Ben Procter (production designer)
Ben Procter | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Avatar film series |
Ben Procter is an American art director and production designer. He is best known for his work on the Avatar film series, serving as a concept art director on the first film (2009) and as the co-production designer for Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025).[1] For The Way of Water, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Production Design at the 95th Academy Awards.[2]
Early life and education
Procter attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he graduated with a degree in fine arts.[3] He struggled to find work as a concept artist immediately following graduation, but his portfolio of traditional paintings eventually landed him an internship in the matte painting department at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).[3][4]
Career
Procter worked in the video game industry for several years before transitioning into film.[5] He moved to Hollywood in 2001 and established himself as a lead robot illustrator for Transformers (2007) and an art director on its sequels, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011).[1]
In 2010, Procter served as an art director for Tron: Legacy.[1] He secured his first credit as a lead production designer on the film Ender's Game (2013), where he was responsible for visualizing the film's interface technology and environments.[6]
Procter's long-standing collaboration with director James Cameron began with the first Avatar film, where he worked as a concept art director focusing on the mechanical elements of the human technology.[1] He returned to the franchise as a co-production designer alongside Dylan Cole for Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avatar: Fire and Ash, tasked with designing the human "hard surface" assets (such as human bases, space craft and vehicles) in contrast to Cole's focus on the organic world of Pandora.[7]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Concept artist | |
| 2007 | Transformers | Lead robot illustrator | |
| 2009 | Avatar | Concept art director | |
| 2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Art director | |
| 2010 | Tron: Legacy | Art director | |
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | Art director | |
| 2012 | Prometheus | Art director | |
| 2013 | Ender's Game | Production designer | |
| 2014 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Art director | |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Production designer | Co-nominated with Dylan Cole and Vanessa Cole for the Academy Award for Best Production Design |
| 2025 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | Production designer | Post-production |
References
- ^ a b c d "Alita: Battle Angel (2019) About The Crew". Visual Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ "The 95th Academy Awards | 2023". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Creating the Worlds of Avatar and More". Nemetschek. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ "Behind the Screen: The Production Design of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'". The Hollywood Reporter. December 17, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ Moody, Annemarie (December 7, 2010). "Tron: Legacy: an interview with concept artist David Levy". Den of Geek. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ "Breaking the barrier – conversation with Ash Thorp". Pushing Pixels. May 7, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ Deckelmeier, Joe (June 30, 2023). "'Avatar: The Way of Water' Production Designer on Melding Reality & Fantasy". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 22, 2024.