How to Become a Production Designer
Production designers play an important role in every film, television show and stage production. They are the ones responsible for designing the set, including all of the props, in order to come up with the vision put forth by the producers, directors and writers. In order to do the job, a production designer needs to have a solid background in both the visual arts and theatre, so that they can make these sets come to life.
How can you become a production designer? We’re glad you asked! We’re happy to share some of our best tips with you as you begin your journey.
Find a College Program That Encompasses Everything You Need to Know
While not all production designers have a college degree, many do, and it helps to find a program that includes courses in everything from video production or theatre production. You’ll need to learn about management as well, since there’s a lot of physical pieces to the sets, as well as people working on building sets and finding props to keep track of. A degree in Arts and Entertainment Management often contains courses in all of these useful fields and then some.
Volunteer to Work on School Productions
The one thing that will definitely help you get into the production design field is experience. Start by working on school productions. Choose a college with a solid theatre program, and then spend your free time working alongside the director and other behind-the-scenes students putting the sets together. Volunteer to find (or create) the right props, read the script, sketch out what you envision and do everything that you can to get as much experience as possible.
Get Plenty of On-the-Job Experience Via an Internship
Speaking of experience, you’ll also need some professional on-the-job experience. This is where an internship comes in handy. Most colleges will provide you with course credits for spending your summer interning for a theatre production or even on the set of a movie or television show. This experience not only looks good on your resume, but it allows you to enhance your production design skills. Plus, you’ll make important connections that will help you get a job in the field once you graduate.
Start Putting Together a Resume and Portfolio
On top of experience, you’ll need a resume that shows what you’ve done and what your skills are, as well as a portfolio of some of your set designs. You can set both of these things up online, and include a link to them when you apply for jobs. After all, you’ll need to prove your skills in order to qualify.
Do You Want to Become a Production Designer?
Having a bachelor's degree in Arts and Entertainment Management, Theatre, or even the visual arts, will help you get a foothold in this field. The programs offered here at Dean include plenty of information and will cover just about everything that you need to know in order to work as a production designer and start living your behind-the-scenes dream. Interested in learning more? Request more information, today.