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  • The Fisherman and His Wife
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Production Design (MFA)

»Welcome to the Production Design MFA

Do the stunning visuals of Black Panther, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune enthrall you? Do you aspire to join the ranks of the brilliant artists who have created the enchanting worlds of Wicked, Poor Things and Avatar? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Our two-year MFA Production Design program is second to none — an intensive hands-on experience designed to equip production designers with the latest conceptual and practical skills needed to succeed and thrive as professional designers in the entertainment industry. We encourage designers to discover their own conceptual approach to film design in collaboration with fellow production and visual effects specialists.

Student artwork

 

Why Dodge?

  • Stellar Faculty: Our professors are entertainment industry professionals whose credits include such blockbusters as Star Trek Into Darkness, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Tropic Thunder, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spider Man 2, Men in Black 2 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, just to name a few.
  • Collaboration from Day One: From the moment you arrive, you’ll be working with MFA producers, directors and cinematographers, bringing your designs to life on soundstages and on location, as well as learning to work within budgets. Your journey as a professional begins immediately. In your first year, you will design and make two small films. In your second year, you’ll do two thesis-level films.
  • Outstanding Facilities: Our facilities are unmatched in educational cinema. Production designers create their sets in Dodge College’s seven fully equipped professional soundstages. Our 5,000 square-foot set construction/fabrication shop is loaded with CNC machines, 3D printers, and a computer-programed laser cutter. Our extensive prop house has thousands furniture pieces and small décor items that are used for set dressing.
  • Industry success post-graduation: Our highly competitive program has produced record numbers of graduates who have been accepted into the Art Directors Guild and are now working professionals at the highest levels of our industry. In 2023, the entire graduating production design class was accepted into the Art Directors Guild and a record 23 young designers (from a pool of 74 applications) were accepted into the Guild’s prestigious Production Design Initiative, a number no other university can claim in a single year.

Student Projects

The Tombs of Atuan

Kati Dean ’(MFA ’24). llustration made with SU Podium, Photoshop and Procreate

The Tombs of Atuan

Kati Dean (MFA ’24).

The Most Dangerous Game

Isa Campillo (MFA ’23). Photoshop concept illustration.

The Most Dangerous Game

Isa Campillo (MFA ’23). References/Research, Concept Sketches, Isometric

The Way of Cross and Dragon

Dani Wolf (MFA ’22). Illustration made with SketchUp, Keyshot and Photoshop

The Way of Cross and Dragon

Dani Wolf (MFA ’22).

The Way of Cross and Dragon

Dani Wolf (MFA ’22). Illustration made with SketchUp, Keyshot and Photoshop

Catcher in the Rye

Annie Harris ’22.

Catcher in the Rye

Annie Harris ’22.

007 Inspired Soviet Bunker

Andrew Chung (MFA ’20). Illustration made with Pen & Marker, SketchUp and Twinmotion

007 Inspired Soviet Bunker

Andrew Chung (MFA ’20).

The Fisherman and his Wife

Min Jeong (MFA ’18). Illustration made with SketchUp, Podium and Photoshop

The Fisherman and his Wife

Min Jeong (MFA ’18). Digital plan.

Brain in a Vat

Yong Kai (MFA ’21).

Brain in a Vat

Yong Kai (MFA ’21).

Nepalese Building

Rupali Ingle (MFA ’21). Illustration made with SketchUp and Photoshop

Osmosis Jones

Min Jeong (MFA ’18). Hand drawing; color in Photoshop

Graphic Design

Marc de Bertier (MFA ’18).

Graphic Design

Kati Dean (MFA ’24).

More Student Projects


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From Concept to Build

From Concept to Build

Student artwork

 

Ideal Candidates for this Program

Do you have a background in design, art or architecture? How about the humanities such as literature or art history? Drawing and design skills are paramount to sophisticated development of film design, but fundamentally what we do is develop a story, so knowledge of culture and sophistication of story structure is central to the design process. These are all areas that contribute to a mastery of production design. First and foremost, a film designer is a dramatist, developing a story for the screen.

Student artwork

Two-year Program Overview

In the first year, students design two films in collaboration with fellow MFA producers, directors and cinematographers, bringing designs to life on soundsstages and on modified locations, learning to work practically within production schedules and budgets. They take a full curriculum of classes in production design: A production design workshop class taught by our program director where students develop fully realized portfolio projects and are mentored on the practical films they will make each semester. Several classes in digital design will also be taken where they learn the latest techniques applied to production design: SketchUp, SketchUp Layout, Procreate and Rhino, to name a few.

YEAR ONE

  • Production design workshop
  • Digital production design studio
  • Concept art and illustration
  • Set decoration
  • Stagecraft construction technique
  • Storyboarding
  • Production design for amination and visual effects

YEAR TWO

  • Thesis film in production design
  • Advanced production design workshop
  • Advanced digital production design studio
  • Set decoration II

Student artwork

Our Alumni


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Alumni Professional Credits

Alumni Professional Credits

Our Faculty


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Program Director: John Chichester

John Chichester (Star Trek Into Darkness, Spiderman II, Alien: Resurrection)
chichest@chapman.edu

Faculty Professional Credits

Faculty Professional Credits

Contact Dodge Admission

Phone: (714) 997-6996
Email: dodgeadmit@chapman.edu
Hours: M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Info Sessions

Dodge College hosts in-person and online information sessions for prospective graduate students.

Learn more