View source for British Film Designers Guild

''(Also known as Designer's Guild or B.F.D.G. and can be seen after a member's name as a [[professional certification]] abbreviation)''

A society of British Film Directors and Designers was founded in 1946, for the betterment of the Design in British Films. Out of this society grew the Guild of Film Art Directors, and the present '''British Film Designers Guild''', who now include in their membership all the various branches of the Art Department. They are not a [[trade union]]. The British equivalent of the [[Art Directors Guild]] (of America), although smaller in size are one of the key organisations in the [http://www.cineguilds.org/index.html Cine Guilds of Great Britain] that work directly with the [[British House of Commons|UK Government:]] Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport.<ref>[http://www.ukinvest.gov.uk/10356/en_GB/0.pdf DCMS] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221160259/http://www.ukinvest.gov.uk/10356/en_GB/0.pdf |date=February 21, 2007 }}</ref>

This Guild is presented primarily to assist [[Film producer|Producers]] and others to select Department members who will maintain the highest standards of Art Direction, even on the smallest of [[Film making|productions]], and whose knowledge, experience and talent have been proven to be the highest in a medium where four-fifths of the spectators' attention is visual.

The British Film Designers Guild has members in every grade of the art department, from draughtspersons to [[Costume Design|costume designers]], set decorators to production designers, and was formed with the aim of raising the standards and the profile of the art department and protecting the interest of its members.

==Art Department positions==
The hierarchy in the United Kingdom does have some title variants with job descriptions. Here is a guide to the main positions within each area, as there are many alternatives dependent on the film requirements and to which country the film is based in. Some titles vary like for example Draughtsman ''UK'', to Set Designer or Draftsman ''USA'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070106095628/http://www.wiki.artdirectors.org/~wiki2/index.php?title=Set_Designer].
The Production Designer is the head of various departments, Art, Construction, Decorating, Property & Prop Making. Here is a guide to the main positions within each area.
* [[Production designer]] (Feature film), Supervising art director – controls staff, work & schedule req., [[Art director]] (or Production designer for Commercials) usually several positions – controls several sets, draughts, organizes & liaises with trades, Stand-by art director (shooting crew), Assistant art director – draughts & liaises with trades, Art department co-ordinator, Senior draughtsperson ''(lead set designer U.S.)'' experienced draughtspeople who choose to stay drawing board based, draughtsperson ''(Set designer or Draftsperson U.S.)'', Junior draughtsperson, Art department assistant or Runner ''(Production runner U.S.)''.
* Set decorator ''(a.k.a. dresser U.K.)'' – selects all props and set dressing. ''([[Set decorator|Set decorator U.S.]] is in charge of background dressing and stand-by)'', Production buyer, Assistant set decorator, Assistant buyer.
* Property master – controls prop collecting, storing, dressing, manufacture and stand-by.''([[Property master|Property master U.S.]], is in charge of action props – acquiring, manufacturing and stand-by.'' Assistant property master, Supervising props dresser ''[[Leadman|Lead man U.S.]]'', Props storeman, Props co-ordinator, Stand-by props ''(also On-set U.S.)'', Props dresser ''[[Set dresser|Set dresser U.S.]] or [[Swing gang|Swing gang U.S.]]'' ''(Swing gang can also refer to set construction in the U.S.)'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070329233231/http://imdb.com/Glossary/S], Prop dresser '' '' (Note Set decoration and Property are different departments in U.S.)
* Construction manager, Assistant construction manager, [[Construction buyer]], H.o.D. (Head of Department) Carpenter ''(a.k.a. Chippie)'', H.o.D. Painter, H.o.D. Plasterer, H.o.D. Rigger & H.o.D. Stagehand ''(a.k.a. Stag)''. Within each department is Supervising, Chargehand positions to Labourers & Apprentices.
* H.o.D. Prop maker – works in conjunction with Props, Senior prop makers, Prop maker, Sculptors & Apprentices.
Other titles include Visual Effects art director, Vehicles art director, Locations art director, Concept artist ''(Illustrator U.S.)'', [[Storyboard artist]], Graphic designer, [[Signwriter|Sign writer or Lettering artist]], [[Model maker]], [[Armorer|Armourer]], [[Greensman|Greensman ''(Greenskeeper U.S.)'']], Drapes master and Scenic artist.

Refer also to ''[[Film crew]]'' & [https://web.archive.org/web/20070423091127/http://www.wiki.artdirectors.org/~wiki2/index.php?title=Art_Directors_Reference_Guide Art Department Guide U.S.].

==Collecting Society==
This Society was formed out of work done within the Guild to benefit members and has since grown to assist many other departments within film production.

The BFDG no longer operates as a collecting society, after a reorganising of its core business model. They are proud to have championed the establishment of the principles behind "Copyright" and the definition of "Authors" within the Film and Television Industries, and to have paved the way for residuals to be paid to Key UK based technicians. Do contact the guild for more information on directly joining other existing societies.

==Recent Chairs==
*1980-1982 - [[Alan Tomkins]]
*1982-1984 - Tony Curtis
*1984-1986 - [[Peter Lamont]]
*1986-1988 - Charles Bishop
*1988-1990 - [[John Graysmark]]
*1990-1992 - [[Peter Lamont]]
*1992-1994 - [[Peter Murton]]
*1994-1996 - [[Peter Lamont]]
*1996-1998 - Terry Ackland-Snow
*1998-2000 - Austen Springs
*2000-2002 - [[Peter Lamont]]
*2002-2004 - Terry Ackland-Snow
*2004-2006 - [[Fred Hole]]
*2006-2008 - Terry Ackland-Snow
*2008-2010 - Malcolm Stone
*2010-2012 - Kevin Phipps
*2012-2014 - Susan Whitaker
*2014-2016 - [[Simon Bowles]]
*2016-2018 - Peter Walpole
*2018-2020 - Adam O'Neill
*2020-2022 - Sonja Klaus
*2022-2024 - Blair Barnette
*2024----- - Jonathan Paul Green

==Closely related departments==
* [[Cinematographer|Camera]]
* [[Location manager|Locations]]
* [[Special effects|SFX – Special effects]] ''(Physical or Mechanical effects U.S.)''
* [[Visual Effects|VFX – Visual effects]]

==Famous members==
* [[Ken Adam]], Production designer – ''[[Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb|Dr. Strangelove]]'', ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'', ''[[Barry Lyndon]]''
* [[John Barry (set designer)|John Barry]], Production designer – ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''
* Gavin Bocquet, Production designer – ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith|Star Wars II & III]]''
* [[John Box]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/11/29/john_box_1_article.shtml|title = BBC - Films -article article - John Box - Art Director}}</ref> Production designer & B.F.D.G. Ex Officio – ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'', ''[[Doctor Zhivago (1965 film)|Doctor Zhivago]]'', ''[[A Passage to India (film)|A Passage to India]]''
* Allan Cameron, Production designer – ''[[The Da Vinci Code (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]''
* [[Peter Lamont]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312193643/http://www.007magazine.co.uk/casino-royale-news.htm], Production designer & B.F.D.G. Ex Officio – ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', ''[[True Lies]] & various Bonds films''
* Anthony Masters, Production designer – ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''
* [[Anthony D. G. Pratt|Anthony Pratt]], Production designer – ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''
* [[Michael Stringer]] [http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/2528116cb6f521ae/a296293c50a6b2cf?lnk=st&q=british+film+designers+guild&rnum=1&hl=en#a296293c50a6b2cf], Production designer/Art director & G.F.A.D. Ex Officio – ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale (1967)]]'', ''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the roof]]''
* Lindy Hemming, Costume designer – ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'', ''[[Topsy-Turvy]]''

==Published articles==
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/designvision/pdfs/VisionNewsWinter01.pdf ''British Broadcasting''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060301230816/http://www.bbc.co.uk/designvision/pdfs/VisionNewsWinter01.pdf |date=2006-03-01 }} B.B.C. online news report inc. BFDG/Collecting society
* [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmcumeds/667/667we58.htm ''Memorandum submitted by the Cine Guilds of Great Britain''] U.K. Government – House of Commons report
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071006081412/http://www.amps.net/constitution/CGGB.htm ''The objectives of the C.G.G.B.''] Cine Guilds of Great Britain

==Related literature==
* Film Design, ''Terence Marner''. (Tantivy Press, 1973. {{ISBN|0-900730-69-2}})
* The Oxford Guide to Film Studies, ''John Hill''. (Oxford University, 1998. {{ISBN|0-19-871124-7}}) 
* Ken Adam: The Art of Production Design, ''Christopher Frayling''. (Faber and Faber, 2006. {{ISBN|0-571-22057-6}})

==See also==
* [[Private copying levy|Blank tape levy]]

===Wikibooks===
*[[wikibooks:Movie Making Manual|Movie Making Manual]]

===Wikiversity===
*[[v:Filmmaking]]

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{wikiversity|at=Filmmaking}}
{{wikibooks}}
Official sites of...
* [http://www.filmdesigners.co.uk/ ''British Film Designers Guild'']
* [http://www.cineguilds.org/index.html Cine Guilds of Great Britain]
* [http://www.bscine.com/ ''The British Society of Cinematographers'']
* [http://www.gbfte.org/index.html ''The Guild of British Film and Television Editors'']
* [http://www.amps.net/ ''Association of Motion Picture Sound'']
* [http://www.gbfte.org/ ''The Guild of British Film and Television Editors'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110929131008/http://www.stuntco-ords.org.uk/ ''Guild of Stunt & Action Co-ordinators'']
* [http://www.golm.org.uk/ ''Guild of Location Managers'']
* [http://www.nasmah.co.uk/ ''National Association of Screen Makeup Artists and Hairdressers'']

[[Category:Film organisations in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British production designers|*]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in the United Kingdom]]