PRODUCTION DESIGN

I am a Wellington based Production Designer and Set Decorator with a strong creative vision, keen eye for detail and a penchant for problem solving. 
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With over fifteen years experience in set design for theatre, film and television, I have worked with an array of different genre styles, transforming the imaginary world of a script into a multi-layered environment that reflects the lives and histories of the characters that inhabit it.

In addition to production design I have also worked on and off set as a scenic artist, set dresser, sign writer and digital artist. Working on both larger and smaller scale productions has given me invaluable insights and skills that have enhanced my resourcefulness and efficiency, whilst opening my eyes to the boundless possibilities of what can be created.

Please click here to see a full list of my Art Department Credits and Biography or scroll down to read more about the film and television productions I have designed. 

FEATURE FILMS DESIGNED

Cousins
Miss Whenua Films

 I feel so priviledged to have had the opportunity to work on this remarkable film. It is a true testiment to all the mana wahine who were involved in bringing this heartfelt story to the screen.

Cousins is a tale of three girls connected by blood but separated by circumstances, and the film spans muliptle generations and different eras of this whanau as we watch the three cousins grow into women and spend a lifetime in search of each other.

Based on the 1992 novel by Patricia Grace, this film is a benchmark in indigenous women's film making that once again reveals the long reaching effects of colonisation and institutionalised religion. Cousins received high acclaim in the media when it came out, did incredibly well at the box office and was a very moving piece for those who watched it. 

You can read more about Cousins at  NZfilm
Or read some reviews at  Stuff, Flicks or Rotten Toms
Or better still watch the featurette!
Duration: 98mins       Production Year: 2021      Festivals/Award : Māoriland Film Festival – Opening Night Film, Hawaii International Film Festival Showcase Series: Indigenous Lens, Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Giffoni Film Festival Generator +18 Competition, IN–>NZ Indigenous Connections Film Week, Nuuk International Film Festival, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Coming Home In The Dark
Home Coming Productions

This was a very gritty and harrowing film to work on. It tells the story of a teacher who is forced to confront a secret from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take his family on a nightmare roadtrip. It had me on the edge of my seat as I initially read the script and the film has succeeded in being an absolutely unrelenting, nail-biting thriller.

As the name of the film would suggest, Coming Home in the Dark is set at night – and as such it was a month of long, cold nights in the middle of winter witnessing some magnificently terrifying performances from the actors involved. 

The design and execution of the art on this film took me to a number of remote and chilling locations in the lower north Island and allowed me to explore the destructive nature of teenage angst on a number of occasions. 

See more about the film in the Sundance Festival guide, Flicks or NZfilm
Duration: 92mins       Production Year: 2021      Festivals/Award :  Sundance Film Festival - Midnight, Imagine Film Festival Amsterdam, Cleveland International Film Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival, Milwaukee Film Festival, BIFAN Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival. Melbourne International Film Festival, FrightFest UK, Fantasia Film Festival Montréal, HÕFF Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, Lost Weekend Film Festival, Eerie Horror Fest, Loudon Arts Film Festival – Winner Midnight Jury Award: Best Cinematography Midnight Feature Award - Matt Henley, Winner Narrative Feature Jury Awards: Best Narrative, Best Director - James Ashcroft, Best Supporting Actor - Matthias Luafutu, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival – Official Fantàstic Competition, Terror Molins Film Festival Barcelona - Best Director: James Ashcroft, Best Script: James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, Best Actress: Miriama McDowell, Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival, Fancine Malaga Film Festival, Isla Calavera Film Festival Tenerife - Best Director: James Ashcroft, Cineuropa-Santiago de Compostella Film Festival 2022: Māoriland Film Festival

Reunion
Miss Conception Films

Reunion was shot in what was once the grandest house in the Wellington region, the exquisitely beautiful Balgownie House. 

The design of the film is rich with patterns and colours and layers of memories spanning generations of a family's presence within the house. A sense of claustrophobia is created through the clutter and chaos of objects surrounding the characters.

Though the story is set in present day, we re-wallpapered the modernised, white painted interior of Balgownie house to more closely resemble its former glory – all 16 rooms! It was a stunning historical place to work within and I feel proud to have contributed to a moment in time upon it's walls.
Check out the facebook page for more details.
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Duration: 95mins       Production Year: 2020 
​Festivals/Award :  Nightstream Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show, Montclair Film Festival, Terror-Fi Film Festival. 

Poppy
Poppy Pictures Ltd

Poppy was a really great film to work on, it was bright and light and colourful –  and spending time up on the Kāpiti Coast during the course of the production was a real treat.

The inital COVID level four lock down happened a week before we wrapped which created some strange times towards the end and a rather hurried premature wrap out for the art department – from a location set in a private residence. 

I got to attend my very first burn out which was quite something to behold and inhale. 

I really enjoyed having the oppotunity to help bring this story of independence to life, as the voice of a young feminist women with Down's Syndrome is not one we often get the chance to hear.  

Read more and watch the trailer for Poppy on NZ OnScreen,
or watch an interview with actor Libby here.
Duration: 98mins       Production Year: 2021      Festivals/Awards : 2021: CinefestOZ Film Festival, LA Femme International Film Festival, Cinemagic Film Festival Belfast / 2022: Slamdance Film Festival -Unstoppable Programme, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York - WINNER Best Feature Narrative, Best Actress (Libby Hunsdale), ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York, Zlín Film Festival for Children and Youth, Over-the-Rhine Film Festival – Opening Night Film WINNER Audience Award , Martha’s Vineyard Disability Festival / 2023: Matariki Korikori Film Festival Cook Islands, Oulu International Children’s & Youth Film Festival – Youth Film Competition

How to Meet Girls From a Distance
Traces of Nut Ltd

How to meet girls from a distance was made as part of the 'Make My Movie' competition. With a very limited budget, small crew and many locations it definitely had it's challenges  – but certainly it's rewards as well.

Check out the website for more details.

Duration: 84min        Production Year: 2012
Festival/Awards: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZ); Festival des Antipodes - Grand Prix du Jury (Best Film), (France); Beijing International Film Festival (China); Hola AUNZ Film Festival (Mexico); Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Awards (China);

TV & WEB SERIES' DESIGNED

Albularyo
MHM Productions Ltd

It was a pleasure to go to Auckland and be part of making this Filipino Horror episode Albularyo, for the TVNZ 2 series Beyond the Veil – an exciting new anthology series from six diverse groups of storytellers, exploring supernatural stories of Māori, Pasifika, and Filipino cultures in Aotearoa.

Working with a great team of (predominantly) woman from the pan-asian community was such an enriching experience and it was great to learn more about the prevalence of horror in the Philippines!

My favourite part of working on this production was getting to develop my creature design skills and working with the talented team at Scale Studios to bring these horrific components to life. 

If you would like to see some of the examples of the creature design I did for this production please click here – But if you'd prefer to check out the show first before looking at any spoilers click here!
Duration: 23mins       Production Year: 2022      Festivals/Awards :

Self Help
Wrestler

I'm not usually a big fan of comedy but this eight part web series had me well amused! 
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Pulled together on a very small budget by an art department crew of mainly two. This web series was shot in a number of well appointed Wellington locations that were fun to interact with. I'm really pleased with how it came out.  
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Watch the trailer here
Watch full episodes here.
Duration: 19min 13secs        Production Year: 2022
Festivals/Awards: 2022 NZ Web Fest – Best Show, Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Actor, Special Mention in Narrative Writer Section, Nominated for Best Cinematography. 2022 London Web Fest – Best Web Series ​

Pot Luck
Fired Up Productions

What an honour to work on season 2 of New Zealand's first lesbian web series! Thanks team. 
This 12 part series spans two Seasons that follow three Wellington friends as they fumble their way toward love and acceptance. Shot in a series of local Wellington locations, it was a joy to bring each of these character's world to life. 
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Watch full episodes of both seasons here.

SHORT FILMS DESIGNED

Daniel
Candlelit Productions Ltd

This project was a beautiful labour of love with a fantastically talented crew. Set in the picturesque back blocks of the Wairarapa in an old disheveled boarding house, this film was an absolute joy to production design. 
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Check out the website for more details.

Duration: 19min 13secs        Production Year: 2019
Festivals/Awards: Melbourne, International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2020

Double Happy
Parapraxis Ltd

This short film was set in 1995 so all props and set dressing had to be of the era. Components included converting the exterior of a Chinese takeaway store into a dairy and making a fire station look like a primary school - including installing a usable children's playground of the era.
Click here to see full short.

Duration: 15min         Production Year: 2010
Festival/Awards: 2010 - Montreal World Film Festival, Internationale Hofer Filmtage, Show Me Shorts Film Festival, Interfilm Berlin. 2011 - Giffoni Film Festival.

Cub
Rain Jacket Producitons


A story about a mother and her son, this short film was set in current day suburbia with all the wicker tack one could hope for.

Click here to see the trailer

Duration: 15min         Production Year: 2014
Festival/Awards: 2015 -  Internationale Hofer Filmtage, Show Me Shorts Film Festival

Actually Alex
Hand in the Jar Productions


The design of this short film was fun, political and had an aesthetic not too dissimilar from my own – full of retro charm and vintage chic!

Check out the trailer here.
Duration: 12min        Production Year: 2014 
Festival/Awards: 2016 Winner Best Narrative OutlanderCon. 2016 Official Selection Queer Bits Film Festival.