Production Design vs Set Design

Production design is a domain within the film industry that is related to Set Design. Production design refers to the creative direction and execution of a film’s look. This includes the designing and re-designing of settings, props, and wardrobe.

Props refer to anything physical that appears in a scene. These can be dishes, cars, books, or anything else that appears on screen. The design of these props can be emphasized or re-designed to fit into the world of the film.

Settings refer to the place where a scene takes place. These can be re-designed to fit into the desired look of the film or movie. For example, a beach may be painted white and shiny to look like a skating rink.

Costume design refers to the choosing and designing of outfits for characters in the film. These can be either re-designed or completely new ones made for them.

Production designers work closely with other departments in filmmaking such as Set Design, Props, and Costume Designers. They collaborate to create an overall look for a film.

How to tell the difference between the two

Production design and set design are very similar industry terms, but with subtle nuances. Some say that production design is more broad and can include the overall feel of a movie, like the tone and theme.

Others say that set design is more focused on the physical set itself, like how many rooms are in a house or how many doors there are. Still others say that production design is more about the things that can’t be seen, like lighting or special effects.

Many times, these terms are used interchangeably, which can make it hard to tell which type of designer did what work. It is important to know which designers work in which areas when giving out credit for work done on a film.

For example, a Production Designer may not have done any Set Design work, but they may have done significant amounts of Lighting or Special Effects work.

Examples of production design

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Production design is all about the environment in which your story takes place. How does the world look and feel?

This aspect of storytelling is particularly important in film, where you have the space and time to really explore the setting.

Production design can include concept art, set designs, color schemes, and overall worlds or environments. These are all considered production design.

Concept art is a large part of production design. Concept artists use tools such as Photoshop or Sketchpad to create what the setting will look like. These can be shared with other members of the crew to ensure cohesion.

Set designers work closely with directors and producers to create an accurate setting. Whether that be building a farmhouse or creating a spaceship, their job is to make it look real! Color schemes are also part of production design- how do you want your setting to look? Are you dreamy or bright? Is it rich and fancy or neutral and simple? The answers to these question help add more depth to your setting.

Examples of set design

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Set design is the process of designing the spaces and environments in which story events occur. These can be interior rooms, exterior settings, or geographical locations.

Set designers are also responsible for designing the way characters enter and exit scenes, called scene transitions. These can be a very important part of set design, as it helps establish the flow of the story.

Set designers may draw floor plans and oversee construction staff who build the sets, or they may direct staff who already construct sets. They can also hire additional staff to assist with sets, such as furniture makers or landscapers.

They must have a strong sense of perspective and spatial perception to accurately recreate scenes, places, and environments. Set designers must also have a strong sense of color theory to create realistic settings and characters.

Techniques used in set design

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Set design is a wide field that can include many different things. As mentioned before, sets can be completely constructed, partially constructed, or non-constructed.

If the set is completely constructed, then the design team may use things like lumber and paint to build the set, props to fill it out, and lighting to showcase it. If the set is partially constructed, then the team must invest time and effort into adding the details and finishing them.

Other sets may just use plain white or gray space that needs no construction or added features. In this case, the team just needs to add lighting to showcase the object.

Any good set designer will tell you that one of the most important parts of setting production design is keeping your project budget in mind.

Importance of set design and production design

Besides the importance of designing the interior and exterior spaces of a building, there is also a need for designing the spaces in which people interact.

This is where set design and production design come into play. Set design is used in films and movies, whereas production design is used in movies and TV shows.

Both are extremely important as they create the world in which the story takes place. For example, a movie about college students living in apartments would need a well-designed apartment set or surroundings to make it look real.

The same can be said for films like Twilight where there is a very defined rural setting that needs to be displayed on screen. Production and set designers work hard to make these places look real through detail and creative materials.

Why should you care about set design and production design?

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Well, for one, it can be a big part of your movie-watching experience. If you go to see a movie and the sets are not interesting or engaging, or if the costumes are not beautiful or fit the story, then you probably won’t think too highly of the film.

Both set design and production design are very involved fields that take a lot of effort. It is not easy to create an entire world from nothing!

Secondly, these two areas of filmmaking can be very rewarding. If you have an artistic eye and talent for creating settings and/or clothing, then you could potentially get hired to do so on a film.

Resources to learn more about set design and production design

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There are many ways to learn more about set design and production design. Online resources like blogs, social media channels, and online educational platforms like Wayfair Education provide you with knowledge and insights.

Blog posts can give you new ideas and inspiration for your own designs, or help you refine your designs as you develop them. Social media channels like Instagram are a great way to see new ideas and works of art.

Online education platforms like Wayfair Education offer courses on designing homes which is a great way to learn more about interior designing. These courses offer lessons on everything from choosing the right furniture pieces for a space, to creating a space from scratch.

Any person of any age can learn more about interior designing to enhance their production design skills. Even if you are not formally trained in the field, these resources can help you learn more about it.

Become a set designer or production designer?

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A few years ago, it was more common to see people choose to become set designers over production designers. This is mostly because production design is a more recent field.

As mentioned before, production design is the process of planning and managing the creative process in film regarding design. This includes deciding on locations, sets, and props.

Set designers mostly work with sets, or the physical places in a movie or show. A good set designer would collaborate with other departments to make their space as iconic as possible.

Production designers are more broad than that- they oversee all of the design elements in a film. They must have a good eye for detail to pick out all of the props, sets, and locations that will contribute to making a film look good.