Category: JOB DESCRIPTION
Note perfect
As Amadeus and Mozart/Mozart shine a fresh spotlight on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, DQ speaks to the musicians behind the series to explore how they faced up to the challenge of meeting the legacy of the genius composer.
Building a rebellion
Production designer Luke Hull takes DQ on a tour of his Emmy-winning work on two seasons of Star Wars series Andor, partnering with showrunner Tony Gilroy and the ambition to introduce new environments and aesthetics to the Star Wars universe.
Back in the Building
Production designer Patrick Howe details his work on Hulu and Disney+ drama Only Murders in the Building, revealing which iconic New York landmark inspired season five’s ‘hero set’ and why the show’s characters don’t get a chance to redecorate.
Working with colour
With recent credits including Film Club, Dreamers and Just Act Normal, senior colourist and Residence Pictures co-founder Paul Harrison takes DQ inside the ‘dark art’ of grading, his role within TV production and the impact of AI on this corner of the creative industries.
A look less ordinary
DQ takes a closer look at the VFX, makeup and prosthetics work that is key to creating the world and characters of Netflix series Wednesday, and discovers the secrets behind black tears, a head in a jar and a zombie called Slurp.
Earth building
Production designer Andy Nicholson takes DQ inside his work on sci-fi horror Alien: Earth, revealing the secrets of building spaceship USCSS Maginot and the numerous sets required for a series that takes its aesthetic cues from 1979 feature Alien.
Scream team
Wednesday production designer Mark Scruton joins costume designers Colleen Atwood and Mark Sutherland to share some of the secrets behind their work on Netflix’s supernatural series and how they collaborate with Tim Burton.
Following the law
With recent credits on dramas including Time and Unforgivable, Jeanette Ashmole details her journey from criminal barrister to TV legal consultant, her partnership with writer Jimmy McGovern and how she’s acting on her own screenwriting ambitions.
Fit for the Mitfords
Production designer Matthew Button and costume designer Claire Collins take DQ into the world of Outrageous, UKTV and BritBox’s period biopic of the real-life Mitford sisters, and reveal how they recreated British high society of the 1930s.
Summit to think about
Cinematographer Marcel Zyskind and production designer Stephen Carter recall how they partnered with creator Jesse Armstrong to make HBO film Mountainhead, and their search for the perfect billionaire hideaway.
Thinking outside the box
Costume designer Maja Meschede opens up about her work bringing Victorian London to life for Disney+ period drama A Thousand Blows, which saw her partner with actors Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham for this epic saga set in the world of illegal boxing.
Team building
Rivals, Mary & George, Kaos, Bridgerton and The Tattooist of Auschwitz meant 2024 was a stellar year for television – and for casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry. She tells DQ about her approach to her role, self-taped auditions and why TV must continue to take risks.
Preparing for battle
Rise of the Raven recreates the 15th century Battle of Belgrade and one warrior’s determination to protect Europe from an Ottoman invasion. Costume designer Bea Merkovits and production designer Márton Vörös detail their work on this historical epic.
Casting the net wide
Lucy Hellier offers insight into her role as a British casting director working overseas and how she came to work on productions such as Spain’s La Templanza (The Vineyard) and France’s Mort sur la piste (Death on the Track).
Cracking the accent code
Dialect coach Natalie Grady explains how she uses her love of accents to help actors perfect their voice for a new role, revealing the keys to learning a new accent and why practice makes perfect.
Into the Whoniverse
VFX creatives Will Cohen and Seb Barker share the secrets behind realising dramatic stunts and otherworldly creatures in the recent Doctor Who specials that heralded the arrival of Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor.
Tick, tick, boom
Former British Army bomb-disposal expert Joel Snarr recalls working with Vicky McClure and the team behind ITV drama Trigger Point, filming scenes in a deserted London street and balancing reality with television fiction.
Access to success
Actor turned access coordinator Julie Fernandez is leading the charge for the television industry to become more accessible for disabled creatives on and off screen. She talks about how the role has evolved, the most common problems on sets and what more the industry needs to improve.
Authentic Antigua
Baden Prince Jr tells DQ about his role as a consultant on forthcoming BBC drama Mr Loverman, an adaptation of Bernadine Evaristo’s novel of the same name that stars Lennie James as an Antiguan man hiding a decades-old secret.
Becoming Eric
The unusual title star of a dark, gritty Netflix period drama set in 1980s New York just happens to be a giant puppet. DQ speaks to creature creation firm Stitches & Glue and puppeteer Olly Taylor about bringing Eric to life.