Caroline is a Production Designer and Art Director whose credits include “Svengali”, directed by John Hardwick and starring Martin Freedman, and “Titus” directed by Charlie Cattrall. She is currently working on “Thea”, directed by Nirpal Bhogal, the story of a young couple whose lives are turned upside down when the birth of their first child is accompanied by terrifying entities that threaten their newly formed family.
Would I change anything if could…? Perhaps finding my dream job a little earlier in life but then part of my dream was having children, which I did when I was pretty young. Don’t think I could be who I am without my two boys. They’re beautiful young men now, they embrace my work [the film industry] with such generosity and patience just because they know my work means so much to me. Our home often becomes a little production office and prop store, they’ve never complained, they just accept the whirlwind of film that takes over my life. The three of us just work so well as individuals and as a family.
Raising kids and working in the film industry requires determination, strength, patience and an incredible support system. If you have a partner then hopefully you already have the emotional back up. If you’re doing it alone like I did then maybe things are a little trickier, guess it depends on your situation. There’s no right or wrong way, you just have to find the way that works for you. Is there a right time to have children in this industry? Who knows? It moves at such an incredible rate, you have to feed it and nurture it – just as you do your kids. They don’t stay young for long, and neither do we so I’d say make the most of every opportunity and as long as your love is felt and you balance life and work when you can, anything can be achieved. If it doesn’t work now it doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. Whatever choice you make, don’t struggle alone…listen, share, respect and communicate. That’s how you make a great film, and how you raise beautiful children.
