Production designer, theatre/television/film

Production designers use their creativity in films, television programmes, or theatre productions to bring visual concepts to life

As a production designer, you'll work closely with a director or producer to design the visual aspects of a production. You'll work on set designs, filming locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles, and even costumes.

The role may involve interpreting scripts to help inspire a look, develop concept art and mood boards, as well as manage budgets. Working collaboratively with other creatives is a vital part of being a production designer.

Once an overall look is chosen, you'll usually appoint and manage an art department, which includes a design and construction team. You may form a strong partnership with a particular director, who you may work with on many productions.

Designers tend to specialise in film, television, or theatre, although there is some overlap. In theatre, production designers are also called stage or set designers.

Responsibilities

Most production designers work as freelancers, so an important part of their work is marketing their skills and experience, making contacts, and briefing agents.

In addition to being able to promote yourself, you'll generally need to carry out the following tasks:

• agree on a project, with freelancers also needing to agree on appropriate fees and timescales, although this may be carried out by an agent
• clarify the brief which may be written or given orally
• read scripts to identify a particular visual style that will fit the story being made
• meet the producer and director to discuss concepts and production requirements
• research art history, background politics, historical information and produce design ideas
• plan and monitor the design budget
• provide scale drawings or models for studio or theatre sets
• produce design ideas for costumes, wigs, props, special effects, make-up and graphics
• identify and assess potential studios and locations for TV and film productions
• source appropriate materials and research effects
• present ideas to others involved in the production, including actors and camera operators
• research, estimate and prepare a property list, which involves working with departments to ensure appropriate props are acquired for a production
• hire and manage an art department team or teams (size of teams will depend on the size of the production)
• instruct the set construction company, scenic artists, special effects team, costume designers, and anyone else working on visual aspects
• liaise with the costume designer and the director of photography, as well as the props, lighting and sound directors
• attend progress meetings, rehearsals and filming to advise on visual presentation
• check sets and locations during filming to make sure requirements are met and to deal with any queries.

Salary

Production designer is not typically an entry-level position. Those breaking into the field usually start as art department runners, assistants, junior draughtspeople or set designers.

Pay varies hugely between the different roles in design production, across theatre, television and film. There are further variations depending on the budget of each production. Most roles are freelance, so it is best to check the current agreed rates with Bectu (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union). You can check theatre rates with UK Theatre.

Rates increase as roles become more senior and at the higher levels can reach over £3,000 per week. This can only be achieved with extensive experience. At production designer level, rates tend to be negotiated on an individual basis.

Salaries may also vary from one production to the next, and your income will depend on the nature and number of contracts you take on. If you're on a low income, you might consider supplementing your earnings with other activities, such as teaching, model-making, or exhibition design.

Only a few production designers can command high salaries. Those fortunate enough to work in the West End, for example, may even receive a percentage of box office takings or royalties.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours can be long and typically include regular and unsocial hours, as well as weekends. It's likely that you'll be expected to work over 40 hours per week.

The nature of the film, TV, and theatre industry often results in intensely busy periods interspersed with inactivity after a production has finished.

Part-time work is unlikely, although freelancers can control their workload by deciding which contracts to accept. The length of contracts varies according to the nature of the production and its budget. Career breaks are also possible.

What to expect

• Plenty of variety, depending on the project. You may work in theatre workshops, television and film studios, in a design office, or at home.
• Work is mostly available in cities where studios and theatres are based. Location work means you must be prepared to be away from home, often for long periods and at short notice. This could be either in the UK or overseas.
• You may also be required to travel frequently within a working day.
• Employment may be insecure, and flexibility is essential.
• Time, budget constraints, and working with demanding personalities can be stressful, but the work can also be very stimulating and exciting, especially for those who value careers in the creative industries.

Qualifications

While there is no set path to becoming a production designer, relevant degrees and HND subjects in art and design can help you stand out. The following subjects are most likely to provide the skills and knowledge you'll need:

• architecture
• creative, performing or technical arts
• drama or theatre studies
• fine art or visual art
• graphic design or illustration
• interior design
• landscape architecture and design
• theatre or performance design
• 3D design.

A design qualification is good preparation for work in production design, as it will allow you to build up a portfolio. Your portfolio will also demonstrate your imagination and creativity, technical ability, and a strong sense of spatial understanding.

Some courses have been approved by ScreenSkills, the skills body for the screen industries. Relevant courses include degrees in TV and film set design and a Masters in production design.

Specialist postgraduate qualifications may also give you an advantage and could help you make valuable contacts in your chosen industry.

Entry without a degree or HND is sometimes possible, but you would usually need an excellent design portfolio and to have worked your way up from a craft-level job in the industry.

Skills

You'll need:

• a flair for generating original and creative ideas
• the ability to communicate ideas through technical drawings and model making
• a good working knowledge of the visual arts and production processes
• a critical view of film, television, or theatre, and familiarity with the work of influential designers
• persistence to follow up leads and gain work
• the ability to collaborate with others, at all levels, and as part of a team
• the capacity to manage a design project from start to finish, especially those with tight deadlines
• the ability to be resourceful and adaptable, and be able to solve practical and conceptual problems
• the ability to work independently
• the confidence to appoint and supervise a design team or art department.

Work experience

As with most jobs in the creative industries, competition is fierce. Getting involved with student theatre, film clubs, or music societies will enable you to make contacts, gain experience, and build up your portfolio.

Finding and entering competitions is another good way to put yourself ahead, as successful entrants have the chance to work with leading British companies on opera, theatre, or dance productions. Competitions sometimes give short-listed designers the opportunity to exhibit their models and designs.

ScreenSkills runs a one year trainee scheme, Trainee Finder, which places successful candidates in film or high-end TV projects. Trainees will be required to attend training events, including health and safety, finance for freelancers, carbon literacy (an awareness of carbon and climate costs that go into productions), branding, and networking, as well as industry masterclasses to improve their chances of getting work. Trainees can also gain access to an industry mentor for additional support.

When starting out in your career, you could work as an assistant to an established freelancer, who may be interested in an extra pair of hands for a particular project.

In film, an accepted route to gaining practical production experience is to start as a runner in the art department, progressing through design assistant to art director.

In theatre, some new entrants assist experienced designers with model-making. Working on fringe productions is also a good way into the theatre scene, enabling you to showcase your work to potential employers.

Most designers start with irregular contracts and low wages, and this can be difficult to manage if you have financial commitments. However, a move from a related area, such as interior design or architecture, may be possible mid-career.

Employers

In the UK television industry, production designers are employed (usually on a freelance basis) by independent production companies and the BBC.

There are also openings in cable and satellite companies, though these have limited in-house opportunities of their own.

The principal organisations responsible for developing the UK film industry are the British Film Institute (BFI) and the various screen agencies operating across specific regions as well as nationally.

Theatre designers work for national theatre and opera companies, in regional repertory companies based mainly in large towns and cities in the UK. They also work for smaller theatre or dance companies based all over the country.

There may be occasional opportunities to work as a resident designer in national or repertory companies. There are also rare but prestigious opportunities for designers to work on West End productions and musicals.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Broadcastjobs.com
• Bectu - members can publish a profile in the freelance directory
• Mandy.com
• Screen Daily
• The Stage

Specialist directories are available that provide contacts that are useful for sending speculative applications. They include:

• Kays
• Screen Global Production
• The Knowledge
• Pact

Theatre designers who work regularly as assistants and are members of The Society of British Theatre Designers can add their details to the Society's assistant designer register.

Professional development

After completing a degree or postgraduate course, you are likely to start in an entry-level position. You'll be expected to learn on the job, picking up the necessary skills and experience to eventually progress. However, it can take years to advance to production management level..

Because you'll be working to tight deadlines and on more than one project at a time, opportunities for further training may not always be possible while you're busy.

Also, if you're freelance, any professional development will be self-funded, which may present an obstacle.

You may also decide that you want to learn or update specific technical skills, e.g. in computer-aided design (CAD), and could enrol on local part-time or evening courses.

Supply companies offering specialist lighting, materials, or effects may run product demonstration days, which can help you to expand your repertoire and network.

If you work in theatre, details of courses and information about degree exhibitions and relevant shows are available from The Society of British Theatre Designers.

Useful careers information on production design, details of training courses, and relevant publications are also available from ScreenSkills.

Career prospects

To reach the position of production designer, you must have extensive experience and creative skills that have been built up over many years.

It's common, especially in the early stages of your career, to work across more than one genre. This helps to maximise your chances of finding work and to develop further skills. It's also quite common to work in exhibition design, museum design, or doing design for corporate events to begin with.

Once you start to get paid work, you can build up your portfolio, contacts, and expertise on an ongoing basis. This may take a substantial amount of time, but as your career develops, you may be able to command higher rates and work on higher-profile productions. At this point, many designers choose to employ an agent to negotiate on their behalf.

As you progress, you may become more involved in the conceptual aspect of a project. Bigger productions with larger budgets often have art department staff who do much of the practical realisation work, while the production designer focuses on the design ideas and concepts.

You may decide to shift your career direction slightly by moving into teaching on foundation, degree, or postgraduate courses in art and design. You might also begin directing your own productions.

A similar but alternative career option is that of costume designer. They also work in television, film, and theatre, liaising with directors, lighting and set designers to establish the right look and feel for the costumes the actors will wear.