Production designer: Difference between revisions

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A '''production designer''' is the head of the art department. He is ultimately responsible for producing the overall look the physical elements seen in an episode. He helps the [[director of photography]] and [[director]] choose locations for out-of-studio filming.  He is also responsible for the practical manufacture of most of his designs, either in-house or through the use of prosthetic or [[CGI]] specialists. As such, he is one of the key personnel in the [[pre-production]] process, and one of the first people to be involved in the making of an episode. Since the art department is comprised of many sub-departments, the production designer also has managerial responsibilities over a large number of the people working on a programme, equivalent to that of the [[production manager]] or the [[post-production supervisor]].
{{video|Ask the Experts How do you become a Production Designer? - Doctor Who Series 9 (2015) - BBC|thumb|[[Michael Pickwoad]] on becoming a production designer.}}
==Specific duties==
A '''production designer''' is the head of the [[art department]]. They are ultimately responsible for producing the overall look of the physical elements seen in an episode. They help the [[director of photography]] and [[Director (crew)|director]] choose locations for out-of-studio filming, and are also responsible for the practical manufacture of most of their own designs, either in-house or by prosthetic or [[CGI]] specialists. They are one of the key personnel in the [[pre-production]] process, and one of the first people to be involved in the making of an episode. Since the art department is comprised of many sub-departments, the production designer also has managerial responsibilities over a large number of the people working on a programme, equivalent to that of the [[production manager]] or the [[post-production supervisor]].
Fully describing all the things under the control of the production designer would be difficult, as he touches many aspects of the production.  However, there are certain key tasks that can be highlighted.  It should be pointed out that many of these tasks are completed by their own departments, but all of those departments come under the aegis of the production designer.
*[[Concept artist]]ry for sets, props, characters, models, signage, images on the screens of in-scene computers, and other graphical elements
*Overseeing prop construction and [[standby props|continuity]]
*Overseeing set construction
*Location scouting (usually done in conjunction with other senior staff, such as the [[director]] and [[director of photography]])
*Overseeing the costume department to make sure their designs harmonize with sets and props


==People credited with the position==
== Specific duties ==
Only two people have ever been credited with this position in the history of ''[[Doctor Who]]'':  [[Richard Hudolin]] for the [[Doctor Who (1996)|Paul McGann film]], and [[Edward Thomas]] for every [[BBC Wales]] episode, as of the end of the [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|2010 series]].
Fully describing all the things under the control of the production designer would be difficult, as they touch many aspects of the production. However, there are certain key tasks that can be highlighted. It should be pointed out that many of these tasks are completed by independent departments, but all of those departments come under the aegis of the production designer.
* [[Concept artist]]ry for sets, props, characters, models, signage, images on the screens of in-scene computers and other graphical elements
* Overseeing prop construction and [[standby props|continuity]]
* Overseeing set construction
* Location scouting (usually done in conjunction with other senior staff, such as the [[Director (crew)|director]] and [[director of photography]])
* Overseeing the costume department to make sure their designs harmonise with sets and props
* Acting as a "governor" to the imagination of the writer by providing a budget for achieving the script as initially written; this can greatly affect the final form of the scripts
* Presenting ideas to others involved in the production, such as actors and camera operators.


Furthermore, Thomas has, as of the end of the [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|first Matt Smith series]], production designed virtually every episode of the [[BBC Wales]] [[Whoniverse]].  He held the post on every episode of ''[[Torchwood]]'' through [[Series 3 (Torchwood)|series 3]], and the [[Series 1 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|first series]] of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''.  Although [[Arwel Wyn Jones]] replaced him on [[Series 2 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|series 2]] and [[Series 3 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|3]] of ''Sarah Jane'', the job of the production designer — insofar as the [[Whoniverse]] is concerned — is largely the job Ed Thomas has made of it.
== As compared with designers ==
Though sharing genealogy, the job of [[Designer (crew)|designer]]s on the 1963 version of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' was much more limited in scope. Designers only worked on one or two serials at a time, meaning that any overlap or recurrent elements were difficult to account for and coordinate prior to their implementation. For instance, on ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' [[Barry Newbery]] was lumbered with a [[TARDIS]] interior set that had been created by [[Peter Brachacki]], who quit the programme after a very brief stint. Thus, one of the central design elements of the show was rendered by someone who did not survive in his post long enough to see his episode filmed. Especially in the [[1960s]], many of the props were also not made in-house, but shipped off to speciality manufacturers. This often resulted in uncontrolled deviations from the original designs which could not be corrected before filming began. There was no single person in charge of the overall look of the programme as a whole, as there is with the production designer. In a practical sense, the "designer" of old had the greatest control over sets and those props they could make in-house.


==As compared with designers==
Designers were also not heads of the art department in the formal sense that production designers are. Their staffs were not under their administrative control, as is the case with the modern production designer. Because they were employees of the BBC rather than of the ''Doctor Who'' production office, a designer typically had no powers of firing and hiring as is enjoyed by the production designer of today.
Though related, the job of [[designer]] on the 1963 version of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' was much smaller in scope.  Designers only worked on one, or at most two, serials at a time.  They also may not have had complete control over the design of every element.  For instance on ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'', [[Barry Newbery]], was lumbered with a [[TARDIS]] interior set that had been created [[Peter Brachacki]], a person who quit the programme after a very brief stint. Thus, one of the central design elements of the show was rendered by someone who did not survive in his post long enough to see his episode filmed.  Especially in the [[1960s]], many of the props were not in fact made in-house, but shipped off to specialist manufacturers.  This often resulted in uncontrollable deviations from the original designs, which could not be corrected before filming began.  There was thus no single person in charge of the overall look of the programme as a whole, as there is with the production designer.  In a practical sense, the "designer" of old had the greatest control over sets and those props they could make in-house.


Designers were also not heads of the art department in the formal sense that Thomas is.  Their staffs were not under their administrative control, as is the case with the modern production designer.  Because they were employees of the BBC, rather than of the ''Doctor Who'' production office, a designer typically had no true powers of firing and hiring, as is enjoyed by the production designer of today.
== As documentary subject ==
==As documentary subject==
The job of the production designer has been highlighted on multiple occasions in the history of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' and ''[[Torchwood Declassified]]''. However, the most concentrated look at the work of the production designer was an instalment of the BBC Wales arts programme ''On Show''. The episode, titled ''[[Designs on Doctor Who]]'', focused entirely on detailing [[Edward Thomas]]' job, featuring his work for ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'' and early contributions to the first series of ''Torchwood''.
Ed Thomas, and by extension the job of the production designer, has been highlighted on multiple occasions in the history of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' and ''[[Torchwood Declassified]]''. However, the most concentrated look at the work of the production designer was an installment of the BBC Wales arts programme, ''On Show''. The episode, entitled ''[[Designs on Doctor Who]]'', focused entirely on explaining Ed Thomas' job.  [[Tom Baker]] narrated the half-hour-long piece, which examined in detail Thomas' work for ''[[The Runaway Bride]]''.  It also gave some hints as to his contributions to the [[Series 1 (Torchwood)|first series of ''Torchwood'']].
 
== Production Designers of ''Doctor Who'' ==
=== Television Movie ===
* ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'' - [[Richard Hudolin]]
 
=== Series 1 through 5 ===
* [[Edward Thomas]], with the exception of ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]'' and ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'', for which [[Tristan Peatfield]] was credited.
 
=== Series 6 through 10 ===
* [[Michael Pickwoad]]
 
=== Series 11 ===
* [[Arwel Wyn Jones]]
 
=== Series 12 ===
*[[Dafydd Shurmer]]
*[[Darryl Hammer]] ([[South Africa]] crew on ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'' and ''[[Praxeus (TV story)|Praxeus]]'')
 
=== Series 13 ===
* [[TBA]]
 
== Production Designers of ''Torchwood'' ==
=== Series 1 through 3 ===
* [[Edward Thomas]]
 
=== Series 4 Miracle Day ===
* [[Gregory Melton]]
 
== Production Designers of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' ==
=== Series 1 ===
* [[Edward Thomas]]
* [[Tim Dickel]] (excluding the special)
 
=== Series 2 and 3 ===
* [[Arwel Wyn Jones]]
 
=== Series 4 and 5 ===
* [[Keith Dunne]]
 
== Production Designers of ''Class'' ==
* [[Michael Pickwoad]]
 
[[Category:Production team titles]]
[[Category:Production designers| *]]
 
[[fr:Chef décorateur]]

Latest revision as of 17:12, 21 October 2024

RealWorld.png
▶︎
YouTube
Michael Pickwoad on becoming a production designer.

A production designer is the head of the art department. They are ultimately responsible for producing the overall look of the physical elements seen in an episode. They help the director of photography and director choose locations for out-of-studio filming, and are also responsible for the practical manufacture of most of their own designs, either in-house or by prosthetic or CGI specialists. They are one of the key personnel in the pre-production process, and one of the first people to be involved in the making of an episode. Since the art department is comprised of many sub-departments, the production designer also has managerial responsibilities over a large number of the people working on a programme, equivalent to that of the production manager or the post-production supervisor.

Specific duties[[edit] | [edit source]]

Fully describing all the things under the control of the production designer would be difficult, as they touch many aspects of the production. However, there are certain key tasks that can be highlighted. It should be pointed out that many of these tasks are completed by independent departments, but all of those departments come under the aegis of the production designer.

  • Concept artistry for sets, props, characters, models, signage, images on the screens of in-scene computers and other graphical elements
  • Overseeing prop construction and continuity
  • Overseeing set construction
  • Location scouting (usually done in conjunction with other senior staff, such as the director and director of photography)
  • Overseeing the costume department to make sure their designs harmonise with sets and props
  • Acting as a "governor" to the imagination of the writer by providing a budget for achieving the script as initially written; this can greatly affect the final form of the scripts
  • Presenting ideas to others involved in the production, such as actors and camera operators.

As compared with designers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Though sharing genealogy, the job of designers on the 1963 version of Doctor Who was much more limited in scope. Designers only worked on one or two serials at a time, meaning that any overlap or recurrent elements were difficult to account for and coordinate prior to their implementation. For instance, on An Unearthly Child Barry Newbery was lumbered with a TARDIS interior set that had been created by Peter Brachacki, who quit the programme after a very brief stint. Thus, one of the central design elements of the show was rendered by someone who did not survive in his post long enough to see his episode filmed. Especially in the 1960s, many of the props were also not made in-house, but shipped off to speciality manufacturers. This often resulted in uncontrolled deviations from the original designs which could not be corrected before filming began. There was no single person in charge of the overall look of the programme as a whole, as there is with the production designer. In a practical sense, the "designer" of old had the greatest control over sets and those props they could make in-house.

Designers were also not heads of the art department in the formal sense that production designers are. Their staffs were not under their administrative control, as is the case with the modern production designer. Because they were employees of the BBC rather than of the Doctor Who production office, a designer typically had no powers of firing and hiring as is enjoyed by the production designer of today.

As documentary subject[[edit] | [edit source]]

The job of the production designer has been highlighted on multiple occasions in the history of Doctor Who Confidential and Torchwood Declassified. However, the most concentrated look at the work of the production designer was an instalment of the BBC Wales arts programme On Show. The episode, titled Designs on Doctor Who, focused entirely on detailing Edward Thomas' job, featuring his work for The Runaway Bride and early contributions to the first series of Torchwood.

Production Designers of Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Television Movie[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 1 through 5[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 6 through 10[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 11[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 12[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 13[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production Designers of Torchwood[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 1 through 3[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 4 Miracle Day[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production Designers of The Sarah Jane Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 2 and 3[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 4 and 5[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production Designers of Class[[edit] | [edit source]]

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