Film Production Designer
Plans the sets, locations and overall visual world of a film or show.
Facts checked 29/10/2026
Is this for me?
- Turning a script into a world people can see
- Working with a team of artists, builders and directors
- Noticing small details like colour, texture and objects
- Long, uneven hours during shoots, often at night or in remote places
- Tight budgets and deadlines that can change without notice
- Work can come in bursts, so steady income may take years to build
- Class 11–12 subjects
- No fixed Class 12 stream for the usual route. Art, design or architecture study later helps more than any particular subject. If you want the B.Arch route, Physics and Maths are needed in Class 12, as for architects.
- First degree
- A bachelor's degree in applied arts, architecture, painting, sculpture, interior design or a related fine arts field (BFA, B.Arch or similar), then a 3-year MFA in Cinema with specialisation in Art Direction and Production Design at FTII, Pune.
- Entrance exams
- FTII Entrance Test (FTII ET) for the FTII MFA. SRFTI, Kolkata also admits through its own entrance process for its cinema programmes.
- Licence or registration
- None needed to start working.
What the work is like
Reading the script with the director, planning sets and locations, making sketches and models, choosing colours, props and styles, managing a team of art assistants and carpenters, and keeping the look of the film consistent from start to finish.
A day in the work
A production designer often starts the day with a meeting with the director and cinematographer to talk through the look of a scene. The rest of the day may go on site, checking a location, measuring a room or reviewing a set being built by carpenters and painters. Evenings are spent on sketches, mood boards and budget sheets for the next shoot. On shoot days, the designer may have to fix a broken prop or change a colour that does not look right on camera.
The path, step by step
- Step 1 · Class 10–12Draw every day, visit museums and old buildings, and watch films with an eye for how rooms, colours and objects tell a story. Any Class 12 stream is fine for the arts route.
- Step 2 · After Class 12 (3–4 years)Take a bachelor's degree in applied arts, painting, sculpture, architecture or interior design, such as a BFA, B.Arch or B.Des. Keep a portfolio of your drawings, models and photographs.
- Step 3 · Entrance testApply to the FTII Entrance Test for the 3-year MFA in Art Direction and Production Design. The course has 11 seats. Check ftii.ac.in for the current year's dates and notice. (reported — check with the official body)
- Step 4 · 3-year MFA (6 semesters)Study at FTII, Pune, or the equivalent course at SRFTI, Kolkata. Learn design, history of cinema, model-making and how a set is built and shot.
- Step 5 · After the courseStart as an assistant art director or art department assistant on films, web series or ads. Most people build their work through assisting senior designers over several years.
Ways in
- Film school routea bachelor's degree in an arts or design field, then the FTII or SRFTI postgraduate course.
- Work routea degree in any related field, then join an art department as an assistant and learn on set.
Time and money
| Stage | Time | Government college or body | Private college | Help available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 11–12 (any stream) | 2 years | Your school's fees | — | — |
| Bachelor's degree (BFA, B.Arch or B.Des) — route 1 | 3–4 years | Check the college's fee page | Check the college's fee page | — |
| FTII Entrance Test application | 1 day exam | Check the notice for the exam fee | — | — |
| 3-year MFA in Art Direction and Production Design, FTII Pune | 3 years | FTII fee not confirmed. Check the FTII fee page for the current year | — | FTII merit award of ₹25,000 for a top scorer (from page; not re-checked) |
| Alternative: 3-year MFA at SRFTI Kolkata | 3 years | Tuition ₹47,861 per semester; admission fee ₹8,493 and security deposit ₹71,038 at admission (year not stated) | — | No official SRFTI scholarship figure found |
| Work route: assistant art director on films, web series or ads | Several years of assisting | Unpaid or pay not stated on page | — | — |
Fees from: FTII Scholarships (official page) · FTII Admission Prospectus, FTII-ET-2025-26 (official PDF) · SRFTI Kolkata official fee structure page. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.
What people earn
Pay in this field varies widely: entry-level assistants usually earn far less than senior designers on large studio films, and work in Mumbai, Chennai or Hyderabad differs from smaller regional productions.
Myth and fact
For girls and students with disabilities
The FTII seat table reserves seats for SC, ST, OBC-NCL and EWS candidates for this course (reported, from a notice on a third-party site). I could not confirm any separate rules for women or for students with disabilities for this career.
Try it now
- Class 7–9Pick one favourite film and redraw one room from it on paper. Note which colours and objects show the character's mood.
- Class 10–12Make a small sketchbook of 10 set or room designs. Include a short note on what each one says about the story.
- College or afterVolunteer on a college short film, school play or local theatre production as a props or set helper. Read the FTII course page to see what the art direction course covers.Open link ↗
Good to know
- The FTII Art Direction and Production Design course asks for a bachelor's degree in applied arts, architecture, painting, sculpture, interior design or a related fine arts field. A general degree alone is not enough for this course.
- Film work is project-based. You may go months between jobs, especially early on.
- Interested in design but not film? Look at interior design, exhibition design or architecture as well.