The Australian Production Design Guild celebrated the long-awaited, in-person 2022 APDG Awards on Sunday, August 14, with host Bjorn Stewart in Sydney. The 2022 APDG Awards marked the beginning of an era, where new President Michael Scott-Mitchell APDG paid homage to previous president George Liddle APDG and emphasised how important the APDG Awards are to Australian design and designers.
“The Awards give a particular focus to our industry through the assessment of our work by our peers. It is our peers who understand the complexities and the diligence that goes into to achieving the very best we have to offer. The Awards give us a platform to share thoughts and ideas, which is indeed, a gift.” – Michael Scott-Mitchell APDG
See the full gallery HERE.
The red-carpet event began with the Event Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award going to live performance technical master David Ferguson, who has “forgotten more productions than most people have worked on”.
For work on Firebite, Jenny Hitchcock accepted the Docklands Studios Melbourne Art Direction for a Feature Film or Television Production Award and Michael Leon the Stanmart Film Services Set Decoration for a Feature Film or Television Award.
Jacqui Schofield received the Next Printing Graphic Design Award and Jason Baird received the Catherine Martin Studio Make-Up, Prosthetic Make-Up Or Hair Design Award for his prosthetic work on Pieces of Her.
In the production design categories, Scott Bird APDG won the Harlequin Floors Production Design For A Television Production Award for The Tourist, Annie Beauchamp APDG took home the much-coveted Docklands Studios Melbourne Production Design on a Feature Film Award for Swan Song and Wei Guo won the Film Cars Australia Academy Production Design or Costume Design For A Short Film, Music Video Or Web Series Award for All We Have Is Time.
Method Studios received the WYSIWYG 3D Design For A Digital Production Or Performance Award for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, while the Storm FX Animation Design Award was won by Animal Logic for Peter Rabbit 2. Bowen Ellames won the Production Art Department & Design Awards Concept Art Award for Sweet Tooth.
The Photoplay Design for a Commercial went to Josephine Wagstaff for production design on the LiSTNR – Open Your Ears commercial. Cappi Ireland APDG won both the Hero Frock Hire Costume Design For A Feature Film Award for Mortal Kombat and the JMB FX Studio Costume Design For A Television Production Award for New Gold Mountain.
Winners of the emerging categories were Imogen Walsh for the AFTRS Emerging Designer for a Screen Production Award for the Concrete Jungle Fever film clip and Aislinn King for the NIDA Foundation Trust Emerging Designer for Live Performance Award for Two Twenty Somethings Decide Never To Be Stressed About Anything Ever Again. Ever.
In live performance, Isabel Hudson was a big winner for the night, taking home the Vectorworks Australia Set Design For A Live Performance Or Event Award for American Psycho The Musical and the Thelma Afford Award for Costume Design in Stage and Screen, which comes with a $10,000 prize for further study.
For the 7th time, Jennifer Irwin APDG took home the Jennie Tate Costume Design For A Live Performance Or Event Award – Sponsored By HLA Management, for Wudjung: Not the Past and for the 2nd year in a row Craig Wilkinson APDG took home the Technical Direction Company Video Design For A Live Performance Or Event Award for Boy Swallows Universe.
Charlotte Lane won the Creative Crunchers Multi-Discipline Design For A Live Performance Or Event Award for HOUSE and Fausto Brusamolino the Event Engineering Lighting Design For A Live Performance Or Event Award for Unfolding and S/Words.
The grand finale for the evening was the Cameron’s Management Outstanding Contribution to Design Award, which went to Hair & Make-up Designer Lesley Vanderwalt APDG. Her experience is so extensive it is hard to narrow it down to a few highlights. Lesley has worked on a number of Baz Lurhmann’s films, Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Australia, The Great Gatsby and most recently Elvis. Lesley has also worked Alex Proyas’ films including God of Egypt, Knowing and Dark City.
In a career that has spanned more than four decades, Lesley worked on George Miller’s Mad Max 2 Road Warrior in 1981 and is currently working on Furiosa. She has won a raft of awards for her work on Mad Max Fury Road – most notably an academy award and a BAFTA.
The APDG would like to thank all those that contributed to the awards, whether it be our wonderful sponsors and partners, the members that entered, attended or judged and of course all those that made the event happen.