Production Design for Film and Television MA

If you would like to develop the traditional and technological skills needed for entry into an art department in the film and television industry, this course is ideal. It offers one of the few opportunities internationally to focus on scenic art direction in postgraduate study. The course has been designed to utilise your existing areas of expertise in a related discipline, which can range from Fine Art to Architecture, and add those required for professional practice.

What will you study?

You will develop skills in production design for both a studio environment particular for television, or script-driven drama intended for television or cinema. In the former you will deal with the creation of a purely televisual world, designing built scenic elements and using lighting and technology such as LED screens to create a particular environment.

For drama productions you will learn how to enhance the script through the visual elements, dealing with the architectural structure of the set, the practical lighting, locations, the choice of colour and texture in the form of props and fabrics, as well as the practical management of the process.

Production Design can be broadly separated into two types:

• a production that requires a studio environment particular to television; or
• script-driven drama where the output could be intended for either television or the cinema.

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Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Modules

• Fundamentals of Studio Design

• Fundamentals of Studio Design

  This module builds the basic skills needed to design a set for a brief-based project involving:

  • a main presenter;
  • guest/s; and
  • accommodation for studio audience.

  The design process develops in a parallel manner to that of a real production within a studio context. You take it from conception to realisation through working models, studio plans and related visuals.

  These elements are assessed in the final presentation. Workshops and lectures cover such key areas as:

  • visual research;
  • drafting;
  • presentation skills; and
  • related studio conventions.
  
   
• Abstract Studio Design

• Abstract Studio Design

  This module again deals with design for a multi-camera environment, but uses a more complex brief than the Fundamentals of Studio Design module.

  It uses more areas and a greater range of cameras. The module allows you to:

  • integrate recent technology into this type of design using electronic media such as video walls;
  • challenge the conventions established previously;
  • extend your range of traditional skills through lectures and workshops;
  • investigate related modelling software such as 3D Studio Max; and
  • explore the possibilities of a virtual set.
  
   
• Contemporary Drama

• Contemporary Drama

  This module employs skills developed in previous exercises to investigate the design problems posed by contemporary drama.

  Following textual analysis of a film/television script, the brief will require a full design resolution to include sourced locations and a related composite studio set.

  We will assess the finished presentation in relation to:

  • aesthetics;
  • practical considerations such as depth of research and time management skills; and
  • the general level of creative endeavour.

  We also provide an introduction to working with DV cameras and associated editing software.

  
   
• Period Sci-fi Drama

• Period Sci-fi Drama

  This module draws together various strands of knowledge developed through the course in relation to conceptual development, but without the confinements of a traditional script.

  A chosen novel is the basis of a film treatment. The brief allows free interpretation and period adaptation. You will:

  • produce a detailed composite set presented in either traditional physical model form, as a computer-generated image or a combination of the two; and
  • prepare a ground plan, supporting technical drawings and either drawn or computer-generated visuals.

  Lectures, tutorials and workshops support each stage in this process.

  
   
• Major Project Proposal
• Major Project

• Major Project

  For this module, you must complete a major project for public exhibition. The module will:

  • equip you with the ability to fund-raise, seek sponsorship and prepare exhibition and project proposals;
  • familiarise you with the relevant skills for effective project management and production, audience development, marketing and for publication and dissemination of work;
  • develop your individual research into a finished work for publication, either as a print-based book/catalogue or as a media work for publication on DVD/CD/the course website.
  
   
• Personal Project

• Personal Project

  This module offers the choice of a number of subjects as the basis of a personal study. It is designed to:

  • suit individual interests and development in a particular area of production; and
  • inspire an innovative and creative approach.

  There are individual tutorials at the start of the project to offer specialist guidance and advice. The tutorial timetable for the project is then structured to provide the necessary range of technical and critical inputs for the duration of the project, normally one tutorial session a week.

  
   

Find out more about this course by visiting our studio – please email Teresa Lawler to arrange a visit.

Learn more about the facilities available to you as a student of this course.

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Our links with professional practice provide a real-world base for our courses. They also help us to ensure your studies are kept up-to-date and relevant to the workplace.

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