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Jon Billington

I was born in Devon, England in the 60’s – just a couple of years too late to be old enough see the Sex Pistols live. This is something that to this day continues to be much more of an issue for me than it should be.

JUNE 1987: Graduated from Canterbury College of Art with Bachelor of Arts (with Honors) Degree in Architecture

JUNE 1993: Achieved a Post Graduate Diploma (with Distinction) in Design for Film and TV from Kingston University, London.

AUGUST 1993: My first employment in the film industry was not as a Set Designer or Art Director but Driver for 4 times Oscar winning Production Designer John Box on the location based film Black Beauty. John, as well as entertaining me with endless stories of his days working with David Lean, introduced me to his Art Directors – who took me onto their next film, the $70 million slight disappointment that was Judge Dredd. Not a film to display prominently on your resume, it did however introduce me to Production Designer Nigel Phelps who would later become both a close friend and mentor.

Between 1994 and 1997 I worked as a Set Designer and Art Director on a number of films within the British Industry including The Fifth Element, Eyes Wide Shut, Richard III and Titanic.

In late 1997 I received a phone call from Nigel Phelps asking me to fly to Mexico to oversee the drawing and build of an underwater town set which was to be shot in the tanks at Rosarito for the Neil Jordan film In Dreams. This job kick started a chain of films which Nigel and I worked on together, him as Production Designer and me as Art Director including The Bone Collector, Pearl Harbor, Troy, The Island and Transformers 2.

 

In between these Feature Film projects I Production Designed a number of commercials and music videos, some of which can be viewed on this site.

In 2000 I relocated from London to Los Angeles after meeting my wife on Pearl Harbor.

In 2001 I received a phone call from Mark Mylod who was Directing Ali G Indahouse and wanted me to Design the opening dream sequence set in LA. Three years later we ended up together again in Alaska and The Yukon shooting The Big White and then in 2010 in Boston on the Anna Faris comedy, What’s Your Number?

In 2011 I briefly jumped back to Art Directing as Nigel was heading to England on World War Z. A zombie movie starring Brad Pitt and shooting in London sounded too good to refuse. In 2012 I returned to London to Production Design the Additional Photography which turned out to be substantial – a new opening and an entirely new third act.

Contact

  • United Talent Agency
  • Features, Pete Franciosa: 310-246-6047
  • Commercials, Robert Arakelian: 310-860-3741

Resume
Download PDF Resume

 
Feature Films: Production Design

  • WORLD WAR Z (additional photography) Paramount – Marc Forster, director
  • WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER New Regency – Mark Mylod, director
  • TRANSFORMERS 2 (RESHOOTS) DreamWorks – Michael Bay, director
  • G.I. JOE (RESHOOTS) Paramount – Stephen Sommers, director
  • THE BIG WHITE Ascendant Pictures – Mark Mylod, director
  • ALI G INDAHOUSE Working Title/Film Four/Focus – Mark Mylod, director

As Supervising Art Director

  • WORLD WAR Z Paramount – Marc Forster, director
  • THE LONE RANGER Disney/Bruckheimer – Gore Verbinski, director
  • 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (PREP) Disney – McG, director
  • TARZAN (PREP) Warner Bros. Pictures – Stephen Sommers, director
  • TRANSFORMERS 2 DreamWorks/Paramount – Michael Bay, director
  • CITY OF EMBER Playtone/Walden/20th Century Fox – Gil Kenan, director
  • MINDHUNTERS Dimension Films – Renny Harlin, director
 
As Art Director

  • THE NUMBER 23 New Line Cinema – Joel Schumacher, director
  • THE ISLAND DreamWorks – Michael Bay, director
  • TROY Warner Bros. Pictures – Wolfgang Petersen, director
  • THE ITALIAN JOB Paramount Pictures – F. Gary Gray, director
  • PEARL HARBOR Touchstone Pictures – Michael Bay, director
  • THE END OF THE AFFAIR Columbia Pictures – Neil Jordan, director
  • THE BONE COLLECTOR Columbia Pictures – Phillip Noyce, director
  • RICHARD III United Artists – Richard Loncraine, director

As Set Designer

  • FROM HELL 20th Century Fox – Albert & Allen Hughes, directors
  • ENEMY AT THE GATES Paramount Pictures – Jean-Jacques Annaud, director
  • IN DREAMS DreamWorks – Neil Jordan, director
  • EYES WIDE SHUT Warner Bros. Pictures – Stanley Kubrick, director
  • TITANIC 20th Century Fox – James Cameron, director
  • THE FIFTH ELEMENT Columbia Pictures – Luc Besson, director
 
Music Videos & Commercials as Production Designer
  • Burger King “Money Mayhem” – Rob Cohen, director
  • Burger King “Truck Shaker” – Rob Cohen, director
  • Burger King “Kids” – Michael Bay, director
  • L.G. Versa “Decepticon” – Michael Bay, director
  • Garnier Nutrisse (S.J. Parker) – Stephen Mead, director
  • Sara-Sara Lux (Kate Beckinsale) – Stephen Mead, director
  • Garnier “We Need to Talk” (Tina Fey) – Stephen Mead, director
  • Allstate “Tailgating” – David Harner, director
  • Pete Yorn “Life on a Chain” – Sam Bayer, director
 
Music Videos & Commercials as Art Director
  • Nissan – “Roswell” – Sam Bayer, director
  • C. Aguilera, Mya, Lil’ Kim & Pink “Lady Marmalade” – Paul Hunter, director
  • Blink 182 “Stay Together for the Kids” – Sam Bayer, director
  • Coca Cola “J. Hendrix” – Joe Pytka, director

Copyright © 2023 Jon Billington