Melissa Spicer
PROP MASTER
Aotearoa/New Zealand
Melissa Spicer (Ngāti Porou, Pākehā) is a New Zealand based prop master, with over 25 years of professional experience in film and television.
Her art department contribution includes 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 production designed the critically acclaimed TV Series After The Party (2023), which won gold in the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards in 2024 and has been nominated for ‘Best International Series’ at the Bafta TV Awards (2025).
Melissa has spent several years living on Pandora - being the NZ Prop Master on Avatar, The Way of Water (2023) and Prop Master on Avatar, Fire and Ash (2025) for James Cameron and producer Jon Landau.
A background in weapon-heavy shows, such as Spartacus Blood and Sand (s1), Avatar (1,2 +3), and The Hobbit (1+2) has resulted in extensive knowledge of both hard surface and organic prop fabrication; including swords, firearms, knives, bow/arrows and other specialized props.
Other recent projects include Wolf Man (2025) and The Rule of Jenny Penn (2025); for which Melissa was the Supervising Art Director, and Netflix limited series East of Eden (2026) as Prop Master.
Melissa received a Best Production Design nomination in the 2024 NZTV Awards for her work on After The Party, and in 2022 for Wellington Paranormal Season 4.
Prop Master - ‘East of Eden’
Limited Series
2024-2025 - Showrunners: Zoe Kazan, Jeb Stuart, Directors: Garth Davis/Laure de Clermont Tonnerre, Producers: Antoine Douaihy, Jack Sante-Rose. DOP: Stuart Dryburgh, Sam Chiplin
Picture: Liz Cadogan / Facebook
Prop Master - Avatar 3 ‘Fire and Ash’
Feature
2018-2022 - Director: James Cameron, Production Designers: Ben Proctor, Dylan Cole. Producers: Jon Landau, Brigitte Yorke. DOP: Russel Carpenter
Jake’s AR which was manufactured for prop insert shots
Supervising Art Director - ‘The Rule of Jenny Penn’
Feature
2025 - Director James Ashcroft, Production Designer: Zahra Archer Minogue
Supervising Art Director - ‘Wolf Man’
Feature
2025 - Director: Leigh Whannel, Producer: Bea Sequira, Production Designer: Ruby Mathers, DOP: Stefan Duscio
Prop Master - Avatar 2 ‘The Way of Water’
Feature
2018-2022 - Director: James Cameron, Production Designers: Ben Proctor, Dylan Cole. Producers: Jon Landau, Brigitte Yorke. DOP: Russel Carpenter
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
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
Loren Taylor as Briar
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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 - The Way of Water (AVTR2) & Fire and Ash (AVTR3)
Bringing together and leading a team of up to 30 in-house prop buyers, fabricators and painters - as well as our onset and armory team - has been a incredible experience.
It’s the people within the team that makes any project an enjoyable one, and Avatar was no exception. The talent and positivity of our dept was integral for a series which I commenced in June 2018, and was still working on in 2024.
Avatar has a multi million dollar prop budget, which I oversaw spending and tracking. We 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 am 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 Wēta VFX team, are examples of my contribution on these complex and highly anticipated projects.
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.
From experience working in the art, layout, compositing and show production depts, I understand the digital process from ingestion to 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 (2012), and then Rick Carter on The BFG (2015) 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 into the final shots seen onscreen,
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 feature films - 2 years onset as the Assistant Prop Master, 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 multiple individual props, in two scales and some in various stages. For example, the single prop ‘Oin’s Hearing Horn’ consisted of 13 different versions.
We were responsible for design, fabrication and tracking of the onscreen props that were interacted with by the actors. The exception being weapons/armoury (excluding knives, these are props) 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.
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
