139 - Art Directing from Titanic to House of the Dragon with Dominic Masters
The Filmumentaries PodcastShow Notes
In this episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast, I speak with art director and supervising art director Dominic Masters, whose decades-long career spans some of the biggest films and series of the last 40 years. He grew up around movie sets thanks to his father, the legendary production designer Tony Masters (2001: A Space Odyssey, Papillon, Dune), and started his own journey at 19 when he spent eight months in China on Tai-Pan — the first Western movie ever shot there.
Dom talks about learning the foundational skills of drafting, the early struggles of finding work in the British film industry of the mid-80s, and the unique lifestyle of moving from production to production — that strange micro-community that forms on set, often in far-flung locations.
We cover his experiences on Titanic working under James Cameron, the shift from physical sets to set extensions and digital workflows, the evolution of the art department, and how shows like House of the Dragon demand an enormous level of coordination, creativity and technical precision. We also talk about the British Film Designers Guild, the camaraderie that forms in the art department, and his personal creative outlets, photography and music, that keep him balanced between jobs.
It’s a wide-ranging, honest conversation with someone who has seen the industry evolve from the studio backlots of the 1970s to enormous contemporary productions. Topics discussed Growing up around film sets and learning from legendary designers His first job on Tai-Pan in 1985 and the experience of shooting in China The hierarchy and craft of the art department Collaboration with directors, designers, construction and VFX Working on Titanic and the extraordinary scale of the build The Harry Potter films, James Bond films, and shifting directors The intensity and scale of House of the Dragon Surviving the freelance lifestyle and industry downturns Creative outlets outside the job Guest Dominic Masters – Art Director / Supervising Art Director Selected credits: House of the Dragon, Belfast, Wonder Woman, Now You See Me 2, Casino Royale, Harry Potter, Titanic, The World Is Not Enough, The Avengers.
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