Art Department & Construction

Production Design

The production designer builds the world of a film from scratch — designing sets and environments that an audience will believe utterly, whether it is the corridors of a 1950s Manhattan advertising agency, the alien surface of Arrakis, or a bombed-out apartment in Stalingrad. Working with art directors, set decorators, prop masters, and construction coordinators, the production designer is responsible for everything the camera sees except the actors themselves.

ADG Award Oscar Best Production Design BAFTA Best Production Design
1947
ADG Founded
1977
Oscar Category Renamed (from Art Direction)
2012
Renamed to Best Production Design
7
ADG Film Categories
Department Roles

The Art Department Crew

The art department is one of the largest and most diverse on any film — encompassing creative design, technical drawing, construction, painting, and prop management.

Production Designer
PD
The chief creative of the art department and one of the director’s closest collaborators. The PD is responsible for the overall visual and spatial world of the film — designing every set, choosing every location aesthetic, and setting the colour palette and architectural vocabulary that defines the film’s world. Works with the director of photography to ensure the visual design is photographable and coherent. Eligible for the Oscar for Best Production Design.
Art Director
Supervising Art Director
Translates the production designer’s vision into practical reality — drafting technical drawings and blueprints, managing the art department crew day-to-day, overseeing set construction, and ensuring delivery on schedule and budget. On large productions there may be multiple art directors, each overseeing a different unit or set of locations.
Set Decorator
Set Dresser (Department Head)
Responsible for all furnishings, decorative items, and prop dressings within a set — everything from furniture and lamps to books, bottles, and artwork. The set decorator sources, hires, or purchases every item and is responsible for their arrangement within the set. The role is co-credited on the Oscar alongside the production designer. A great set decorator brings authenticity and personality to every environment.
Property Master
Prop Master • Props
Manages every prop physically handled by actors during the film — from period swords and firearms to modern smartphones and briefcases. Responsible for prop continuity across the shoot and for sourcing, purchasing, or building specialised props. Distinct from the set decorator, who manages environmental dressings rather than actor-handled objects.
Scenic Artist
Scenic Painter • Muralist
Paints and ages set surfaces — walls, floors, exterior facades — to achieve a particular look or period. Also creates backdrops, process screens, and scenic art for long-lens or exterior set applications. An ancient craft at the heart of movie magic.
Construction Coordinator
Construction Manager
Oversees the physical construction of all sets, managing carpenters, plasterers, metalworkers, and other construction trades. Works from the art director’s blueprints to build sets to spec, on schedule, and within budget. A large production may have a construction crew of fifty or more people.
Concept Artist
Illustrator • Storyboard Artist
Creates visual development artwork during pre-production — illustrating production designer concepts, storyboarding sequences, and creating environment paintings for director approval. Essential in pre-visualising fantasy, sci-fi, or period environments before sets are built.
Graphic Designer
Art Department Graphic Designer
Creates all period-appropriate or fictional graphic elements seen on screen — newspapers, signage, packaging, documents, maps, and digital screen graphics. Often designs period props that must appear completely authentic on camera.
Award Shows

How Production Design Gets Recognised

ADG Excellence in Production Design
Art Directors Guild • since 1997
The ADG Awards are unique in separating films by period, contemporary, and fantasy — recognising that a film set in ancient Rome faces entirely different creative and logistical challenges than one set in modern Los Angeles. This nuance is absent from the Oscar’s single category, making the ADG Awards a more accurate reflection of the range of production design work.
  • Excellence in Production Design — Period or Fantasy Film
  • Excellence in Production Design — Contemporary Film
  • Excellence in Production Design — Animated Film
  • Excellence in Production Design — One-Hour Episodic
  • Excellence in Production Design — Half-Hour Episodic
  • Excellence in Production Design — TV Movie or Limited Series
  • Excellence in Production Design — Variety or Reality Program
Annual • February • Beverly Hills
Oscar — Best Production Design
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences • since 1929
Originally called “Best Art Direction,” the category was renamed “Best Production Design” at the 84th Academy Awards (2012) to better reflect the modern role. The award is given to both the production designer and the set decorator — one of the few Oscar craft categories that routinely credits two people.
  • Best Production Design
  • Given to: Production Designer & Set Decorator
  • Formerly: Best Art Direction (pre-2012)
Annual • March • Hollywood
BAFTA — Best Production Design
British Academy of Film & Television Arts • since 1960
BAFTA’s production design category tends to favour lavish period and fantasy productions. British art department professionals are strongly represented in the nominations given the UK’s long tradition of studio-based production design, particularly at Pinewood and Shepperton Studios.
  • Best Production Design
Annual • February • London
Oscar Winners Archive

Best Production Design — Academy Awards

Oscar winners for Best Production Design from 2010 to 2025. The award is presented to both the production designer and the set decorator.

Ceremony Film Production Designer Set Decorator
2025 · 97th Wicked Nathan Crowley Lee Sandales
2024 · 96th Poor Things James Price & Shona Heath Zsuzsa Mihalek
2023 · 95th All Quiet on the Western Front Christian M. Goldbeck Ernestine Hipper
2022 · 94th Dune Patrice Vermette Zsuzsanna Sipos
2021 · 93rd Mank Donald Graham Burt Jan Pascale
2020 · 92nd Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Barbara Ling Nancy Haigh
2019 · 91st Roma Eugenio Caballero Bárbara Enríquez
2018 · 90th The Shape of Water Paul D. Austerberry Shane Vieau & Jeff Melvin
2017 · 89th La La Land David Wasco Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
2016 · 88th Mad Max: Fury Road Colin Gibson Lisa Thompson
2015 · 87th The Grand Budapest Hotel Adam Stockhausen Anna Pinnock
2014 · 86th Her K.K. Barrett Gene Serdena
2013 · 85th Lincoln Rick Carter Jim Erickson
2012 · 84th Hugo Dante Ferretti Francesca Lo Schiavo
2011 · 83rd Alice in Wonderland Robert Stromberg Karen O’Hara
2010 · 82nd Avatar Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg Kim Sinclair
Notable Production Designers

Architects of the Cinematic World

Dante Ferretti
Italian
Three-time Oscar winner and frequent collaborator of Martin Scorsese, Federico Fellini, and Terry Gilliam. Ferretti’s sets for The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and Hugo represent some of cinema’s most elaborately conceived and executed physical environments. Often works alongside his wife, set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo.
The Age of Innocence Gangs of New York The Aviator Sweeney Todd Hugo
★ 3 Oscars • Multiple ADG Awards
Ken Adam OBE
German-British
The inventor of the James Bond visual universe — his spectacular War Room in Dr. Strangelove and his volcano lair in You Only Live Twice are among the most recognised set designs in cinema history. Adam’s influence on science fiction design was immense, and his work on period films like Barry Lyndon and The Madness of King George shows equal range. A two-time Oscar winner.
Dr. Strangelove Goldfinger Barry Lyndon The Spy Who Loved Me The Madness of King George
★ 2 Oscars • BAFTA Lifetime Achievement
Rick Carter
American
Steven Spielberg’s regular production designer for two decades, and also a frequent collaborator with James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis. Two-time Oscar winner for Avatar and Lincoln. Carter’s range encompasses the prehistoric jungles of Jurassic Park, the wartime Europe of Schindler’s List, and the alien world-building of Avatar.
Forrest Gump Jurassic Park Schindler’s List War of the Worlds Avatar Lincoln
★ 2 Oscars • ADG Award
Patrice Vermette ADG
Canadian
Denis Villeneuve’s production designer on Arrival, Dune, and Dune: Part Two — two of the most distinctive and comprehensive world-building exercises in recent cinema. Vermette’s approach to Arrakis merged brutalist architecture, Islamic geometric patterns, and geological research to create a world that felt both alien and ancient. Won the Oscar for Dune (2022).
Arrival Dune Dune: Part Two
★ 1 Oscar • ADG Award
William Cameron Menzies
American
The man who invented the title “production designer” — it was created specifically for him on Gone with the Wind (1939). Menzies was the first person to have overall visual control of a major studio production, handling not just set design but camera angles, colour, and visual storytelling. Won the first Oscar for Art Direction (later equivalent to Best Production Design) for two films in 1929.
The Thief of Bagdad Gone with the Wind The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Invaders from Mars
★ 2 Oscars for Art Direction + Honorary Oscar • Invented the title “Production Designer”