MA Film Making

Production Design

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible"
Oscar Wilde (quoted in Patrick Keiller's film LONDON)

Plan for a set design.

Production Design is the creation of mood, atmosphere and context through the expressive use of objects, forms and colour, in the realisation of a script. In professional filmmaking a Production Designer interprets the written word for the screen, inventing a visual world and language through objects, interiors, and architecture. He or she adapts and dresses locations or builds settings on a sound stage employing all aspects of art direction and design to dramatise and enhance the narrative visually.

The design component of the MA Filmmaking programme aims to develop the student’s knowledge of the subject area as it directly relates to film exercises and to each student filmmakers practice. In terms 4 and 5 this involves the design and build of a set on one of the School’s sound stages. All units develop and execute Production Design concepts for each script in production. The department teaches all aspects of Production Design for both 35mm colour and black and white film. These include classes in model making, composition and colour, set dressing and drawing.

Students learn how to develop a visual concept and how to transform it into a cinematic reality. We use traditional drawing techniques alongside Photoshop, Sketch Up and Vector Works. The close proximity of London exhibitions and permanent collections of national galleries are used as teaching resources by the department.

Photography of Diana Charnley

Senior Lecturer in Production Design is Diana Charnley

Diana's feature film credits for Production Design and Art direction include High Hopes, Defence of the Realm, Clockwise and The Dawning. She was head of Production Design and Art Direction at the National Film School and has lectured widely for other institutions including Cambridge University and University of Strathclyde. Diana's writing on Production Design has been published by the BFI. She gained an MA from Goldsmiths College in History of Modern Art and is a practising painter.

Hayden Griffin-Senior Lecturer
Hayden is an international theatre and film production designer and has designed for theatre, ballet and opera. Film credits include Intimacy directed by Patrice Chereau, Painted Angels directed by Jon Sanders and Wetherby by David Hare

All visiting lecturers and consultants in the department are professionals in feature film production working as art directors, production designers or set decorators.

Visiting Design Lecturers: Eve Stewart, Alan MacDonald, Tom Conroy, David McHenry, Adrian Smith.
Production Design and Costume Consultants: Jim Clay, Annie Symons.
Construction: Jeff Woodbridge, Ian Hammond.
Titles and credits: Chris Allies

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