About PD-REN
Production design plays a fundamental role in film and television production and yet discussion of the practice is often omitted or misunderstood. The Production Design Research and Education Network (PD-REN) is a recently founded network addressing production design’s critical yet overlooked role in film studies and training. By establishing an international network of researchers and educators we are working to enhance understanding of the area and bridge the gap between academia, practice and industry.
PD-REN is pleased to announce their inaugural conference, hosted by University of Westminster. This conference brings together an exciting combination of ideas from both industry and academia to provide insight into current practice and suggest approaches to production design research and pedagogies into the future.
The conference will provide a platform for educators, practitioners, researchers and students to explore the field of production design from multiple viewpoints. The work and role of the production designer will be examined from professional and creative perspectives by expanding on themes of authorship, visibility, authenticity, acknowledgment, professional practice, codes of realism and visual storytelling.
Papers and panels will reflect upon aspects of production design across the fields of practice, education and research.
Topics include:
- Visualising the script
- Positioning the production designer
- Decolonising knowledge and praxis
- Partnership and collaboration methods
- Industry and training approaches
- Archives and evidence of process
- Practice based research methods
- Historical approaches to TV and film design
- Pedagogies
- Craft and the Academy
- Sustainability and ethics
- Generative AI and Production Design
- Critical methodologies
- World building
- Virtual Production and/or VFX
Timeline
Registration opens July 2025
Event 23–24 October 2025
General registrations for the conference open on July 25th. Register at https://store.westminster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/media-arts-and-design/art-and-society-and-photography/production-design-research-education-network-conference-22-24-oct-2025
PD-REN Conference Committee
Jane Barnwell University of Westminster, UK
Natalie Beak Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Australia
Daniel Kofi Brako University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Jo Briscoe University of Melbourne, Australia
May Davies BFI Film Academy, UK
Juliet John Deakin University, Australia
Maria Kavalioti AUTH Film School, Greece
Anne Seibel La Femis, France
Dawn Snyder Art Directors Guild, USA
Sebastian Soukup Internationale Film School Köln, Germany
Noelle Thomas De Paul University, USA
