The Peter Lamont Spotlighting New Talent Award – Winner & Finalists

Films allow you to take a step away from reality and delve into worlds led by the imagination. Understanding this from a young age made me realise that this is something I passionately wanted to be a part of. I have always enjoyed drawing and would often find myself very distracted in school; instead of solving equations, I would instead find myself doodling in my workbooks.

Working at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London was a real eye opener, giving me a deeper insight into the overall film making process in many areas. Meeting Gary Tomkins gave me the push that I needed to pursue my career in the Art Department. By getting a taste of the set designing process through Film Design International, I was then able to really kick things off by obtaining my first job as an Art Department Runner on ‘Avenue 5’, working with Simon Bowles (PD) and Nick Dent (SAD) and the team. My draughting and model making skills grew and have continued to do so by working alongside my incredibly talented and welcoming team.

Being able to step onto an actual set and see the smallest detail that I’ve drawn right there in front of me fills me with true excitement and joy. Something from the imagination becoming fully realised.

Having grown up with a father in the industry I was always fascinated by the Art Department and although I went to an academic school I was always attracted to film design, knowing it was something that you could do as a serious career. All through secondary school I spent many of my holidays trying to fit in work experience wherever I could before securing a place to study Design for Film and Television at Nottingham Trent University.
After graduating I was offered my first film job as an Art Department Runner on ‘The Gentlemen’ with Gemma Jackson, who then took me under her wing over her next three projects. I am very fortunate to have worked with so many talented, experienced, and respected people who have taught me so much since.
One of the things that I love most about being in the Art Department is that you never know what kind of a project you will be working on next or where it might take you. I spent the first half of last year on location in Margate on ‘Empire of Light’ and now I have just arrived in Turkey on my first foreign location job.

I can vividly remember the day, shadowing the Art Director on a local TV show during University holidays, when I discovered designing and creating story worlds for films was someone’s actual job. After graduating, I was accepted as a ScreenSkills trainee, a fantastic opportunity that was my entry point to a career combining my love of film and art. Following an exciting start, my confidence took an early knock and I began to question whether I was up to the challenge. But thanks to the positive, ever-supportive Art Department teams I subsequently worked with, I persevered and pushed myself harder. Thank goodness I did!

Since then I’ve been incredibly lucky to work alongside, and learn from, an amazingly talented pool of people. In particular, Karen Pirie allowed my confidence to grow, giving me an all-round education in what to expect and the opportunity to really contribute. Bridgerton 2 and Queen Charlotte brought demanding new challenges focusing on period graphics. The work developed my skills in an area that I’ve unexpectedly come to
absolutely adore.

I’m unbelievably grateful for being able to wake up every morning looking forward to work, in eager anticipation of what each day will bring.