The Production Designer

The production designer working in the theatre film or television industry is responsible for the creation of an overall appearance in films, TV programmes, music videos, adverts or set design.  Their creative roll means they are required to select the style of a set to visually tell a story to the audience. This is supported with a team of directors and producers who give the production designer a brief on how they would like the final design to look. Within this exciting and open minded role, many responsibilities are indeed needed for a successful result. 
Qualifications related in the design areas of becoming a production designer are extremely important. The reason for this is they learn essential skills for the upcoming industry.  It is a huge benefit for them to be trained in an art specialist university or school as this enables them to thoroughly gain knowledge specializing in 3D, theatre or film design which provides relevant skills. A design qualification allows the person to build a strong portfolio which shows imagination, creativity and understanding. Although it is possible to become a production designer without a degree they would need to prove they are a talented artist with an outstanding portfolio and establishments which show the person has worked their way up from an ability stage in the industry. Also, you would need to show you stand out from the crowd as a lot of competition is involved form aspiring artists around the world. Therefore, intensive work experience may include working in a theatre set design production and individual opportunities such as entering competitions demonstrate strong enthusiasm to become a production designer.
Within pre-production a production designer must be analytical in what they are researching. This means, they must recognize & read scripts to understand a film, television and also the production process for marketing. This allows the design to visualize ideas through artistic and drawing skills so they are communicating their own thoughts to the client. It is vital for production designers to have an extensive knowledge of the historical styles. The reason for this is because, they must be aware of the particular time zone so they can visualize life in different centuries. Also, they can get inspiration from historic features. Organization is essential for keeping the art department in schedule as they need to manage the budget also ensure everything runs smoothly. It is their responsibility to be aware of the budget as they will be buying particular equipment and props within the required cost. They must feel confident in managing the production and be able to set out specific tasks for each crew member. It would be difficult to work with the director and producer if production designers find it difficult to share their thoughts and discuss civilly. Therefore they must be collaborative whilst communicating to the crew members and be respectfully prepared if the client is not keen on the design ideas. Production designers should be able to demonstrate technical skills. This includes constructing a small model of the set as this shows their developed initial idea in a more realistic form.
They may be a gifted artist but can working under pressure over take them? Patience is necessary while carrying out several tasks which production designers are managing. To help them many personal qualities are appreciated. Keeping organised can reduce stress levels while carrying out a production. Also, an encouraging individuality helps keep the crew motivated and excited in the project they are participating in. As well as being artistic, creative and imaginative they should also have an eye for detail. Moreover, production designers need to be recognised for having the ability to adapt to any task given.