Profile picture of production design student smiling, with illustrated doodles bordering the image.

Saskia Miller

BA (Hons) Design for Film
Blueshirts Docudrama

Myself and fellow Production Design Fourth Year Áine Hargaden teamed up with TV Year Three to design a Docudrama chronicling the life of Eoin O'Duffy, former commissioner of the Garda Síochána who then went on to lead the Blueshirts. The Blueshirts, later outlawed by then President
Éamon de Valera, were a political party identified by their blue uniforms and fascist ideology. Our set was designed to mimic theatre and film productions created at the time of O'Duffy's dismissal in 1933. Inspired by design movements like surrealism, and using references such as Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator, we decided on a segmented, reduced set with an office interior, dark wood furnishings, and film noir aesthetic.

Animated gif of a darkened radio room, illuminated by a harsh light and beeping red buttons. Radio wires and various equipment line the wall and an "ON AIR" sign is visible above. To the right, a single dark wood chair is empty.
Animated gif of a darkened radio room, illuminated by a harsh light and beeping red buttons. Radio wires and various equipment line the wall and an "ON AIR" sign is visible above. To the right, a single dark wood chair is empty.
Concept art for the "Radio Room" set in the Blueshirts Docudrama project.
Georgian dining room with a golden chandelier glowing gently. There are dark wood floors, a long, rounded dining table and dark, stormy skies visible through the windows.
Georgian dining room with a golden chandelier glowing gently. There are dark wood floors, a long, rounded dining table and dark, stormy skies visible through the windows.
Concept design for the "Dining Room" set in the Blueshirts Docudrama project.
A poster for the Blueshirts Documentary featuring a vintage style Bankers lamp and an illuminated red "ON AIR" sign in front of a shadowy black backdrop.
A poster for the Blueshirts Documentary featuring a vintage style Bankers lamp and an illuminated red "ON AIR" sign in front of a shadowy black backdrop.
Blueshirts Docudrama Poster.
A darkened hallway illuminated by candlelight. A man sits at a desk with a piece of parchment and a feather quill. Behind him there's a tapestry on the wooden wall, and in the corner of the frame there's another male figure.
A darkened hallway illuminated by candlelight. A man sits at a desk with a piece of parchment and a feather quill. Behind him there's a tapestry on the wooden wall, and in the corner of the frame there's another male figure.
Still from Digital Model for Light Shining in Buckinghamshire project.
Concept art depicting a young boy peeling potatoes, accompanied by hand drawn doodles of black & white sheep.
Concept art depicting a young boy peeling potatoes, accompanied by hand drawn doodles of black & white sheep.
Concept art for Jack and the Sheep storybook.
A dimly lit, shadowy medieval church interior. Pictured to the left stands the preacher, viewed at a height standing in the dark wooden pulpit, reading from a book. In shadows seated in front of him are members of the congregation in rows of pews. Small white candles are sitting in the windowsills of the stone church windows.
A dimly lit, shadowy medieval church interior. Pictured to the left stands the preacher, viewed at a height standing in the dark wooden pulpit, reading from a book. In shadows seated in front of him are members of the congregation in rows of pews. Small white candles are sitting in the windowsills of the stone church windows.
Still from Digital Model for Light Shining in Buckinghamshire project.
Light Shining in Buckinghamshire

My chosen text, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire by Caryl Churchill, takes place in the wake of King Charles I's death, and the onset of Cromwell's regime in 1650's England. The environments I chose to design were a medieval parish church, inspired by the religious themes within the text, and a Jacobean manor hall that has been reclaimed from wealthy Royalist sympathizers by the Parliamentarian Army. While prioritizing historical accuracy I wanted the sets to feel true to their roots in theatre, somewhat abstracted in scale and bare in their set dressing. The text focuses so much on the interpersonal relationships between characters and their revolutionary ideas regarding equality among classes, religious freedoms etc. that I wanted the sets to echo the interior struggles of the characters.

Jack agus na Caoirigh (Jack and the Sheep)

My personal project is a semi-biographical illustrated story depicting my Grandad, John, on holidays in Co. Donegal visiting his sister's cottage. The book illustrations reference two poems by Seamus Heaney, titled "from Squarings: Lightenings," and "Clearances."

Thesis: (Trans)gressions, (Trans)historicity: A Visual Analysis of Joan of Arc’s Gender Non-conformity

Drawing on theories based in philosophy, historiography, sociology, theology, and queer studies, my thesis investigated the gendered/transgendered imagery and histories associated with Joan of Arc. Conducting independent research, I focused on contrasting between ephemeral and more "traditional" imagery produced of Joan and analyzed each art piece within the context of queer theory. Examining the queerness of Joan as an individual historical figure and the fluidity of gendered representation within Religious, specifically Catholic, archives further expanded on my central argument that queerness disrupts institutions reliant on archival and evidentiary materials, and methods used in traditional historiography.

Profile picture of production design student smiling, with illustrated doodles bordering the image.
Saskia Miller
BA (Hons) Design for Film

I'm Saskia, a graduate of IADT's Production Design (Design for Film) program. Prior to completing my BA and gaining experience in the worlds of theatre and film production, I gained a Level 5 Certification in Graphic Design. My love of illustration, midcentury design, typography and art history inspire my previous works and are present in every project I undertake. My interest in archival and ephemeral art objects was explored throughout my final year, evidenced in my Major, Minor and Thesis Projects. Post graduation I aim to establish a career in the Arts Education/Heritage sector, pursuing my passion for design, storytelling and cultural memory work.

BA (Hons) Design for Film