Production Designer & Set Decorator Collaborations

Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer

Anna Karenina, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Hanna, Sherlock Holmes, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Atonement, Starter for 10, Pride & Prejudice, The Last King,The Abduction Club, Bron Romantic, This Year's Love, The Governess

Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer (Anna Karenina, 2012)

Roger Ford & Kerrie Brown 

The Raven, Me and My Monsters, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter Pan, The Rage in Placid Lake, Swimming Upstream, The Quiet American, On the Beach, Babe: Pig in the City, Doing Time with Patsy Cline, Children of the Revolution, Babe, Sirens

Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo 

Cinderella, Hugo, Shutter Island, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Aviator, Cold Mountain, Gangs of New York, Kundun, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Hamlet, The Voice of the Moon, The Sleazy Uncle, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Secret of the Sahara, The Name of the Rose, Good King Dagobert, And the Ship Sail On, Tales of Ordinary Madness

Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo

J.Michael Riva & Lauri Gaffin

Iron Man 2, Iron Man, The Pursuit of Happyness, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Charlie's Angels, Tuesdays with Morrie, Lethal Weapon 4, Six Days, Seven Nights

Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillain

Gambit, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone, Notting Hill, The Avengers, In Love and War, The English Patient, Mary Reilly, Shadowlands, The Secret Garden

Stephenie McMillain & Stuart Craig (The Harry Potter Series)

Dennis Gassner & Nancy Haigh

Ask the Dust, Jarhead, The Ladykillers, Big Fish, Road to Perdition, O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Truman Show, Waterworld, The Hudsucker Proxy, Hero, Bugsy, Barton Fink, The Grifters, Miller's Crossing, Field of Dreams, Earth Girls are Easy

Patricia Norris & Leslie Morales

Killing Them Softly, Big Bad Love, Delivering Milo, The Hi-Lo Country, The End of Violence, Lost Highway, Amos & Andrew, Twin Peaks:Fire Walk with Me, Twin Peaks, Tap

Sources

http://www.imdb.com

Production Design as Sketch

Production Designers are responsible for the visual aesthetic and concept of a film, television or theatre production. For a Production Designer, every production will simply start off as an idea, which will then need to be transformed into either a quick sketch or a highly detailed drawing. This sketch or drawing is the first step in the visual communication between not only the Production Designer, Director and Producer but with the whole creative team and most importantly the audience.

Eve Stewart's concept design for Les Miserables - Factory Scene

Various styles of expressing concept ideas will vary with Production Designer, some may create quick, fluid pencil sketches, and others will produce a neater, technical drawing. Furthermore, depending on the Production Designer, some feel the importance of producing scale card models alongside their conceptual drawings.

Eve Stewart's concept design for Upstairs and Downstairs

Notable production designer, Eve Stewart,who has worked on the likes of The Kings Speech, Vera Drake and Les Misérables comments how drawing is a very important tool for presenting your ideas to directors and producers, who usually prefer detailed visual communication rather than technical plans.  In an interview she comments

“Not many designers draw anymore and I think it’s really, really important because you can talk about a certain chair until the cows come home but unless you can draw it and draw it quickly you’re not going to get your own way.”

Here she stresses the fact that drawing or even sketching can be a vital skill to possess for a production designer, or any designer for that matter. What is more, being able to express your ideas in an effective and efficient matter can sometimes be a make or break situation for the design. Stewart creates her designs/sketches to be highly detailed, coloured and textured, allowing for her full conceptual design to flow through her drawings, which also makes it easier for the director and producer to visualise.

Eve Stewart's concept design for Les Miserables - Elephant

Sources

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829378/

http://anyakordecki.com/2013/04/09/bafta-craft-masterclass-eve-stewart-on-production-design/

Shop Window Dressing

The first point of contact to any shop is its windows. Window displays are the first impression and interaction that the customers experience about the store, no matter how large or small the window, the display is what reveals the essence and identity of the business.

Tommy Hilfiger 'Tailored' Italy (2013)

A common key selling point that mostly all window display possess is a theme. Whether is by a specific time of year, upcoming holiday/event or a bang on trend fashion style, the window display will embody this theme and it is a gateway to the theme running throughout the shop. In addition, the most important element is the famous saying, 'less is more', this is a major aspect to all window displays. For example is there is a overly cluttered display, with too much going on, the display will be visually unflattering. The display needs to be simple and effective, a display that stands out and catches the customers eye.

Harvey Nichols (2013)

Being creative is another major element. Some of the most successful window displays have been imaginative and surreal works of art, that draws the customer in and creates a topic of discussion. What is more, elaborate window displays highlights the care and consideration the business has gone to advertise their products. Furthermore, the products have been intentionally placed to create a viewing focal point.

Harrods 'Ruby Slippers' (2009)

Colour is also a very powerful implement when it comes to dressing window displays. Colours can be associated with occasions, gender, age and emotions, and this can have a huge impact in customer attention. What is more, it is important to get the right colour combination that suits and compliments the theme and products.

Louis Vuitton 'You're Under Surveillance' (2008)

Overall, window displays are mini exhibitions, showcasing the shops finest products and creating customer attention. Visually shop window displays are the main attraction for passing customers, apart from the shops purpose and products, the exterior of the store may make or break a customers decision to step inside.

Harrods (Dec 2014)

Authenticity in Historical Film and Television

Authenticity and accuracy within historical film and television, is a key component for the areas of Set, Props and Costume. When working on a historically correct film or television programme it is important to use items that either are or look historically authentic. In addition, when a major historical event is depicted it is vital that all elements staged are accurate and authentic to this particular event. What is more, aspects that are not can throw the story and essence completely off balance

Made in Dagenham (2010)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Films or television that depicts a historical event with some level of accuracy will always find an audience. Audiences like to learn but don’t want to have to make an effort to learn the history, therefore exciting movies and television programmes that are ‘real’, allow for the audience to not only feel like they’ve learnt something, but will also have a new found appreciation for not only history but historical film and television. What is more, if a film or television programme/series is criticised for its history being inaccurate, it is likely that the audience will feel insulted if the history isn’t real enough. In addition, historical film and TV must be exciting, look visually great and portray a sense of what the time period was actually like.

Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003)

The Borgias (2011-2013)

Sources

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335119/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371155/?ref_=nv_sr_1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582457/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Choccywoccydoodah

Choccywoccydoodah is a highly creative, art and design based chocolaterie situated in Brighton. They are not your usual chocolaterie or cake shop, Choccywoccydoodah specialise in lavish and sculptural handmade chocolate cakes, from bespoke wedding cakes to extravagant birthday cakes. The magic and process behind these sculptures is a top secret technique, and the team works to a confidential contract.

Some of Choccywoccy’s craziest creations include,

Whoopi Goldberg’s American Spectacular

Hollywood legend Whoopi Goldberg set the team a massive challenge to build a sky scraper of a cake for a fundraising event held in New York. The cake consists of various famous landmarks all sculpted to perfection using chocolate. However, there were difficulties throughout as the team were told they couldn’t bring their own ingredients to American, meaning they had to use the American equivalent to what they needed.

Whoopi Goldberg's American Creation

Greg Rutherford’s Food For Thought

British Olympic long jump gold medallist, Greg Rutherford challenged the creative team to create the biggest candy house to feed 2, 000 people at a charity fundraising sleep out event in London. In the most nerve-racking build, Tom Robertson became chief architect and builder on this creation. The detailed house included a cheeky garden gnome, a welcome home mat, a dog, a pie sitting on the window sill all created out of a mixture of chocolate and sweets. However, this challenge posed a huge construction difficulty as the structure failed to keep its position in transit.

Greg Rutherford's Candy House

The amazing creative team is behind all of these fantastical creations. The main team consists of:

Christine Taylor and Christine Garratt

Creative Director and co-founder of Choccywoccydoodah, Christine Taylor is responsible for choosing, employing and head of the creative team. Former graphic designer Christine is also the driving force behind the chocolate creations with help from her business partner Christine Garratt.

Dave Ratcliffe, Tom Robertson and Jim Thomas

Captain Creative/ Chief designer Dave, his assistant Tom and baker Jim, possess a chocoholic’s dream. Dave, is head of the design work and is the main member of the team to design and create these magical chocolate creations, with a helping hand from the rest of the team. Most of the cakes creates a highly sculptural creations, and the team mould the chocolate as if it were Plasticine and then let it harden so that they can carve it into exceptional forms.

 Sources:

http://uktv.co.uk/food/stepbystep/aid/655542

http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/about/meet-the-team.html?___store=default

http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/