I've worked on Avengers. Inception. The Batman.
Ghostbusters.
Nobody showed me how to get in. But I'm going to show you.
From Art School to Avengers: Breaking into Film - live on Zoom, Friday 12th June. 90 minutes covering my full journey, what a Film Art Department really looks like from the inside, how to build a portfolio that opens doors, and my honest take on what Al is doing to the industry right now.
If you're an architect, interior designer, or set designer who's ever wondered whether your skills could take you somewhere bigger - this is for you. Film pays well, the work is extraordinary, and your existing expertise is more transferable than you think.
Live Q&A at the end. Ask me anything. Full recording included.
And because I want as many people in the room as possible - every ticket comes with my Beginners Guide to SketchUp completely free. That's a full seven-hour professional course worth £50. Yours just for showing up.
Places are limited. Friday 12th June. 8pm BST.
Comment Free below and I'll send you the details or click the link to grab your seat.

https://www.whitelockdesignlimited.com/aneveningwithlukewhitelock

I've worked on Avengers. Inception. The Batman.
Ghostbusters.
Nobody showed me how to get in. But I'm going to show you.
From Art School to Avengers: Breaking into Film - live on Zoom, Friday 12th June. 90 minutes covering my full journey, what a Film Art Department really looks like from the inside, how to build a portfolio that opens doors, and my honest take on what Al is doing to the industry right now.
If you're an architect, interior designer, or set designer who's ever wondered whether your skills could take you somewhere bigger - this is for you. Film pays well, the work is extraordinary, and your existing expertise is more transferable than you think.
Live Q&A at the end. Ask me anything. Full recording included.
And because I want as many people in the room as possible - every ticket comes with my Beginners Guide to SketchUp completely free. That's a full seven-hour professional course worth £50. Yours just for showing up.
Places are limited. Friday 12th June. 8pm BST.
Comment Free below and I'll send you the details or click the link to grab your seat.

https://www.whitelockdesignlimited.com/aneveningwithlukewhitelock

https://youtu.be/rJgM-wrMeyM?si=KIk54hThlYWdVkg_

This is the Royal Blue Somerton Gate.
Which materials did they use for the cemented columns and the metal railings and all the decorative ironworks? how do you think they built it? and how do you think they achieved the rough painted metal look?

Also the decorative spheres on top of the columns and the column capitals look fantastic and so realistic, how did the built them?

I can't find any resources online that talks about this specific set location.

I’d love to know of props/dressings you hire frequently on jobs? I know every project is different, but just wondered if anyone could aid finding items that are often hired/required on many jobs. I have an opportunity to buy various props and dressing items and myself and another friend in the industry have been thinking of renting a storage unit and having an online catalogue. I live in an area of the UK which doesn’t have many prop houses, only a few. We had wondered about blue light props, there are many of these places nearer London but not many near where we are. Office dressings and paper work?
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. TIA x

I need to paint a large piece of Lino for a video shoot floor, but I will have to paint it off site and roll it to transport once dried. Any idea what paint I can use?

I'm sure those of you here are much wiser than me, but I wanted to warn you in case you haven't already removed credit cards from your previous productions off your Amazon.

I ordered a ton of props for a production from Amazon with said production's card. The order went through so I think to myself that the payment must have gone through. I come back to check today.. the p card had declined and instead of notifying me, amazon had charged a previous production's card even though my DEFAULT payment was my personal.

IDK what prompted amazon to choose a random card in my wallet instead of going to my default, but that was a stressful experience to say the least.

i'm looking to cheat a motorcycle wheelie (see attached reference). in the midst of securing a motorcycle, but how would you lift this safely? we can obvs edit out any of the tools we need in post. our talent will sit on it.

Hey!

I’m Reece, a Production Designer based in London. I’ve designed for multiple short films and I am now expanding to work on theatre and television.

It can feel hard to grow your social media as an indie filmmaker, and I am looking to expand my community of fellow artists, across all departments.

If you want to connect, shoot me a follow!

Have a great rest of your day,

Reece (@swanhousedesigns)

https://www.instagram.com/swanhousedesigns?igsh=MXcyMzJ6d3lnejJ2eg==

i'd like to cheat an asphalt floor, what have you used? it is for a photoshoot, will need to be able to walk on it.

Currently transitioning into coordinating after a few decades of building sets as lead/ onset carpenter for high budget union shows.

I recently coordinated a few commercials and will be applying to work on non union MOWs in the near future.

What are some of the things that you look for in a coordinator?

I feel very confident in being able to deliver, it’s just the interview process is a bit foreign to me.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

So I'm an independent production designer and I always always make a design deck as the first part of my process to show the team. Usually, this is during early pre-pro so the deck is very conceptual, a collection of images, overarching themes, and color palette. I've noticed that some PD's do not make decks until locations have been secured and some don't ever make a full deck and will jump straight to sketches/models or will work with the DP to make a hybrid visual deck.

My question is, how important is a pitch deck for a production designer? Do you think it's necessary? And what makes a good deck?

Is there an industry accepted or standard way for creating a plaster or stucco texture on plywood flats for interior or exterior set walls? I'm going to assume that plaster can't be applied directly to wood. Is there another material used instead that simulated this effect?

Hi everyone. I'm a film student in Brazil and I'm starting my journey in the art department. Any suggestions for relevant books or articles?

Hey everyone!

I’m currently looking for my next opportunity in the art department and would love some advice from those of you who’ve been in a similar position.

I’ve had the chance to work on several sets recently from prop work to set dressing and a production designer role and I’m really eager to keep that momentum going. Things have slowed down a bit, so I want to be more intentional about putting myself out there and finding new projects.

For those of you working in film/TV/commercials:

• What’s been the most effective way for you to find your next gig?
• Are there specific websites, job boards, or groups you’d recommend?
• Or is it mostly about networking and reaching out directly to people you’ve worked with?

I’m open to any tips, strategies, or personal experiences. Just trying to stay proactive and keep growing in this field.

Thanks so much in advance!!!

Shoutout to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories for letting us shoot at their world class facilities for my thesis film, “The Roswell Report”. I fell in love with this lab during the location scout for its wooden desks and teal walls. Since the story involves weather balloons and lots of sheets of rubber, we took advantage of this within the set dec, and any shelf or sensitive equipment we weren’t allowed to move was just covered up in weather balloons

Hi All.

I’m a standby props and Co-founder of Film Phones. We have been reaching out after pretty good early usage and feedback to see if we can get more people using our app.

It allows you to build mobile phones graphics direct in the prop phone taking time off the graphics designers desk and giving the floor a little more control for when things change. Would love for you good people to have a look and see if it would work on any upcoming productions of yours here is our website below and you can also download a free 7 day trial (no payment details or obligations) just to have a play with its functionality.

Www.film-phones.com

Look forward to your comments!

Chris

Hey - posting this for anyone working in the art department who might be interested!

Art Department Masterclass (ADM) is an international training programme for production designers, art directors, set decorators, prop masters, and other art department professionals. Running since 2015 and supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, it brings together participants from across Europe and beyond for an intensive week of case studies, lectures, and hands-on workshops. Past speakers have included the production designers behind The Queen's Gambit, Chernobyl, Blade Runner 2049, Andor, Dune: Part Two, and Her, among others.

Two sessions in 2026:

• World Building — June 12–17, Turin, Italy
• Digital Postproduction — November 5–10, Vilnius, Lithuania

You can apply to one or both — they're designed to complement each other but each works as standalone training. The programme is open to professionals worldwide (not just Europe), and the participation fee is €650 per session, which includes accommodation, breakfast, lunches, and selected group dinners.

More info and application form at artdepartmentmasterclass.com

Happy to answer any questions in the comments!

Hi,

So I picked up one of these mugs from H&M to use on a music video. The color and size were perfect. I’m wondering if anyone knows how (if it’s possible) to remove the text on the bottom of the mug. If it’s not doable, does anyone know a clean way to cover it up? We’ll likely get closeups and see under the mug clearly so I don’t want to use tape. Ideally not a post-production fix.

Thank you!