About
I am a London/ Essex based emerging production designer with a portfolio of short and feature films, live performance and art installation. I was awarded the technical award for best art direction at the Long Island Film Festival 2019 for Mea Culpa, a short film by Jason Fite. We are currently in pre-production on his next feature film.
I have been a BAFTA crew member since 2017 and am a member of the British Film Designers Guild, the British Society of Theatre Designers and The Production Designers Collective.
I have been assisting in the art department for 8 years on a variety of feature film and tv productions (recent credits include Landscapers, Farming and BFI Features The Power and Martyrs Lane).
Following a fine art degree in 2007, I worked for 7 years with a female-led film charity and production company, Signal Films in Barrow-in-Furness, which has produced an impressive slate of award winning short and feature length films and provided 1000s of disadvantaged people access to filmmaking opportunities. As a small company we all took part in the whole process of filmmaking. Producing, self-shooting and editing promotional and narrative films gave me a basic understanding of the filmmaking process and an appreciation of creating images for screen. After completing an MA in theatre design 2015 I decided to combine my love of art and storytelling and embark on a freelance career in the art department and as a production designer.
I remain committed to providing opportunities for people from all backgrounds into the industry. I am a BAFTA crew mentor for BFI Film Academy alumni and continue to develop and lead on projects and sessions at Signal Films, Pauline Quirke Academy, National Theatre Education programme, BFI Film Academy and East15.
I believe working across different mediums opens exciting possibilities for new work. Finding new ways of working is something I believe is one way to positively address to imbalance of social and economic diversity and inclusion in the film industry. I am interested in and welcome projects that explore the relationship between these art forms and share these ideals.
E-learning
See which ScreenSkills e-learning May Davies has completed to improve their skills and knowledge.
Experience
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Art Director
Treason - Netflix Drama Series
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Art Director
The Birth of Daniel F. Harris - TV Drama
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Art Director
My Happy Ending - Feature Film
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Art Director
Landscapers - HBO/ Sky Mini Series
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Additional Art Director
Martyrs Lane - Feature Film
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Additional Art Director
The Power - Feature Film
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Art Director
The Importance of Being Oscar - TV Film
Education and training
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Diversity, equity and inclusion for the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Introduction to mental health awareness at work
ScreenSkills Funded
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The guiding principles of departmental budgeting for HETV and film
ScreenSkills Funded
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Location Intentions for Art Directors with Matt Kerly
ScreenSkills Funded
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The guiding principles of departmental budgeting in high-end TV and film
ScreenSkills Funded
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Coronavirus basic awareness on production training
ScreenSkills Funded
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to succeed as an art director
ScreenSkills Funded
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Advancing your career in the art department for film
ScreenSkills Funded
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Production design industry session with Simon Bowles
ScreenSkills Funded
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Flexible working and job share session for art department
ScreenSkills Funded
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Industry State of Play: ScreenSkills Assessment 2021
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to succeed as an art director
ScreenSkills Funded
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Coronavirus basic awareness on production training
ScreenSkills Funded
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MA Theatre Design
Certificates
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Safe Management of Production
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Diversity, equity and inclusion for the screen industries
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The guiding principles of departmental budgeting in high-end TV and film
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Guiding Principles of Departmental budgeting
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Introduction to mental health awareness at work
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work