PRODUCTION design students at The Northern School of Art have been exploring the golden age of piracy to create a full-size TV studio set of a pirate ship captain’s cabin.

The atmospheric interior of the 17th Spanish galleon has been crafted by a team of second year students as part of their Research, Design and Construction module for the School’s BA (Hons) degree in Production Design for Stage and Screen at its university-level campus in Hartlepool.

With a brief to build a set that reflected the richness and detail of the interior of the cabin of a captain who has spent many years sailing the seas, plundering a wide range of treasures, the students filled the set with an exotic mix of delights.

The students created the stunning set, from the initial concepts through to research into the period to create historically accurate final designs and the build itself, in just fourteen weeks, finishing just before they left for the Christmas break.

It has been completed to industry-standard suitable for 4k filming and could be used in a real TV studio.

It has also been created sustainably, using materials recycled from previous sets in accordance with the film and TV industry’s sustainability guidelines.

Working against the backdrop of the pandemic and the second lockdown provided an extra challenge for the students who adapted to work in socially-distanced ways.

Holly Speakman, a student from Hartlepool, said: “It’s been an incredible opportunity to work on a full-scale set and as a group. The experience will really help when we get into the industry.”