Simon Bowles
Encyclopedia
Simon Bowles is a British production designer
, who got his start in the film industry
in 1993, working as an art department runner and then standby art director. He has worked with many directors, including Vadim Jean
, Russel Mulcahy, Simon West
, Simon Hunter, and most notably Neil Marshall
.
Simon Bowles came to the film industry from theatre where he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
. In 1999 Bowles was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards
, for his work on the film Lighthouse
.
Bowles designed the underground maze of caves for The Descent
, which won accolades at the Evening Standard British Film Awards
, Sony Ericsson Empire Awards, British Independent Film Awards
and Philadelphia Film Festival
. Reviews credited to Bowles such as “cave sets by production designer Simon Bowles look just like the real thing” and “Simon Bowles’ beautifully designed cave sets conjure a world of subterranean darkness”.
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, who got his start in the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
in 1993, working as an art department runner and then standby art director. He has worked with many directors, including Vadim Jean
Vadim Jean
Vadim Jean is an award-winning English film director, producer, and executive producer.After graduating with a degree in History from Warwick University, he found work on Mike Figgis' Stormy Monday, before establishing his own production company in 1989 covering a wide variety of subjects, from...
, Russel Mulcahy, Simon West
Simon West
Simon West is an English-born film director. West started as a film editor with the BBC, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser...
, Simon Hunter, and most notably Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. Marshall began his career in editing and in 2002 directed his first feature film Dog Soldiers, which became a cult film. He followed up with the critically acclaimed horror film The Descent in 2005...
.
Simon Bowles came to the film industry from theatre where he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
. In 1999 Bowles was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
, for his work on the film Lighthouse
Lighthouse (film)
Lighthouse is a 2000 British horror film directed by . The film follows survivors of a shipwreck being preyed on by an escaped psychotic convict who beheads his victims...
.
Bowles designed the underground maze of caves for The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
, which won accolades at the Evening Standard British Film Awards
Evening Standard British Film Awards
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
, Sony Ericsson Empire Awards, British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
and Philadelphia Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
The Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
. Reviews credited to Bowles such as “cave sets by production designer Simon Bowles look just like the real thing” and “Simon Bowles’ beautifully designed cave sets conjure a world of subterranean darkness”.
Production designer
- Hyde Park On Hudson (film) (2012)
- The Reckoning (TV serial) (2011)
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(2010) - CenturionCenturion (film)Centurion is a 2010 British action thriller film directed by Neil Marshall, loosely based on the supposed disappearance of the Roman Ninth Legion in Caledonia in the second century CE. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Olga Kurylenko and Dominic West....
(2010) - The Descent Part 2 (2009)
- Eden LakeEden LakeEden Lake is a 2008 British horror film, written and directed by James Watkins and starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell.-Plot synopsis:...
(2008) - DoomsdayDoomsday (film)Doomsday is a 2008 British science fiction film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film takes place in the future. Scotland has been quarantined because of a deadly virus. When the virus is found in London, political leaders send a team led by Major Eden Sinclair to Scotland to find a...
(2007) - StraightheadsStraightheadsStraightheads is a 2007 British thriller film which follows a couple who are seeking revenge against a group of men who brutally attacked them. It is written and directed by Dan Reed, who made his directorial début....
(2007) - Cold and Dark (2005)
- The DescentThe DescentThe Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
(2005) - Killing HitlerKilling HitlerKilling Hitler is a BBC docudrama that examines the Operation Foxley plot to kill Adolf Hitler.-External links:* by Professor Duncan Anderson at BBC History.....
(2003) (TV) - Dog Soldiers (2002)
- The Enemy (2001)
- LighthouseLighthouse (film)Lighthouse is a 2000 British horror film directed by . The film follows survivors of a shipwreck being preyed on by an escaped psychotic convict who beheads his victims...
(2000) - Wired (1997)
- Virtual Terror (1996)
- A Fistful of FingersA Fistful of FingersA Fistful of Fingers is a 1994 British film written and directed by Edgar Wright.It is a homonymous remake of an earlier, and even lower-budget, movie by Wright and starring Graham Low which had been made while they were still at school...
(1994)
Art director
- Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination LondonAgent Cody Banks 2: Destination LondonAgent Cody Banks 2: Destination London is an English-American action comedy film and the sequel to the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks, and was released in the United States on March 12, 2004. Frankie Muniz was the only major returning star, with Hannah Spearritt now playing the love interest and...
(2004) - Foyle's WarFoyle's WarFoyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during World War II, created by screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, and was commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse came to an end in 2000. It has aired on ITV since 2002...
(3 episodes, 2002) - The Cry (2002) (TV)
- The Lost Battalion (2001) (TV)
- The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells (2001) (TV mini series)
- The Calling (2000)
- The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1999)
- Wing CommanderWing Commander (film)Wing Commander is a science fiction film based on the same titled video game series, released in 1999. It was directed by Chris Roberts, the creator of the game series, and stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows, Tchéky Karyo, Jürgen Prochnow, David Suchet and David Warner...
(1999) - Fortress 2Fortress 2Fortress 2: Re-Entry is the sequel to the 1993 film Fortress. In the film, the principal actor Christopher Lambert reprises his role as John Henry Brennick, still on the run from the MenTel Corporation...
(1999) - Tale of the MummyTale of the MummyTale of the Mummy is a 1998 British-American horror film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, starring Jason Scott Lee, Jack Davenport, Louise Lombard and Christopher Lee.-Plot:...
(1998) - On Dangerous Ground (1996) (TV)
- Midnight Man (1995) (TV)
Art department
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(2001) (concept artist) - Sub Down (1997) (V) (assistant art director)
- Buffalo GirlsBuffalo GirlsBuffalo Girls is a 1990 novel written by American author Larry McMurtry about Calamity Jane . It is written in the novel prose style mixed with a series of letters from Calamity Jane to her daughter. In her letters, Calamity describes herself as being a drunken hellraiser but never an outlaw...
(1995) (TV) (assistant art director) - Beyond Bedlam (1993) (assistant art director)
Second unit director or assistant director
- StraightheadsStraightheadsStraightheads is a 2007 British thriller film which follows a couple who are seeking revenge against a group of men who brutally attacked them. It is written and directed by Dan Reed, who made his directorial début....
(2007) (second unit director)