Caroline Amies, Production Designer

Caroline has worked as a production designer in film, television, commercials and theatre. Her film credits include ‘Land Girls’, ‘Ladies in Lavender’, ‘In the Name of the Father’ and ‘Copying Beethoven’.

JOB PROFILE

The production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a film. It is one of the key creative roles. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story.

From early in pre-production, the production designer collaborates with the director and director of photography to establish the visual feel and specific aesthetic needs of the project. The production designer guides key personnel in other departments such as the costume designer, the key hair and make-up stylists, the special effects director and the locations manager (among others) to establish a unified visual appearance to the film.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Designers generally come from an art/architecture background. They need a solid understanding of architecture. The ability to understand and interpret a script, visualise the concept (whether is be based in reality or in fantasy/science fiction) and communicate that visualisation to others. The creative elements travel alongside the art department’s budget - one reliant on the other.

Pencil, paper, scale rule, camera, calculator (mostly to keep an eye on the budget).

PEARLS OF WISDOM

It doesn’t matter where the ideas are generated from, as long as they come.