Introduction to Production Design for Film and Screen (FutureLearn)

Introduction to Production Design for Film and Screen (FutureLearn)

Explore the craft of Production Design with award-winning filmmakers and learn how it adds meaning and depth to screen stories. Production Design is at the heart of making memorable screen stories.
This course provides a basic understanding of the role of the Production Designer on feature films, short films, TV, live action, animation or game design.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

It will explore key concepts and core skills required to really add value and visual interest to any screen story.
Learn more about the world of Production Design with the expert creative professionals from Australia’s premier screen arts and broadcast school.

What topics will you cover?
The Backstory

  • The history, foundations and future of Production Design.

Building Foundations

  • Research and references: the foundations of design.
  • The elements and principles of Production Design.
  • How Production Design supports and enriches screen stories.

Visual Communication

  • Script analysis and Art Department breakdowns.
  • Controlling and enriching mood and tone in screen stories.
  • Pre-visualisation and visual communication.

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Discuss the history, context and underlying concepts of Production Design for screen stories.
  • Apply Production Design principles to appropriately enrich and support screen stories.
  • Evaluate a screen story in design terms, considering appropriate and practical solutions in your response.
  • Identify and communicate key principles of a screen design.
  • Effectively explain basic design concepts to creative collaborators.

Who is the course for?
This course is suitable for all screen creators and for designers from non-screen storytelling backgrounds.
It is for anyone interesting in learning more about Production Design for film, screen and broadcast. Whether you’re interested in art and design, considering a career in Production Design or a creative screen storyteller who wants to understand more about the value of great Production Design, this course will have something for you.

What software or tools do you need?
This course doesn’t require any existing specialist skills or equipment, though there will be extension activities if you want to enhance your learning experience.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Using Film to Teach Literacy Online and in the Classroom (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The British Film Institute - BFI,INTO FILM

Using Film to Teach Literacy Online and in the Classroom (FutureLearn)

Explore the inspiring ways in which film can be used to deliver literacy learning for school students. Discover how to improve literacy using film. On this online course, you’ll identify how you can use film as a key tool to deliver literacy lessons, whether online or in the classroom, with your pupils.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Space is Everywhere (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Space is Everywhere (Coursera)

You are here! Welcome to Course 4 - Space is Everywhere and the last course of this specialization. You are on the final stretch of this journey to finding your Pathway to Space. The topics of Course 4 span four weeks and nine lessons with 36 learning objectives. This course contains some of my most favorite aha moments in the the entire specialization. I hope that you find them and that they impact you in a positive way. We will discuss how space is communicated through news, art, movies, books, music and more. Space is everywhere in our lives and therefore everyone can be involved in it. So keep up the pace. You can do this. Your reward awaits you, finding your pathway to space.

Aug 3rd 2026
4 Weeks
How to Create Video for Online Courses (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

How to Create Video for Online Courses (Coursera)

Increasingly, as education pivots online, educators are looking to filmmaking as a way of creating new and exciting content. On this two-week course from the University of Edinburgh, you’ll learn how to turn your mobile phone into a full-featured video production suite to create effective and engaging online course videos and media. Develop the skills to script, storyboard, and film your videos.

Aug 16th 2026
2 Weeks
Teaching Literacy Through Film (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The British Film Institute - BFI,INTO FILM

Teaching Literacy Through Film (FutureLearn)

Learn how to use film in the classroom, teach literacy and improve both reading and writing skills, with this free online course. Why use film to teach literacy? This free online course, led by film education experts from the British Film Institute (BFI) and film education charity Into Film, will examine the debate surrounding film as a vehicle for teaching literacy, alongside recent evidence demonstrating significant improvements in children’s reading and writing through use of film texts.

No sessions available
4 Weeks
Graphic Design Essentials (edX) EdX
LCI Education

Graphic Design Essentials (edX)

Acquire the essential skills to become a working Graphic Designer from the basics of color theory to presenting a project to a client. This online course from LaSalle College Vancouver will introduce you to the basics of design, graphic and visual communication, image making, typography and the overall creative process, starting from the client mandate to the final presentations.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Building your Screenplay (edX) EdX
University of Cambridge

Building your Screenplay (edX)

Learn to strengthen you skills as a screenwriter, while diversifying your knowledge and understanding of the demands of global film and TV production. Find out how to become a powerful visual story-teller; understand how to build effective structure within your screenplay; develop professionally transferable writing skills and communication expertise. This course will broaden your understanding of how to start a career successfully as a professional screenwriter, as well as offer you insights in how to maximise and enjoy the processes of your personal creativity.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Understanding Media: Introduction to Media Literacy and Representation (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Newcastle, Australia

Understanding Media: Introduction to Media Literacy and Representation (FutureLearn)

How does the media affect us? Find out and improve your media literacy by learning how to analyse media, film and culture. Develop your media literacy skills and explore our relationship with media. So many of the defining moments in our lives are connected in some way to media. Media are a central part of how we live, work and play.

Jul 19th 2021
3 Weeks
Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Royal Holloway, University of London

Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies (Coursera)

This course is a short taster on the topic of the use of Images, Film, and their use in historical interpretation in the 20th century. It is primarily provided for those who have a general interest in history that draws on photojournalism as primary evidence, and films based on historical events.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Film Production: Behind the Scenes of Feature Filmmaking (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Creative Skillset,The British Film Institute - BFI,The Production Guild

Film Production: Behind the Scenes of Feature Filmmaking (FutureLearn)

Take a guided tour through the process of making a feature film and meet some of the people who make films every day. Over three weeks, The Production Guild of Great Britain, guided by respected film and television professionals, will demystify the process of making a feature film. You will discover the key stages of how a film gets made and the different types of production.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
The Essential Financial Management Toolbox for Film, Screen and Broadcast (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Australian Film Television and Radio School - AFTRS

The Essential Financial Management Toolbox for Film, Screen and Broadcast (FutureLearn)

Discover how managing finances dictates your creative business world. Learn key tools needed for successfully financed projects. Become Empowered in Financing Creative Projects Arm yourself with a deeper understanding of the financial skills required to begin the journey to successfully financing a new project.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
The Business of Film (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The Open University

The Business of Film (FutureLearn)

Explore the intriguing world of film production and find out about the complexities of development, distribution and finance. Find out how movies are funded, made and marketed. Making a film is a creative exploit, but just like any other business, the aim is also to make money. This online course will show you how. It has been created with Pinewood Studios – the leading provider of studio services to the global screen-based industries.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks