May Davies worked on the newest season of Black Mirror, Landscapers (starring Olivia Colman) and Learning to Breathe Under Water (with Dutch co-producer KeyFilm). In this Deep Dive Davies will delve into her practical guide for low budget art departments alongside case studies from her portfolio with a small group of participants. As a participant you will also bring examples of your own work, give and receive feedback, and learn the do’s and don’ts of production design and art direction from Davies.
This Deep Dive is in a small group and workshop setting, so that there’s plenty of time to look at every participants’ case study. We ask you to send the following information beforehand:
- Synopsis of your project
- What stage is your project currently in?
- Your job or discipline
- Which questions and challenges would you like to tackle?
who is may davies?
May Davies is a British production designer and art director for television and cinema. After her studies at Oxford Brookes University and London Film School Davies was part of Berlinale Talents Production Design Studio. Recently she worked on Rebekah Fortune’s Learning to Breathe Under Water (with Dutch co-producer KeyFilm), Elizabeth Sankey’s documentary Witches (BIFA Best Documentary winner, MUBI release) and Hansal Mehta’s The Buckingham Murders. As art director Davies worked on an episode of the latest Black Mirror season and Landscapers (starring Olivia Colman) which won a TV BAFTA for production design.
Davies has also been actively involved in making the sector more diverse and inclusive. She wrote a practical guide for low budget art departments and works with Signal Film and Media to make cinema more accessible and inclusive.
Davies is mentor at the BFI Film Academy, UAL and BAFTA, British Film Designers Guild and an active member of The Production Designers’ Collective.
what will this deep dive look like?
In this Deep Dive participants will work extensively with production design and art direction, by presenting their own work for analysis and feedback. They will bring case studies and prepare questions beforehand to discuss them together with the other participants and May Davies.
Themes that could be addressed are pitching for work, creating concepts, making moodboards to communicate your plans, illustrations or 3D models, team sizes of art departments, budgetting, and working on set vs working on location. Participants are welcomed and encouraged to think of themes to discuss.
For this Deep Dive it is important to read the practical guide for low budget art departments that May Davies wrote beforehand. This will be sent by email to the participants at least a week before the Deep Dive takes place. The guide will also be available in print format on the day itself.
Through this guide we look at questions like: how can you realise your plans with a smaller budget? What can you keep in mind as a production designer or art director?
planning (subject for change)
In the morning
Presentation of case studies from May Davies’ portfolio in production design and art direction, from short to longer films and productions with a small to big budget.
- Group discussions in teams, put together on the day itself according to themes that arise
Lunch break
Vegetarian lunch is included
In the afternoon
Presentation of the practical guide for low budget art departments, plus questions that arise from reading the guide
Practical group discussion part two
who is this deep dive for?
Production designers, art directors, writers, directors and producers.
practical information
- Date: Thursday 3 July 2025
- Time: 10h00 to 16h00
- Location: MACA, Ms. van Riemsdijkweg 61, Amstedam
- Costs Deep Dive incl. vegetarian lunch and ticket Masterclass: € 125,- excl. VAT per person.
- Language: English
- For this workshop the cancellation policy is as follows:
- If you cancel more than 14 days before the workshop day, you will receive a full refund of the ticket price.
- if you cancel between 7 and 14 days before the workshop, you will receive a 50% refund of the ticket price.
- If you cancel within 7 days of the workshop day, you will not receive a refund.
artist talk may davies (2 July)
A day earlier, on Wednesday 2 July, May Davies will give an Artist Talk Production Design. With a ticket for the Deep Dive you can attend the Masterclass for free. See for more information the page about the Artist Talk.