#Film production designers how to#

By building an understanding of production design, you're able to start generating ideas that may help you in this career path. This role is responsible for overseeing and implementing the different visual elements of television, theatre or film productions. All that’s missing are the actors, and they’ll weigh in on their new world soon enough.įor more information on production design, check out this article by Jonathan Paul.ĭo you have tips for production designers? Let us know in the comments.If you want to enter the entertainment industry and have an interest in filmmaking or the creative arts, you may consider a role as a production designer. It’s a fair request, too – the art and construction departments work very hard to build great sets on a tight budget with limited time.įrom early on, the production designer and the DP work very closely to plan everything the audience will see in the film. The PD might also urge the DP to shoot slightly wider establishing shots to highlight the sets a bit more. He or she might not worry about the deep background as much since it’s being kept dark in the lighting scheme. This may help the PD shift efforts between background and foreground props and set decorations. The PD will watch dailies to get a sense of how the DP is shooting the picture - including what you can what you can’t see. Throughout photography, the DP and the production designer continue to talk about the daily work and what’s ahead. When time permits, I’ll always walk over and check on the progress of the new set and start thinking about camera and lighting. It’s not unusual for set construction to be taking place during principal photography. It’s important to resolve as many issues as possible during prep because once the shooting starts, the whole mindset of the team changes. They might have particular colors they like or locations they prefer, but if the DP and the PD present a unified case for something, directors will usually go along. We’ll use backings instead of a green screen for the big window in the living room …ĭirectors are a part of this process, too. Can a dolly fit through that door? Make these light switches practical. I’ll need a ceiling piece for the bedroom set. Make this wall ‘wild.’ Go with wallpaper instead of paint. Virtually every physical detail of a production gets reviewed in prep:Īdd a window here. Production Designer William Sandell had to build the ship’s ballroom right-side up and upside down on Poseidon. This is a quiet but exciting relationship that relies on imagination, creation, and promotion - until the realities of the production rein them in. Their work blends three-dimensional reality with the two-dimensional photography. This is when cinematographers and production designers really forge their working bond. Since DPs illuminate and frame the drama, a production designer needs to know which lenses a cameraman plans to use, the lighting design, expected camera movements, and the tone the DP wants to create photographically. In most cases, the production designer can’t wait for the arrival the director of photography to get started. While cinematographers buy in on the initial design of the film, they begin their real work when plans, sketches, and concept art have already laid out the look of the film. The production designer works for weeks on a project before the cinematographer even begins to prep. And if production designers can’t build what they need, they’ll find a good location that is both camera- and production-friendly.

Words become light, color, texture and setting. Their combined efforts advance the story visually.

#Film production designers how to#

What cinematographers have in common with production designers is an acute sense of light and space and how to capture it through a lens. They do all of these things, and they do them well.Ĭoncept painting from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I love visual arts - I wish I could draw and paint better, and I wish I were a Photoshop expert. Find out how you can improve your workflow with these talented filmmakers.Ĭover image via the Netherlands Film Academy. Production designers are essential for successful film and video projects.