AI overview
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly impacting the role of production designers in both scripted and unscripted film and television.
AI-driven tools and assistants are particularly useful when considering digital simulations and previs of sets, helping with 3D modelling, material selection and even colour palette generation. Production designers can bring ideas to life more quickly and with greater ease.
New techniques using AI-based computer vision are also allowing rapid and accurate capture of existing locations, giving production designers the ability to quickly incorporate these into models of the final project.
AI can enhance the efficiency of production design workflows by automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. For example, AI tools can generate multiple design variations, assess lighting conditions, and help visualise scenes within different environments.
Additionally, data analysis tools in AI can evaluate trends, budget constraints, and location logistics, providing insights that support both creative and logistical decisions.
This integration of AI allows production designers to explore creative possibilities while optimising resources, aligning aesthetic goals with practical production needs.
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How can I prepare for the future?
To prepare for future advancements, production designers could consider developing a working knowledge of AI-driven tools for 3D modelling, visualisation, and data analysis.
It will be important to keep abreast of developments in virtual production and techniques for automated environment creation, created directly from production designers concept and drawings.
Learning how to use AI to catalogue, label and archiving your own data, including working drawings, final finished documents, along with images and video of the completed projects, and in-camera shots, as well as the costings, plans, schedules and timings of production, will enable you to train AI in the future to automate tasks and projects, or assist in providing useful estimates to other departments.
By becoming proficient in AI-enhanced design software and self-hosted AI models, designers can leverage these tools to maximise creative output, custom AI content generation and data security.
Embracing AI in production design
AI brings exciting possibilities to production design, helping designers streamline workflows, enhance visual planning, and manage resources effectively.
While AI can provide data-driven insights and assist with technical tasks, the creative vision of a production designer - infusing sets and environments with meaning, atmosphere and style - remains uniquely human.
For those involved in film and high-end TV, AI is a powerful tool for expanding creative possibilities while maintaining control over artistic choices. By adopting AI thoughtfully, production designers can enhance their work and stay at the forefront of an industry where innovation and tradition continually intersect.
What AI tools can I use right now?
Production designers can leverage various AI tools at each phase of production to improve visualisation, resource management, and creative planning.
Below are the AI tools available for each stage, with options for locally hosting AI models to maintain control over sensitive data.
- Automated 3D modelling and set visualisation: AI tools can generate 3D models based on initial sketches or brief descriptions, allowing production designers to visualise sets and experiment with different layouts, textures, and materials. This accelerates the concept development phase by enabling rapid prototyping of designs.
- Self-hosted AI models for confidentiality and custom training: For production designers dealing with sensitive designs or confidential scripts, locally hosted AI models running directly on their own computers (as opposed to cloud and online solutions) offer a secure solution that enables designers to protect their own work and style. It also offers the opportunity to customise and train AI models based on their own previous work. Various solutions are available to do this, but will require some effort to setup. Examples include those from Meta, Google, and Mistral.
- Sketch to CAD: AI tools are now facilitating instant conversion of dimensioned hand-drawn sketches to 2D and 3D CAD files. Some of these tools are also able to work in semi real-time modes. Expect these kinds of capabilities to become more sophisticated in the coming months.
- Material and colour selection: AI systems can suggest materials, textures, and colour palettes that align with the script’s visual themes. This can include generating colour harmony options based on historical, cultural, or thematic references, ensuring a coherent visual language across sets, props, and costumes.
- Lighting and environment simulation: AI tools simulate lighting conditions to help production designers understand how a set will look under various lighting setups. By adjusting virtual lighting, designers can anticipate and correct any potential issues with shadows, reflections or colour interactions.
- Cost analysis and resource allocation: AI-powered budgeting tools analyse design resources and estimate costs for different materials, props, and set builds. These systems track real-time spending, helping production designers manage budgets and allocate resources more effectively during set construction and decoration.
- Design impact and audience analysis: AI tools can assess how design elements, such as specific settings or colours, may impact audience perception. These insights help production designers refine their choices to enhance viewer engagement, particularly in genre-specific productions where visual cues are key to storytelling.
AI-enhanced 3D modelling: AI tools that create 3D models from basic sketches or descriptions, accelerating the concept design process.
Self-hosted AI for confidentiality and custom models: Local AI models that enable production designers to process sensitive data without external storage, preserving confidentiality.
Material and colour palette generators: AI systems that suggest colour schemes, textures, and materials based on the theme, era, or tone of the project.
Lighting simulation tools: AI tools that simulate lighting effects on sets, enabling designers to pre-emptively adjust designs for optimal visual quality.
AI budget and resource analysis: AI that tracks design costs and resource allocation, helping designers manage budgets effectively.
ScreenSkills offers a variety of training opportunities for people at all stages of their career. Explore all training, events and opportunities.
ScreenSkills resources:
- Production designer job profile
- Production designer skills checklist
- Production designer (unscripted TV) job profile
Also check out LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for AI-assisted design tools.
GitHub provides tutorials on setting up local AI models and YouTube has guides on self-hosting and data protection.
Skillshare and Udemy have online resources on AI in design and.
Coursera and Skillshare offer courses on AI for cost analysis.