Draughtsmen* are responsible for drawing up set designs. Working to the Production Designer's references and specifications conveyed via the Art Director, Draughtsmen use their knowledge and skills to translate these ideas into detailed technical drawings, showing plans, elevations and sections. Sets are never improvised by Carpenters or members of the Construction Department on a film; they are meticulously planned and set out, so that they can be realised in the most efficient manner possible.

Construction crews on films (as on building sites) work to a set of blueprints created especially for them, and these accurate drawings are the responsibility of Draughtsmen. They are requested by the Production Designer, Supervising Art Director or Art Director, work on a freelance basis, and usually specialise in either film or television production.

What is the job?
Draughtsmen's drawings provide a technical template (including information on measurements, materials, construction, etc.) for the Construction Department. Some Draughtsmen prefer to work at their drawing boards in the Art Department office, while others are more involved in the set's construction, visiting the workshops and discussing the job with the Carpenters.

As many as four Draughtsmen and several Junior Draughtsmen may be employed on big budget films, all producing drawings and models. On this kind of production, Draughtsmen start work approximately six months before filming is due to begin, and are often involved until the end of filming, continuously producing new drawings and trouble-shooting if existing sets need to be rebuilt. Draughtsmen must often work quickly and to extremely tight deadlines. Drawings are still mainly produced by hand, although some new computer aided design software packages (such as Vectorworks) are sometimes used. Draughtsmen also work closely with the Visual Effects Department, who use the set drawings to design and create Effects.

On big budget films, Draughtsmen produce hundreds of drawings, which are scanned and sent by computer to be printed out by the relevant departments. On smaller films, Draughtsmen are likely to be more actively involved in the supervision of all set construction. Junior Draughtsmen are responsible for looking after specific construction details across a range of sets (e.g., all window or door detailing), or surveying locations. They are also responsible for making accurate models of all the sets, which enable the Production Designer and Director to visualise camera positions and movements in three-dimensional space.

Typical career routes
All Draughtsmen serve an apprenticeship in the Art Department, gaining hands-on experience of how sets are designed and built. After leaving college, aspiring Art Directors or Production Designers start their careers as Art Department Assistants, and progress to Junior Draughtsmen, assisting the Draughtsmen in all drawing tasks, and ultimately to Draughtsmen. While many Draughtsmen become Art Directors or Production Designers, others prefer to stay in this role, and concentrate on honing their skills so that they become expert, sought after practitioners.

Essential knowledge and skills
Draughtsmen must have expert knowledge of all building materials and construction techniques. They should also have a good understanding of what Directors and Directors of Photography require from film sets in terms of light and camera angles, etc. Knowledge of history and of period details and techniques is also useful. Even though most draughting is still carried out free-hand, knowledge of computer aided design programmes (CADS) is an advantage.
Key Skills include:

Draughtsman/ Junior Draughtsman

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