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Simon Bowles

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Simon Bowles
Production Designer Simon Bowles
Born (1971-06-07) 7 June 1971 (age 53)
NationalityBritish
OccupationProduction Designer
Years active1993–present

Simon Bowles is a British production designer, who has worked with directors Oliver Parker, Roger Michell, Edgar Wright, Amma Asante, James Watkins 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,.[1]

Bowles designed the underground maze of caves built at Pinewood Studios for The Descent, which won accolades at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, 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".[2][3]

In 2012 Simon Bowles designed Roger Michell's "Hyde Park on Hudson" set in 1930's Upstate New York about a British royal family visiting the US and their stay with Franklin Roosevelt, played by Bill Murray, shot entirely in the UK. Bowles's work was mentioned in reviews; "handsomely decked out with a sharp eye for telling eye for production design" by Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter and "Hyde Park on Hudson boasts top-notch production design" by Geoffrey Macnabb in The Independent and "excellent production design from Simon Bowles completes this dreamy, impeccable film" by Clare Stuart, BFI. Bowles went on to win the British Film Designers Guild award for his design of this film.

Simon Bowles designed Amma Asante's "Belle (2013 film)" set in 18th century Kenwood House, London and "Pride (2014 film)" about English gay and lesbian group supporting the striking miners in the 1980s. Both films received rave reviews and many awards including Best Feature Film at the 2014 British Independent Film Awards and nominations at the 2015 BAFTA awards for Pride.

Between 2013 and 2015 Simon Bowles was the elected chairman of The British Film Designers Guild which represents and promotes the creative talent of Production Designers and the art department in the British film industry.

Simon Bowles worked with Amma Asante again on "A United Kingdom" which tells the true story of the relationship between Seretse Khama, the chief to be of the Bamangwato tribe in the British colony of Bechuanaland in the late 1940s, and a white, middle-class Englishwoman, Ruth Williams. It stars David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike directed by Amma Asante produced by Rick McCallum. It was released in the UK in October 2016, US release in February 2017.

Bowles next project to be released is Universal Pictures Johnny English Strikes Again starring Rowan Atkinson, released in October 2018.

Filmography

Production designer

Art director

Art department

  • Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018) (additional visual development)
  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) (concept artist)
  • Sub Down (1997) (V) (assistant art director)
  • Buffalo Girls (1995) (TV) (assistant art director)
  • Beyond Bedlam (1993) (assistant art director)

Commercials

Awards

References

  1. ^ Awards for Simon Bowles at IMDb
  2. ^ Derek Elley in Variety
  3. ^ Mark Kermode in The Observer.
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