighting
Retail Build-OutFixtures, counter and signage
Mirror SculptureFaceted figure, lit at night
Lit TreeColour-washed garden feature
Colour Block SetBlue and red, hard edges
Selected credits
A partial list of productions built by Strong Arm.
How we work
Send us the drawings, references or even a sketch. We turn around a clear, itemized bid fast.
Full-scale layout in the shop. Curves, radii and load paths are worked out before the first cut.
Framing, skinning, millwork and finish by our own crew, in our own shop, on your schedule.
Delivery, installation and strike on stage or location. We stay until the last shot is in the can.
The people
Owner · Builder
Founder of Strong Arm and hands-on builder on every project for 25 years. World-renowned circus wrangler and, by his own admission, janitor.
805-512-8989 Hotline 24/7/365Spanish-language contact
Se habla español. Reemberto attends productions and crews in Spanish: quotes, scheduling and coordination with the shop.
562-360-0325 Se habla españolThe facility
Minutes from every major studio in the Valley and Hollywood, our North Hollywood complex keeps the build, the art department and production under one roof.
Three connected shop units for framing, millwork, assembly and staging.
Studio space and production offices available to productions building with us.
Start a project
Drawings, a deck, a reference photo or just a phone call. We answer the hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.