Set Design Slides PDF

Sets & Set Design Review Watch/listen Weekly Checklist Review the slides. Watch/listen to the narrated lecture of the slides (see next slide). Read Read the assigned chapter. Take Take the chapter reading quiz. Do Do the assignment found in the module. Sets & Set Design ´This topic wil...

Sets & Set Design Review Watch/listen Weekly Checklist Review the slides. Watch/listen to the narrated lecture of the slides (see next slide). Read Read the assigned chapter. Take Take the chapter reading quiz. Do Do the assignment found in the module. Sets & Set Design ´This topic will explore the different types of theater spaces, a history of theatre spaces, the set designer’s process, the set designers’ tools, and the role of the set designer. Set Design ´The three basic demands of a successful theatre space: ´The facilities for the audience. ´The stage and its equipment and control rooms. ´The work and support spaces such as dressing rooms, construction shops and storage areas. Types of Theatres ´Today, the design of most theatre buildings falls into four fundamental types: ´The proscenium theatre. ´The Thrust theatre ´The arena theatre. ´The Black Box theatre. Types of Theatre ´The Proscenium Theater: ´It is probably the most common and well-known arrangement. ´Proscenium Arch. ´The arch is the source of the “fourth wall”. ´Proscenium stages have backstage space called the wings, fly space and masking. ´The apron is a part of the stage that protrudes past the proscenium arch. ´The orchestra pit houses the musicians when doing a musical theatre production Photo from Wikimedia Commons Academy Building, 68-114 South Main Street, Fall River, Bristol County, MA Photo from Wikimedia Commons Mira Felner and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006 Mira Felner and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon 2006 Types of Theaters ´The Thrust Theater: ´The Thrust theatre has an opening on one wall, and the audience sits on three sides. ´Like the proscenium, there is access between the performance area and the backstage. ´greater intimacy between performers and the audience ´The thrust stage is the earliest stage type in western theatre, first appearing in Greek theaters. A thrust stage at the Pasant Theatre Photo from Wikimedia Commons Mira Felner and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon 2006 Types of Theaters ´The Arena Theater: ´Theatre-in-the-round. ´No part the front. ´No direct access between the stage and the backstage. ´Arena staging disappeared once theatres moved indoors. ´20th century: arena staging reappears as reaction to proscenium. ´Arena staging is more actor centered and proscenium is more design centered. Photo from Wikimedia Commons Arènes de Lutèce @ Paris Mira Felner and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006 Types of Theaters ´The Black Box Theater: ´For each production, audience and performance space can be arranged into proscenium, thrust ,arena or other configurations. ´A true black box is essentially an empty room with no designated stage area, let alone any “backstage” or “offstage’ areas. ´These theaters are small and utilized for more experimental shows. Lexington Children’s Theater Photo by Kim Correll The Onyx Theatre, Kennesaw State Univeristy Setting the Stage: Function & Background A set design is expected to be not only pleasing to the eye, but also functional, evocative, and part of an overall production concept. The set also becomes part of the performance through the actors’ interaction with its elements – doorways, stairs, furniture, and boundaries. ´ The History of Theater Spaces: ´ The role of the set in a performance, and of the set designer in particular, is a fairly recent development in the long history of theatre. Setting the Stage: Function & Background ´ The theaters of ancient Greece were at first only temporary structures set up for the City of Dionysia, an annual religious festival. ´ The Romans adapted the Greek approach to theatre design and practices. ´ During the Middle Ages: passion plays might be mounted on a special wheeled platform known as a pageant wagon and drawn from place to place around the community. ´ Shakespeare’s Globe Theater was built around a largely open stage because his plays required little in the way of scenic elaboration or embellishment. ´ During the Renaissance period, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy featured an audience area arranged as a semicircle patterned on a classical Roman plan. The Teatro Olimpico Photo from Wikimedia Commons Setting the Stage: Function & Background ´Another important influence was Sebastiano Serlio’s publication of his multivolume Architettura (1545, which included information on his system of three stock settings. ´Stock suggests a set design guided by the genre of the play and the appropriate stock set would serve the scenic needs of any play of the genre. ´Set design as a profession would not arrive until the midnineteenth century. Setting the Stage: Function & Background ´Two major developments in the nineteenth century challenged the primacy of painted perspective scenery and opened the door for theatrical artists qualified to capitalize on them. ´The adoption of the box set. (Proscenium staging) ´The rise of an intense attention to historical accuracy in all aspects of production, especially scene design. A Process for Set Design ´ A set designer’s first experience of a new play is usually in the reading of the script. ´ Research: The set designer must be able to dig into the text for the details of the characters’ environments and the individual details about each: their economic status, their occupations, and their relationships with one another. ´ First tasks, is researching the particulars of the play. This can include visual research of a particular time period. ´Video of set design process, specifically about "research" – watch video: ´Sydney Opera House: Behind the Scenes Episode 1: Set Design Research | Emil and the Detectives ´ The common elements shared by all set designers: ´Establishing time and place. ´Materialization of a setting that details the characters’ lives. ´The creation of mood and atmosphere appropriate to the production. ´Establishing the relationship between the audience and the performance itself. A Process for Set Design ´ Design meetings to collaborate with the director and all the other designers. ´Video of set design process, specifically about collaboration in the creative development – watch video: ´Sydney Opera House: Behind the Scenes Episode 2: CreativeDevelopment in Set Design| Emil and the Detectives ´ The design concept expresses the production concept as a complete plan for realizing the decision and choices made. ´ The set establishes the style and tone through the colors, arrangement, and qualities of the scenic elements. ´ A common and current practice is to leave the act curtain (main drape) open so that the set is in full view of the audience. A Process for Set Design ´ The set designer must be open to several different types of information: ´color schemes or construction ´Is the production going to be “updated” to a more modern time period? ´Budgets, schedules, and personnel as well as pragmatic questions such as the theatre architecture within which the set will be located ´Video of set design process, specifically about design principles – watch video: ´Sydney Opera House: Behind the Scenes Episode 3: Set Design Principles | Emiland the Detectives A Process for Set Design ´Video of set design process, specifically about the "model box" – watch video: ´Sydney Opera House: Behind the Scenes Episode 4: SetDesign Model Box |Emil and the Detectives ´The final set renderings are the guide for building and furnishing the set. ´The two types of mechanical drawings are the ground plan view and the elevation. Photo from Wikimedia Commons The Tools and Material for Set Design ´ Once the set design has been recorded in prose, graphically, or as a complete model, it becomes the responsibility of the technical director. ´ The technical director oversees the operation of the scene shop. ´ The work of building the set is done by the scenic carpenters and led by a master carpenter. ´ The constructed scenic elements are finished by the painting crew, often under the guidance of change artists. ´ Video of set design process, specifically about building the set – watch video: ´ Sydney Opera House: Behind the Scenes Episode 5: Building the Set | EmilandtheDetectives ´ Set properties are sometimes employed by a props designer, but the set designer must also include the selection of set furnishings. A Process for Set Design ´The set designer employs many artistic tools and materials: ´A storyboard is a series of sketches that show the set’s changes over the course of the performance. ´Line, Mass, Color, Texture, Space, and Composition. ´Flats, Platforms, Wagons, Turntable, Step Units and Stairways, Drops, Backdrops, Cycloramas, and Scrims. The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´Lines: ´The visual world is constructed of lines – straight, curved, and zigzags. Horizontal or vertical. ´Lines give definition, impart feeling ´(Straight lines = rigidity or confinement or stability and power) ´Curved lines = ? ´Zigzags = ? The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´ Mass: ´ Refers to the shape, size, weight of objects onstage ´ Heavy objects create dense, oppressive space ´ Light objects can create open space ´ Ornamentation: quantity of objects and detail on a set The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´ Color and Texture: ´ In addition to the “hue”, color also deals with the saturation or depth of hue (deep or pale). ´ textures speak to us ´ Light reflecting on surfaces gives us an idea of texture onstage. ´ Sets often have fake textures by using materials like Styrofoam, creating fake marble, etc. ´ Textures give a feel to the environment. The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´Space and Composition: ´The three-dimensional volume of the stage can be divided into positive and negative spaces. ´The theatrical space itself is always a component of the set designer’s process. ´Composition refers to the space between objects on stage. This is determined by the height, width, and depth of the stage space. The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´Scenic Elements: Flats and Platforms ´Flats are two dimensional panels, made with stretched canvas or thin plywood attached to a wooden frame. ´building blocks of stage construction. ´create interior or exterior walls or other vertical expanses. ´Platforms are large horizontal units, made of heavy plywood on a frame. ´create levels. ´suggest different locations with the same scene. The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´Wagons, Turntables, and Step Units: ´Wagons are essentially platforms on casters. ´permit movement of different levels around the stage space. ´Turntables, also known as Revolves, are a kind of circular platform that pivots around its center. ´Step units and Stairways are short flights of steps or fullheight stairways that provide access to or from different levels of platforms. The Tools and Materials for Set Design ´ Drops: ´ Backdrops are usually made of canvas or muslin and painted to represent almost any locale. They can be painted over many times. ´ Cyclorama is a special seamless canvas. It is also knows as a “cyc”. It is typically white or light blue. ´ A scrim is a large loosely woven expanse of fabric. They have the ability to appear opaque when lit from the front and fade into transparency when lit from behind. ´ Technology: projections, lasers, and automated mechanics. ´ Referenced in narrated lecture: America’s Got Talent 2020. Awesome & beautiful CGI sets! ´ CGI (Computer-generated imagery): Computer-generated imagery is the application of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, computer animation and VFX in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. ´ Video Playlist: TPS1107 CGI Sets Examples