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Former architect turned award winning production designer, Andy Nicholson, kept our students mesmerised throughout his Masterclass, as he discussed his development within the film industry and his stunning creations on films such as ‘Gravity’, ‘Captain Marvel’ and ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’.
Like previous Masterclass speaker Aline Bonetto, Nicholson stressed the importance of collaborating with the entire crew, especially the art department:
“What you're producing is only good if it's useful for everybody else.”
Nicholson also expressed the importance of patience, with opportunities to work on films like ‘Gravity’ only arriving once he had worked his skills to a high enough standard. Nicholson was also very complimentary of his collaborative directors such as Tim Burton and Alfonso Cuarón. He explained Cuarón’s persistence on absolute realism for ‘Gravity’:
“He wanted someone turning on the TV in 10 years time to be unsure if they are watching a documentary or fiction until things go too far”
Nicholson wrapped up his Masterclass with a message to those interested in production design as a career option, telling our students that visions and expectations are financial as well as artistic.
“Don't build a reputation as a big over-spender! It's not just about your work looking amazing, but about how you've spent”
This is part of our series of online Masterclasses, with a lineup of prominent filmmakers including Tracey Seaward (‘The Two Popes’), Corin Hardy (‘Gangs of London’), John Strickland (‘Line of Duty’) and Dick Pope (‘Mr. Turner’). This series is exclusive to our BA (Hons) Filmmaking, Filmmaking and Screenwriting Diploma students.