Melissa Spicer
Art Department film and TV
Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Melissa (Ngāti Porou, Pakēha) on the set of Wellington Paranormal Season 4 2021
Melissa Spicer (Ngāti Porou, Pākehā) is a New Zealand based production designer, prop master and art director, with over 25 years of professional experience in film and television.
Her art department contribution has included international award winning feature films, such as King Kong, Avatar, and The Hobbit trilogies. Melissa has worked for renowned directors Steven Spielberg (Tintin, The BFG), Peter Jackson and Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs Shark).
Melissa was Production Designer for the critically acclaimed TV Series After The Party, which won gold in the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards in 2024, and Loren Taylors Feature The Moon is Upside Down; which won Best First Feature Winner 2023 at POFF
Recently, she has spent several years living on Pandora - being the NZ Prop Master on Avatar, The Way of Water, for James Cameron.
Melissa received a Best Production Design nomination in the 2022 NZ TV Awards for her work on Wellington Paranormal Season 4, and is a professional member of WIFF NZ, The Screen Guild of Aotearoa and the Production Designers Collective.
A large portion of her income is spent on vets bills, and luggage-allowance-defying mid century purchases whilst on holiday.
I’m a creative pragmatist, who enjoys collaborating to realise the director’s vision, and bring the script pages to life
Recent Credits
Prop Master - ‘Avatar The Way of Water’
Feature Film
2018-2022 - Director: James Cameron, Production Designers: Ben Proctor, Dylan Cole. Producers: Jon Landau, Brigitte Yorke. DOP: Russel Carpenter
https://www.avatar.com/team/melissa-spicer
Jake Sully learns to ride a skimwing, with help from a woven Na’vi harness and leather hand strap
Production Designer - ‘After The Party’
6 Part Drama Series for TVNZ, ITV and ABC Australia
2023 - Director: Peter Salmon, Producers: Robyn Malcolm, Helen Bowden (Lingo Pictures). DOP: Dave Cameron
WINNER GOLD NEW YORK FESTIVALS TV+FILM AWARDS 2024
Dean O’Gorman as Simon and Robyn Malcom as Penny
Production Designer - ‘Wellington Paranormal’ S4
6 Part Comedy Series for TV
2021 - Directors: Jermaine Clement, Jackie Van Beek, Tim Van Dammen, Producers: Paul Yates, Jermaine Clement, Taika Waititi (New Zealand Documentary Board). DOP: Bevan Crothers + Matt Henley
Behind Maka’s desk in the Paranormal Office
Production Designer - ‘The Moon is Upside Down’
Feature Film
2021 - Director: Loren Taylor, Producers: Philippa Campbell, Georgina Conder. DOP: Adam Luxton
WINNER: Best First Feature Winner 2023 POFF
https://poff.ee/en/film/the-moon-is-upside-down-first-feature-winner-2023/
Loren Taylor as Briar
Production Designer - ‘The People We Love’
Feature Film
2022 - Director: Mike Smith, Producers: Mike Smith, Jo Hiles. DOP: Matthew Knight
Shot on location on the stunning Kapiti Coast, north of Welllington
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Production Designer
Wellington Paranormal Season 4
Designing the 4th season of this 6-part TV series was a challenge, but with the support of an experienced and talented art dept, it was a wonderful combination of being super busy but creatively satisfying.
Honoring Wellington Paranormal’s cult following, we had great fun inserting ‘easter egg’ props + graphics for the staunch fan base whom we know watch the episodes multiple times. Particular credit must be given to Lili Lovell-Wood, our Graphic Designer, who created some seriously funny newspaper clippings and police posters.
With a modest budget, we carefully allocated some finances from materials into our labor line, and this really paid off in two key ways. Firstly, we came in on budget. Secondly, I could not have been happier with what we produced onscreen, thanks to my core team’s dedication and expertise.
The trio of S4 directors - Tim Van Dammen, Jackie Van Beek and Jermaine Clement - alongside creative producer Paul Yates, were wonderful to collaborate with and incredibly supportive.
In 2022, I was one of three finalists for best production design in the NZTV Awards.
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PROP MASTER
The Avatar Sequels
Being HOD, bringing together and leading a team of up to 30 in-house prop buyers, prop manufacturers and prop painters, as well as the onset team and armorers, has been a great experience.
As with most situations, it’s the people within the team that makes a project an enjoyable one, and Avatar was no exception. The talent and positivity of my team was integral for a series which I started in June 2018, and was still working on in June 2022.
Avatar has a multi million dollar prop budget, which I oversaw spending and tracking. I outsourced manufactures to companies including Rubber Band (www.rubberbandltd.com), Wēta Workshop (www.wetaworkshop.com) and Human Dynamo (www.humandynamo.co.nz) - in addition to our in-house prop manufacturing and paint teams. I’m responsible for ensuring that any props onset will meet the highest standard possible for the best price.
Director reviews for prop approvals, budget reports, team management, liaising with the US based Art Dept, Costume & Make Up Depts and the Wēta Digital (now Wēta FX) VFX team for digital requirements, are just some examples of my contribution on this complex and highly anticipated project.
I thrive leading (and working within), a team of hardworking and talented people that are excited about going to work each day.
My design training led me into a career in film, with a focus on the art department. I have a special interest in props, having held key HOD positions on films such as the Avatar Sequels.
Lately, I've been heading up the overall art department on projects such as beloved ‘Wellington Paranormal’, indie NZ films ‘The People We Love’, 'The Moon Is Upside Down', and the TVNZ/ABC Australia TV Series ‘After The Party’, starring Robyn Malcolm (Outrageous Fortune, Top of the Lake) and Peter Mullen (Ozark, Trainspotting).
My design style is instinctive and organic, and I love the small details. You won’t find random objects on a set I have decorated; every item has been researched, procured and placed with deliberation. A sense of authenticity and deep respect of the script, are the foundational values from which all my design choices are made.
Having over 20 years of professional experience in the film industry, I have an clear understanding of whats required to fulfil the director's vision - whilst navigating budget constraints and other inevitable challenges.
I am inspired by working within a collaborative team and enjoy cultivating my teams individual’s skills, to bring the best possible outcome onto the screen. I respect and appreciate everyone’s experience on a project.
I HAVE A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF VFX, HAVING WORKED AT WETA FX for OVER A DECADE, IN both CREATIVE AND MANAGEMENT POSITIONS.
I have fairly unique background, collaborating on a multitude of VFX heavy shows - from previs to onset principal photography, through to post production and project delivery.
Due to my experience in the art dept, layout, compositing and show production depts, I understand the digital process from ingestion to final delivery.
This knowledge helps me to navigate complex VFX requirements, to best assist the digital teams achieve the desired result on screen.
VFX Wēta Digital (Wēta FX) Credits - Creative and Managerial
Digital Set Decorator - ‘The BFG’
Feature Film (Wēta Digital)
2014/15 - Director: Steven Spielberg, Production Designer: Rick Carter, Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Department Manager Layout + Comp
Multiple Feature Films - Wēta Digital
2012 -2018 Weta Digital
Digital Prop Master - ‘Tintin, the Secret of the Unicorn’
Feature Film (Wēta Digital)
2009-2010 - Director: Steven Spielberg, VFX Art Director: Kim Sinclair, Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg
the bfg + TINTIN
Working first with Kim Sinclair on Tintin, and then Rick Carter on The BFG was great fun.
On Tintin, we took the live action ethos into the digital domain, which was a first at that time for Wēta Digital. An understanding of the digital pipeline, specialised terminology, and each depts’ individual requirements was critical.
Our small team (led by Kim Sinclair) sourced props and set dressed environments, such as Cabin Haddock’s cabin on the Karaboujan or the Souk markets, to provide the VFX artists with appropriate physical scanned reference, on which to base their digital builds.
We provided this reference for multiple depts, such as models, textures, layout, VAD (virtual art dept), FX, and animation.
This was required on productions such as Tintin and The BFG, where it is of particular importance to select props + set dressing which are culturally and historically appropriate, and remaining true to the soul of these beloved books and characters.
For Tintin, there was no live action shoot with actors using camera ready props or sets, only a motion capture shoot with greyscale proxies.
Conversely, The BFG had a significant live action shoot component, consisting of sets such as Buckingham Palace and Sophie’s Orphanage, which were the under the umbrella of Set Decorator Elizabeth Wilcox.
My work at Wēta Digital as the Digital Set Decorator, was under Production Designer Rick Carter (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Lincoln, Munich..), and consisted of the digital environments - BFG’s Lair, the Dream Chamber and the Giants Playground. For these sets and props, my job was to select real world digital reference for the VFX artists to recreate digitally.
Some of these digital set elements and props were then replicated for the live action shoot with Sophie - for example the Dream Mixing table top and some dressing, elements of the BFG’s Lair and dream jars. This provided the young actor who played Sophie camera-ready set elements, that then became the plates for the VFX team to integrate.
Credits
Prop Master - ‘Separation City’
Feature Film
2008 - Production Designer: Iain Aitken
Prop Master - ‘Spartacus Blood and Sand’
Drama TV Series
2009 - Production Designer: Iain Aitken
Assistant Prop Master - ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy
Feature Film
2010/12 - Director: Peter Jackson, Production Designer: Dan Hennah
the HOBBIT
I spent 5 years in Middle Earth on The Hobbit trilogy - 2 years onset as the Assistant Prop Master under Nick Weir, and a further 3 years at Weta Digital in post production.
The logistics of prop management during principal photography was a challenge, as we had multiple shooting units in various locations across New Zealand, who were filming simultaneously.
The Company - consisting of Gandalf, Bilbo and the 13 Dwarves - owned many props in various stages (for example the prop ‘Oin’s Hearing Horn’ had 13 versions in 2 different scales and stages of being crushed).
We were responsible for design, manufacture and tracking of all the onscreen props that were interacted with by the actors - excluding a small number which were manufactured by Weta Workshop.
These props included the Bilbo and Gandalf’s pipes, *Bilbo’s contract, *Thorin’s Map, Thorin’s key, Gandalf and Radagast’s Staffs, Galadriel’s Vial ‘The Light of Eärendil’, The Dwarves Backpacks and personal props (such as the hearing horn), pony saddles and tack, Smaug’s treasure/coins and many many more items.
Bilbo’s Contract and Thorin’s Map were created by Daniel Reeve for 3 foot 7
Additional Credits
Lead Props - ‘Avatar’
Feature Film
2007/08 - Director: James Cameron, Production Designer: Rick Carter
Lead Props - ‘Eagle Vs Shark’
Feature Film
2009 - Director: Taika Waititi, Production Designer: Joe Bleakly
Assist Art Director/Prop Buyer - ‘The Water Horse’
Feature Film
2007/08 - Production Designer: Tony Burroughs
Additional Credits
Prop Buyer - ‘King Kong’
Feature Film
2004/05 - Director: Peter Jackson, Production Designer: Grant Major
Lead Props - ‘Without a Paddle’
Feature Film
2003/04 - Production Designer: Perry Blake
Lead Props - ‘Blonde Cargo’
Telefeature
2002 - Production Designer: Su Probster
Additional Credits
Assistant Prop Buyer - ‘Stickmen’
Feature Film
2001 - Production Designer: Nigel Stevenson
Prop Buyer - ‘The Tribe 4’
TV Series
2001 - Production Designer: Kevin Leonard Jones
Standby Props - ‘Lord of the Rings Trilogy’
Feature Film - Blue Screen Unit
2001 - Director: Peter Jackson, Production Designer: Grant Major
