SCENIC DESIGNThe World of the Play

The scenic designer creates

a design concept, which

extends the director's

production concept into a

complete plan for the visual

aspects of the production

Creating a visual environment that includes:

A central metaphor or visual image based on Information gleaned from text analysis.

The audience makes assumptions about the

play's style and tone based on the set designer's work

The set gives the first information on

time period and location.

Designers establish a style and

determine how the stage must be used in

the production.

A Collaborative Process

The set designer coordinates and integrates the scenery with all other elements of the production

costumes lights sounds actorsstaging needs & special effects

The effect of all of these elements should be an

integrated whole

The scenic designer works most closely with a director and lighting

designer because the set designer's ground plan

is necessary to a director when blocking,

and the lighting designer must know all about the scenery they will have to light.

Theatre’s aesthetic elements of visual composition are similar to The Elements and Principles of Visual Art

Line Mass Composition Space Texture Color

Line

Dominant lines of a composition might be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, or spiral.

Line itself may dominate the composition or only define the edges

Mass - The size of the elements on the stage.

On stage, mass relative to the actor's body is important: Does the scenery dominate an actor (a

big cathedral, huge stone palace, large forest)

Or is it in scale with the actor (an everyday kitchen, a subway car, a corporate office)?

Composition

How are the scenic elements arranged in space (along an x,y,

and z axis)? Along any given axis, the composition might be symmetrical, balanced, or

unbalanced

Space

Positive space is three dimensional space taken up by scenic objects.

Negative space is open space, which may be taken up by actors and perhaps by movement of actors and other pieces of scenery.

Texture can be two dimensional or three dimensional

Two dimensional texture is variation in color, pattern and material.

Three dimensional texture is a tactile property: objects could be rough, smooth, silky, bumpy, gritty.

Because stage lights tend to hide an object's texture and because texture is harder to see across a distance, a scene designer usually exaggerates stage objects' textures.

Color Hue is what we normally think of as color;

in paint it is a specific mix of primary colors red, yellow, and blue;

in light it is the wavelengths absorbed by the object while the rest of the wavelengths are reflected and caught by the eye.

Saturation is how much of the hue, the hue could be faintly or strongly present.

Value is the scale from black (value=0) to white (value=100)

Temperature is a metaphor used for the emotional qualities of a color: reds, oranges and yellows are warm colors while blues, greens and purples are cool.

Effective Scenic Design Should match the Author’s Intent and the

Director’s Vision Aid the action of the play, never dominate

the actors Compliment the costumes, NEVER clash

with them Never become an obstacle course for

blocking Be consistent not distracting Be simple in design., construction and

shifting