Major Project - The Production Designer

For my major project, the production design was to be essential, it had to look outrageous, filthy, messy, funny, and freaky at the same time. This was going to require a lot of props and designs from someone who has experience, so I had to look around for anyone, even at UCA for help.


Production designers are responsible for the visual concept of a film, television or theatre production. They identify a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, while working closely with the director and producer. (AGCAS, 2015)

The job of the production designer is to make the visual side of the film production look amazing as it possibly can using all means of artistic direction and prop making capabilities.

The responsibilities include:

• Reading scripts to identify factors indicating a particular visual style; 

• Considering the production brief, which may be written or oral; 

• Meeting the producer and director to discuss concepts and production requirements; 

• Researching art history, background politics, historical information and producing design ideas; 

• Planning and monitoring the design budget;

• Providing scale drawings or models for studio or theatre sets; 

• Producing design ideas for costumes, wigs, props, special effects, make-up and graphics; 

• Identifying and assessing potential studios and locations;

• Sourcing appropriate materials and researching effects;

• Presenting ideas to others involved in the production, such as actors and camera operators;

• Researching, estimating and preparing a property list; 

• Hiring and managing an art department team or teams (depending on the size of the production); 

• Instructing the set construction company, scenic artists and special effects specialists and monitoring their work; 

• Liaising with the costume designer and the director of photography, as well as the props, lighting and sound directors; attending progress meetings, rehearsals and filming to advise on visual presentation;

• Checking sets and locations during filming to make sure requirements are met and to deal with any queries.

My Production Designer:

Name - Alex Wilson

A UCA Graduate and props lover, she enjoys all aspects of design and filming in terms of props and items to make anything look creepy and yet at the same time stand out.

The reason I came to her was because of the designs and props she already made which I had access to thank to her consent. Her inspirations came from that quirky yet gloomy side of film making such as, The Series of Unfortunate Events and How to Train Your Dragon. She understood what I needed and what I was aiming for in terms of the resolution of the film. Plus her style fitted the project perfectly, funny, dark, freaky and her work truly stood out from what I saw in most designer's work I have seen.