Simon Bowles BFDG

Flashback to this fabulous interview with Architectural Digest from 2020 about designing the sci-fi sets for season 1 of HBO’s Avenue 5 along with my stunningly creative team; Set Decorator @lizsetdecuk , Supervising Art Director @stuartdept , Graphic Designer Sam Moulsdale and Key Concept Artist @jortvanwelbergen of @pathfinder_visualdesign . . This project was such a delight to design for creator @armando.iannucci , building huge sweeping impossible structures with no visible supports and on top a mile of bespoke individually formed curved glass handrails. Read the article for more! . @archdigest #architecturaldigest #scifi @hbo @wbsleavesden @rutters_uk @stylofilmtv @datareprographics #architecture #spaceship

BLIMEY! Our @xbox commercial THE CARETAKER has been nominated at The Association of Independant Commercial Producers (@theaicp ) awards for best Production Design, held in NYC on 4th June! Many thanks to the AICP jury for recognising the work by my team! I am so proud of my amazing art department (Prague & Budapest), set dec, props, construction, graphics, locations and vehicles teams in Prague who made this mini feature film. Glorious work by every single member of the crew on this beautiful project. . Director - #nicolaifuglsig Cinematographer - @papa2 Production Companies - @mjzworldwide @unitsofa ❤️❤️ #xbox #aicpawards #awards #productiondesign @british_film_designers_guild @unitedtalent @utaproductionarts

Congratulations @bimlajackson and all the @setandsceneshow team for creating an absolutely stunningly inspirational event yesterday! I’m already looking forwards to next years extravaganza!!! ✨🌟✨

Bravo @setandsceneshow - it was a privilege to talk on the future of scenic painting alongside @russelloxley @bethquintonscenicart and Gavin Gibson of @nationaltheatre . Thanks to @simonbowlesdesign for moderating - wonderful to see so many familiar faces and meet new ones.

What a blinding success @setandsceneshow was today! . I saw so many wonderful friends and colleagues! In the morning I hung out at the @british_film_designers_guild stand raising awareness of our fabulous department. I had an excellent demo of AR tech by @fcascinelli and Bex of @proteuscompany . In the afternoon I mediated a fantastic conversation about the craft of the Scenic Artists featuring @alexgrantsaid @bethquintonscenicart Gavin Gibson from @nationaltheatre and my creative friend @russelloxley . AND I got to spend the day with my son @indybowles . . If you missed this years event do go next year, I’d highly recommend it! . Thanks to @mrdanielkennedy for lecture photo! #productiondesign @unioftheartslondon

Here is some more work we have done on A Quiet Place Day One, which is out now on Netflix. Pathfinder worked on this from early preproduction all the way to post production and VFX. Our visuals were used to directly draw up the sets, and to guide the construction, painting and props department. We helped the SFX team to understand where and how much smoke was needed and the action-vehicles coordinator where to place their vehicles and how to weather them. It was an honor working directly with PD @simonbowlesdesign and Director @michael_sarnoski back in 2022 and a great honor to receive the BFDG Award for Best Production Design. Have a film or game that needs our expert team, please don't hesitate to reach out! #pathfinderstudios #Conceptdesign #keyframe #worldbuilding #3dart #2dart #artdirection #cinematic #conceptart #conceptartist #conceptstudio

Scroll through these beauties! These are just some of the awesome onscreen graphics created by @davidterritorystudio and team at @territorystudio London for our 2020 @hbo sci-fi drama Avenue 5! Being a science fiction show set on a beautiful cruise liner spaceship journeying from Earth, around Saturn and back again, there were many screens built into the sets. These appeared in the sweeping gold & white themed passenger area, the soviet-styled mechanics area of mustard yellow and teal at the rear of the ship and the mission control centre on Earth which featured purple and blues. These colours and hero logos were initiated within my graphics department headed up by Sam Moulsdale then expanded upon and animated by Territory Studios. Avenue 5 created by our captain for the voyage @armando.iannucci and staring #HughLaurie @joshgad @mrzachwoods @msrebeccafront @notreallysuzy @lenoracrichlow25 #NikkiAmukaBird @andybuckley2020 @stclairjessica @daisymaycooper and maaaaaaany other wonderfully talented friends! Avenue 5 won Best Production Design in TV Drama category at the prestigious @british_film_designers_guild awards in 2020 shared with set decorator @lizsetdecuk and supervising art director @stuartdept . The production design was featured in @archdigest and @adg800 Perspective magazine. You can watch both seasons of Avenue 5 now on @hbomax and @nowtv ! #scifi #spaceship #design

A Quiet Place Day One is out now on Netflix so it's high time we share all the work we did on this amazing film! Pathfinder worked on this from early preproduction all the way to post production and VFX. Our visuals were used to directly draw up the sets, and to guide the construction, painting and props department. We helped the SFX team to understand where and how much smoke was needed and the action-vehicles coordinator where to place their vehicles and how to weather them. It was an honor working directly with PD @simonbowlesdesign and Director @michael_sarnoski back in 2022 and a great honor to receive the BFDG Award for Best Production Design. Have a film or game that needs our expert team, please don't hesitate to reach out! #pathfinderstudios #Conceptdesign #keyframe #worldbuilding #3dart #2dart #artdirection #cinematic #conceptart #conceptartist #conceptstudio

It was such a pleasure to recently attend a special screening of our Primate movie for the trainees at @wearecrewhq based at @wbsleavesden . Creature designer @mfx_kate from @millennium_fx_ltd and I gave a talk afterwards about creating the animatronic chimpanzee suit and designing the sets to convince the audience the film is set in Hawaii when actually shot in London. Loads of great questions from all the students. I am so proud to be a member of the CrewHQ steering committee since its first ever meeting back in 2023. It’s wonderful to see all the graduating trainees go on to work in our brilliant industry! Congratulations to them all! Watch PRIMATE now on @paramountplus and streaming. #crewhq #training #filmindustry #primate @paramountpics

More memories of shooting the @xbox #xboxgamepass commercial ‘The Carretaker’ in Prague last year. Congratulations again to all my art, construction, props and location crew on winning silver for Production Design at this years @britisharrows awards! . @mjzworldwide @unitsofa #productiondesign #worldbuilders #commercials #britisharrows

What do you lose when scenic painting disappears from the process? At Set & Scene 2026, The Art of Scenic Painting (in an Increasingly Digital World) brings together @alexgrantsaid , @bethquintonscenicart , Gavin Gibson, Russell Oxley, and @simonbowlesdesign to unpack the role of painted environments in modern production. This session goes beyond nostalgia — it’s about how texture, atmosphere, and material thinking elevate storytelling, and how designers and makers can work together to achieve stronger creative outcomes. You’ll come away with a clearer understanding of: ✨ how scenic artists shape visual language across stage and screen ✨ where digital and traditional processes can complement each other ✨ how to collaborate more effectively from concept through to delivery If your work relies on creating believable, immersive worlds — this conversation matters. 📍 25 April 2026 | Central Saint Martins, London 🎟 Don't miss out - book now. #SetAndScene #ScenicArt #ProductionDesign #TheatreDesign #FilmDesign #CreativeCollaboration

I had a fabulous time recently working with fellow @british_film_designers_guild members on the new guild library of beautiful reference books now held at @pinewoodstudios . Thanks to Malcolm Stone these books are accessible to members to do research for their upcoming film and tv dramas. Malcolm and the guild are working on digitising and uploading drawings and images onto the guild server for members who cannot make it to London. This is a long term guild project and terribly exciting! . #bfdg #library #archive #pinewoodstudios #productiondesign