Learning the skills to develop, design and then build your vision. You will learn from experienced, industry connected specialists. Gaining the skills you need to build an exciting career as a set or prop designer in the film, television and theatre industries. This is a hands-on degree. Students will draw, design and learn the processes and rigour of construction. You will have the opportunity to develop a high level of craftsmanship in a range of skills from designing opera theatres to building television sets. Students have access to a wide range of technical and specialist equipment.
This degree programmes technical resources include industry standard machines, hand tools, laser cutters, 3D printers, a full scale set construction workshop and digital software. The Northern School of Art is a collaborative community and our undergraduates work across degrees to experience a full production process including
acting,Model Making & Visual FX,theatre and tv production and
costume design.
The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Film, Television & Theatre Production and BA (Hons) in Production Design for Stage and Screen degree students took home an award for Best Production Design and an Honourable mention at the 2021 Kodak Nahemi Student Commercial Awards.
First Year:
• Traditional drawing and visualisation techniques
• Concept development
• Creative and workshop practice
• Practical and technical skills for the development of sets, props and characters
• An Introduction to materials, media and equipment
• An Introduction to Digital media for 2D and 3D visualisation
• Professional Studies exploring the creative industries for production design
• Contextual influences on contemporary culture and art history
Second Year:
• An individual specialist focus for your creative practice in production design
• Critical, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills through negotiated learning
• Advanced Digital media for 2D and 3D visualisation
• Professional practice and links with the creative industries
• Employability skills
Final Year
• A Final self-directed Minor and Major Project
• A Dissertation
• Final year exhibition
• Professional portfolio for employment
• Self-promotional material
Our graduates have gone on to carve successful careers within this industry and work for notable companies such as:
• Olympic & Paralympic, Opening Ceremonies Set Construction
• Royal Shakespeare, Company,Properties Master
• Star Wars (Disney), Prop Maker
• Aardman Productions, Head Sculptor
• Alton Towers/Merlin, Entertainment Prop Maker
• Pinewood Creatives, Digital Productions Manager
• Show Canada, Montreal Project Manager
• The Dumping Ground Tracey Beaker (CBBC) Production Designer
• BBC Care
• Waterloo Road Red Productions, (BBC) Production Designer
• Remember Me Mammoth,Screen Productions (BBC) Properties Buyer
• Disney & Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships, Prop Maker
• Madame Tussauds Models & Prop Maker
Your portfolio is a visual statement it says a lot about an applicant and their practice. The advice below is not meant to be restrictive but rather offers some simple advice to help you prepare for your interview.
What we like to see
A well-presented and organised portfolio of work demonstrating your best examples, which may also include 3D practical/digital models and a level of progression and development through your recent study.Also having the confidence and enthusiasm to talk about your work and portfolio.
Drawing
Technical drawing and perspective drawing would be beneficial but not essential. A wide range of media is also an advantage, which would demonstrate that an exploration of drawing is taking place.
Sketchbooks
Ideally these should include research and clearly show how this research relates to the project work undertaken.
Questions we may ask
• What TV shows, theatre productions and films are you excited about?
• What have you been to see recently?
• Do you have any practical experience such as backstage work or working on festivals or events?
Doug McCarthy
Special effects artist Doug McCarthy has worked on major Hollywood blockbusters, in the special effects department in a range of roles including The Avengers, Annihilation, Wonder Woman, Prometheus, The Conjuring2, Game of Thrones and many more. Check out Doug’s body of work on his IMDb page.
www.imdb.com
Aardman Academy
Aardman Animation is employee-owned and exists for the benefit of its workforce and the industry they are passionate about. The Aardman Academy is one pillar of Aardman Animationset up to nurture talent and to build sustainable careers They are committed to encouraging talent into the industry by delivering world-class animated-related courses and working with institutions like The School. Working with the Academy gives us access to talented members of the whole Aardman Animation team from animators through production designers, model makers and character developers and story board artists. Film director Mark Hewlis, Head of Aardman Academy, has told us “You can’t create something digitally until you know how it works in the real world.”
academy.aardman.com
Tina Sherifa Hicks
Tina is a Production Designer and Art Director whose many credits include: Waterloo Road; Scott and Bailey; Moving On; and The Dumping Ground. Tina has long worked with the school and enabled our graduates to get work experience and jobs.
She says…“As a designer in the industry I am always looking for students with outstanding qualities and abilities who can be trained and guided into the roles within the Art Dept.
The BA Production Design for Stage and Screen course trains and educates numerous outstanding graduates yearly, they are equipped with a broad range of skills and knowledge, have keenness and show dedication, all the right ethos and skills that can be transferred into the TV and Film industry.”
www.imdb.com
Grant Montgomery
Grant Montgomery is a production designer and art director, known for his work on HETV projects such as Peaky Blinders, Sanditon and Ghost Stories – he also worked on feature films such as The Secret Garden (2020) and Tolkien (2019) . Grant says…“Good production design is obvious. Great production design is transparent. But most of all it’s the search for the magical balance of craft and art in the service of storytelling and world building”
imdb.com
Matt East
Matt is the co-founder of EPH Creative a supplier to the themed events industry specialising in the design, creation & supply of high quality & visually outstanding event theming and props. They have bases in London and the North of England. Matt is one of our graduates, with his partner he has built a business that now employs 60 people and works with many clients - if you’ve ever seen Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice, This Morning, Masked Singer, Celebrity Juice, A League of Their Own, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway or Britain’s Got Talent the you’ve probably seen their work in action.
eventprophire.com
