I’m a London-based artist and creative with experience in Art Department work for features, short films, music videos, commercials, and more.
I’m confident in sourcing, transporting, and delivering props on budget, as well as developing and presenting visual ideas to production teams. I have experience breaking down and interpreting scripts, and offering feedback that works within the Art Department’s goals and limitations.
I’m currently looking for Art Department roles in Features, HETV and Music Videos.
my skills and experience include:
prop making | art department | graphic design
scenic painting | animation development | script reading
Rings of power
trainee Prop Maker - Series - GSR
November 2022 to April 2023
mould making | painting | carpentry | latex fibreglass | silicon | detail work
I joined Rings Of Power as a Trainee Prop Maker, but the project we were assigned - the construction of a full scale catapult - was more of a Construction project. We took two full scale trees and cast them out in Silicon moulds, then made multiple ‘Biscuit foam’ casts to clad the steel frame of the catapult. We filled the interior of the trees with expanding foam to lock them in place, and assembled the pieces in a way that meant they could be deconstructed to be moved to set.
I then moved on to the actual Props department where my work was extremely varied. Some days saw me working on mundane but essential tasks like filing all the mould lines of thousands of plastic shells. On other days I was asked to dirty up shields, paint hundreds of pieces of horse armour, and clad bones in sheets of latex to look like flesh.
In everything that we worked on, communication and teamwork was key. The working environment can be dangerous, extremely loud, and busy; having a clear focus on the task in hand and direct conversations about everyone’s roles and expectations was essential.
mickey 17
trainee Prop Maker - feature - funfair films
september to october 2022
metal working | mould making | carpentry
fibreglass | polyscultping | painting
I started work on Mickey 17 in September 2022. I had a little background as a Prop maker for a week or so on Wonka and Half Bad. Working on Mickey 17 threw me in the deep end.
I was tasked with constructing a near endless supply of sci-fi lights to be fitted into the full scale space ship set on the main stage. Each of these lights consisted of over 60 parts including moulded plastic pieces and steel rods that had to be angle-grinded to length.
I had to learn quickly how to use these tools, and where to go when I ran out of certain components. It was essential that I stayed focused despite the repetitive nature of the task to ensure a consistent standard.
maya's moment
art director - short film - yellow pill
march to april 2022
prop design + making | graphic design
script breakdown | set dressing | prop sourcing
location scouting | budgeting
I worked as Art Director for the short film Maya's Moment, which tells the story of a musician who must decide whether to leave her band for a lucrative record deal or continue performing at small venues for the love of music. She receives a message from the future that ultimately guides her decision.
As a team, we selected the locations that would best support the script, and my role was to assess how each location could be dressed to fit the story. I was responsible for purchasing all the necessary props, which involved a thorough reading of the script and careful budget assessment. For props that needed to be designed and made, I created designs, estimated material costs, and presented them to the Director and Producer. For more complex pieces, I hired artists and printmakers. I also worked with an assistant to transport the props to set, dress the locations, and ensure the actors had everything they needed.
This role required daily focus and a full understanding of my responsibilities. If someone had a question, it was often time-sensitive, and I had to have an answer ready. The role involved logistical thinking, creativity, budgeting, teamwork, and strong organisational skills.
animated series
animation designer - Animated series - dirty films
march 2020 to september 2021
animation design | character design
background design | animatics | storyboarding
I worked as Designer for an animated science fiction series. This project had been on the back burner with Dirty Films for a while but was picked up during lockdown. I was tasked with the creation of characters, backgrounds and an animatic.
The approach was fairly open: it had to be bright and colourful science fiction, but beyond that the design was up to me. To avoid it simply turning into Futurama, I opted for a colourful, retro approach that was reminiscent of Flash Gordon. I went for mullets and big hair, short-shorts and baggy jackets. I wanted it to feel grounded in a tangible world, so that the more outlandish aliens would be believable.
I created design packages to share with the Producers and Writers, showing off the key characters in ways that expressed their personality. I created backgrounds in rough, then expanded them into vividly detailed scenes. Lastly, for the animatic, I felt it was important to include some detailed world-building moments, such as an alien flipping burgers with all four arms, and another who’s face opened up down the middle.
the process taught me a huge amount about animation design. I can't show you the real designs here, but to see some representative work, click here!
where are the rest of the visuals?
this project is covered by an nda so i'm limited on what i can show. if you want to talk animation shoot me an email at tom.laird.davies@gmail.com
animated feature
development assistant - Animated feature - dirty films
march 2020 to september 2021
research | development | script analysis
script breakdown | visual development
logistics | admin | talent aquisition
This project was a feature length animation set in segregation-era USA, based on a popular american children's book.
My role as development assistant was extremely varied. I compiled databases of talent from under-represented groups, with a particular focus on emerging black American talent in Animation. This project required a sensitive pitching style, bolstered by diligent research to challenge the stereotypes prevalent in the historical sources.
To initiate production, I helped establish animation offices in france, budgeting for travel and equipment. This experience involved creative acumen, research skills, administration and logistics in line with a creative vision.
Seeing a production develop from it’s earliest inception, to a script, and then on to talent acquisition, pre visualisation and storyboarding was an enormously valuable experience. I have a confident understanding of each step involved in bringing a large scale animation to life.
where are the visuals?
this project is covered by an nda so i'm limited on what i can show. if you want to talk animation shoot me an email at tom.laird.davies@gmail.com
yusuf / cat stevens
I provided graphic design for two music videos for yusuf / cat stevens' reimagining of his classic songs 'tea for the tillerman' and 'wild world'.
font design | graphics design | typography
'tea for the tillerman'
graphic designer - music video - dirty films
december 2020
This stop-motion style animation was rooted in a storybook world, and we wanted subtitles that would fit this. I opted for an entirely invented font; drawing out every letter by hand, and adding in swirls and flourishes where I could. By doing this in pen, rather than at a computer, the text maintains a slightly awkward, unfinished look that reflected the hand made feel of the video.
'wild world'
graphic designer - music video - dirty films
september 2020
For this reimagining of the famous song, the director wanted hand drawn titles reminiscent of a film noir or something from the 1950s. My approach was a lyrical, hand drawn design with a bold drop-shadow that evoked the feeling of those old movies.
this video was broadcast at Glastonbury in 2023, and consequently seen by millions of people at once!
league of legends
'Kick Off' - Paint Team Leader - Music Video - Makinarium
September to October 2021
scenic painting | team management | logistics
My first foray into freelancing was an unusual one. I replied to a general call out for Art Department hands of all levels to go and work on a three week project in Birmingham, all expenses paid. The job was to paint a life size street scene as the backdrop for a promotional music video, ahead of a Riot Games event.
Our Team Leader was in high demand, and was often pulled away into meetings or to consult for hours at a time. I realised that nobody left behind knew where the buildings we had painted were supposed to be placed. I asked for a notebook and wrote down all the information that I could, so that I would always have an answer when the construction team came to ask if they could take anything onto set.
Similarly, the rest of the team began to ask me what colours the set pieces needed to be painted, so I set up a meeting with the Team Leader and recorded everything that we needed to know. I was shortly promoted to a Team Leader role myself, and elected to work everyday for thirty two days in a row to get the set build and painted on time.
This role required management skills and an eye for detail. I was able to communicate across the team from the Production Designer to Paint Team Assistants. My approach to management is a generous one; I like to listen to people and figure out what aspect of the work they enjoy as it is likely that is where they’ll be best placed. I enjoy helping people too, answering questions and getting supplies ordered. I am a natural operational thinker with a keen understanding of systems and what it takes to finish a project.
women's super league
Art Department Assistant - Promo - Pretzel and Peggy Ltd
July 2021
prop sourcing | set dressing | budgeting
prop creation
This was a fun project. We ordered a full size goalpost and set it up for famous players to kick footballs into on a dark stage. We mapped out a football pitch on the floor, and created a pair of light up shoes for the players to wear. A highlight for me was being hit in the head by a football whilst holding a crash mat for Chloe Kelly to land on.
This was an early but formative project for me. It took place over long days and our actual responsibilities were limited, meaning we had to be ready to go at any moment, whilst also having little to do for a lot of the day. It was an early lesson in the kind of discipline it takes to work in an Art Department role
brother leo
art department assistant - music video - dirty films
may 2021
production assistant | art department assistant
set dressing
The concept for this video was ‘Jesus Christ as a washed up celebrity.’ The first step was to find a location; I presented my findings of houses with swimming pools to the team. the one we used was an obvious fit. It had rooms with pink carpets, a bedroom with a sunken hot tub in it, and even an outhouse with a bar. We created newspapers and magazines with fake stories about our protagonist on them, and collaborated to create a look which was pulpy and fun. I even got a role as a pizza eating disciple.
As this was an early project for me, my role was partly as a production assistant. The key thing i learnt was how much needs to be shot for a three minute video. The day massively over ran and a huge amount of our duties involved setting up, standing back, then cleaning up after ourselves.
its a great video and a real highlight of my early days in film and media.
