George Liddle APDG

Australian designers and design professionals continue to shine in the screen world, notably Fiona Crombie who earlier this year received a BAFTA award and an Oscar nomination for her work on The Favourite. Fiona joins a long list of Australian production designers, costume designers and make-up designers who in recent years have picked up prestigious international awards. We can be justly proud of these colleagues and celebrate their achievements, while also recognising the part they play as role models to our emerging practitioners.

The guild remains committed to supporting designers early in their careers. I am delighted to announce a new membership level for emerging designers and graduates at a reduced fee of $75 a year for 3 years (before upgrading to a full membership). Furthermore, these members will be eligible to enter the APDG Awards. If you would like to apply, please write to admin@apdg.org.au.

Fiona Crombie, ‘The Favourite’ Production Designer

Our Queensland colleagues held a soiree on the Gold Cost this month where APDG members and friends shared a relaxing evening in the company of one of our star production designers, Owen Paterson APDG, and his US co-production designer on Godzilla vs. Kong, Tom Hammock. It was a great evening where Queensland practitioners got to chat about current productions and learn more about the APDG design community. Big thanks to Michelle McGahey APDG for organising the event. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet old and new friends working in Queensland, which incidentally, seems to be where the action is, with the Cold Coast stages and a new stage complex in Brisbane at full capacity.

Preliminary discussions are underway to potentially mount an APDG design exhibition, which will showcase the art behind live performance and screen productions. I’m sure we are all aware of the amazing art that is not generally seen by the wider public; the brilliant concept art, costume and make-up designs, graphics, props, models and a thousand other designs and artefacts that go into these productions. We are also keen to explore the history behind Australian stage and screen design. Eamon D’Arcy and Bob Hill are collaborating to form a proposal and in good time will be calling for content contributions from the APDG membership. It’s a very big, exciting idea. We have much to be proud of in Australian design.

– George