Production Designer Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of a Production Designer includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Planning and monitoring the design budget;
- Providing scale drawings or models for studio or theatre sets;
- Reading scripts to identify factors indicating a particular visual style;
- Researching art history, background politics, historical information and producing design ideas;
- Hiring and managing an art department team or teams (depending on the size of the production);
- Instructing the set construction company, scenic artists and special effects specialists, and monitoring their work;
- Considering the production brief, which may be written or oral;
- Meeting the producer and director to discuss concepts and production requirements;
- Producing design ideas for costumes, wigs, props, special effects, make-up and graphics;
- Liaising with the costume designer and the director of photography, as well as the props, lighting and sound directors;
- Researching, estimating and preparing a property list;
- Attending progress meetings, rehearsals and filming to advise on visual presentation.
- Identifying and assessing potential studios and locations;
- Sourcing appropriate materials and researching effects;
- Presenting ideas to others involved in the production, such as actors and camera operators;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Production Designer duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Production Designer roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.