Since arriving in the UK from her home country, Brazil, Juliana has done everything she can to work in the art department of films and TV series. Fortunately, her persistence has paid off with roles on BBC, HBO and Netflix projects thanks to training and mentorship programmes subsidised by ScreenSkills.
The journey to reach her goals has not been a straightforward one. “I'd applied to a National Film and Television School (NFTS) course in 2017 but couldn't take up the place, in the end, as it was so expensive. I did a BA in Architecture, back in Brazil, but it's not filmmaking – and I ended up doing an MA at the Met Film School.
“The masters allowed me to connect my architecture background with my love for film. I ended up designing and building small sets for several short films of fellow classmates, where I was able to strengthen the language of filmmaking. It also helped me develop a portfolio in production design, which is a ‘must have’ when you apply for jobs. I still needed to specialise in the art department for high-end TV (HETV) and feature films, so decided to do the London Film School (LFS): Advancing Your Career in the Film Art Department course to help me develop new professional skills and widen my networks and contacts.”
But before starting the course, she signed up for the Talking Point Mentorship programme, part funded by ScreenSkills, in October 2020, which proved to be a wise decision. She was paired with respected production designer and art director Alexandra Toomey – who’s work includes the BBC series Killing Eve – who gave her a vital grounding in how to get into the industry, including approaching production staff and preparing for a role.
Helen Johnson, director of Talking Point, also gave some invaluable insights to Juliana about the different types of roles and departments involved in a film and TV project, which were to prove invaluable in her following work with the broadcasting and streaming companies.
Indeed, just after completing the mentorship programme and before starting on the LFS course, Juliana got a taste of what was to come by landing an assistant graphic design role on Apple TV show The Invasion. “It was all done remotely, so I didn’t have the chance to interact with other people in the department, only the graphic designer, but it was an exciting start,” she enthuses.
The LFS course at the start of 2021 then provided Juliana with a programme of online workshops with in-depth tutoring of the essential skills needed to step up from assistant to art director and what the new role would entail.
“The course touched on both the areas I wanted to know about – as well as looking more widely at the art department roles and how they work together – and it ran over five weekends, which was perfect,” Juliana explains.
She highlights several benefits of the course. “It definitely helped tackle some questions I had about the art department – for example: about the differences between working in film and TV, and especially things about drafting. When you go for a drafting job in industry they ask you things like ‘how long does it take you to create a floorplan?’ The course leader explained all the things we need to know in order to answer that question properly – as it's not just about the time taken, and there are lots of other factors to consider. That really stayed with me – I know how to answer that question now. It seems like a little thing, but it really helped to get insights into how things actually work, the questions we should be asking and how we can be better prepared.”
She added: “The course leader brought in lots of specialists for us to meet – like SFX supervisors, art directors, and so on. That was great – because it gave a much better sense of the process as a whole. We were also given those people's contact details in case we wanted to reach out to them afterwards.”
Juliana and her fellow students were also given exercises to do each week that gave them a good grasp of the scale of film and television productions. In one of the weeks, they were given a 50-minute episode to breakdown into different art department areas, such as props, SFX, graphic design, construction, VFX etc.
“We didn’t just learn how to do the work but were also given an insight into the scale and amount of dedication that the art department requires on a daily basis. At the end of the course one of the art directors gave us a two-hour drafting course using SketchUp, which was really great for me. Plus, I’ve kept in touch with Fleur Whitlock, the course leader, who often still helps me with queries.”
Since completing the mentorship programme and art department course it has only been an upward trajectory. The first job she got was as an assistant graphic designer on the BBC show This is Going to Hurt, an eight-episode series based on the best-selling book by Adam Kay.
“I had sent my portfolio to the graphic designer months before, and fortunately she thought my style was suited to this show,” explains Juliana.
“We were shooting in a building near Aldgate East that was converted to look like a hospital. I was involved in everything that was printed, including all the signage around the corridors. It was a very intimate working environment because the art department was small, which helped me see what everyone was doing.
A brief stint on the popular BBC show Call the Midwife followed. Then a contact from that show helped get her a role on the upcoming Netflix feature Persuasion, based on Jane Austen’s last novel.
“It’s a period drama so there was a lot of research involved, which was fun. We did a lot of hand-made stuff, working with different types and styles of paper. For example, we created a concert programme, which had to look like it had been printed in a primitive way, and the binding had to be sowed as it would have been in 1824 (so I learned a new skill too).”
Her work obviously impressed the graphic designer on that show who was happy to provide a reference for Juliana to get her next job working on the HBO series Avenue 5, which has been shooting at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden.
“It was really exciting working on such a large-scale project in an incredible site, and actually this is where my mentorship training and support proved so beneficial as I really had to know what each department was doing on set – something my mentors had explained so brilliantly,” says Juliana. “I knew what to ask from the prop department or the set decorating guys. While the LFS course had been great for understanding construction, so I was able to work well with them too. I was connecting all the dots. This was particularly evident when we were building huge posters for the show, so had to consult with the supervising art director and the art directors of each set to make sure it was executed correctly within the shooting schedule. I could ask a lot of questions, I particularly enjoyed working with the construction department, as it is an area I’m keen on.”
Juliana was on set a lot, and sometimes, because of Covid, the team were short-staffed, so she got to step up and in to help across the various departments, learning a lot along the way.
Juliana is now working on Meg 2, the sequel to the successful giant shark film, starring Jason Statham, which is also shooting at Warner Bros. studios. “It’s been quite a smooth transition, and also involves a lot of research, making sure we match everything to the original film and finding the right graphics and props to suit the characters’ personalities.
She concedes the journey hasn’t always been a straightforward one but is thankful to have been a part of a mentoring programme. “The mentorship has given me the foundation to strengthen my skills and spot my weaknesses, and it is important to be willing to apply the advice you are given and change along the way, professionally and as a person,” she says.
“All the opportunities I’ve had happened thanks to the mentorship and the LFS course, with the support of ScreenSkills. They have helped me every step of the way (and they still are!),” Juliana concludes.