theatrical design and production chapter 7: scenic design © 2006 the mcgraw-hill companies, inc....
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Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Only in the past 100 years has scenery evolved into its present form
Beware of any “rules” of design.
There are principles, but no hard and fast rules.
The only guideline is that the scenic design should create an environment for the play that is supportive of the production concept
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Mood and Spirit of the Play
Mood refers to the dominant emotional quality of the production
Spirit refers to the production concept—the way the director and designers have decided the play should be presented
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Mood and Spirit of the Play
The designer needs to incorporate some elements that suggest the emotional characteristics of the play
A gentle romance should use soft curves
and delicate colors
A gentle romance should use soft curves
and delicate colors
An intense tragedy should have hard lines, sharp angles, and dark colors
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Historical Period of the Play
If the design style being used is based in realism, then period needs to be a consideration
The scenic designer wants to provide historically accurate visual clues to help the audience identify the period of the play
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Historical research can be looking at actual pieces from the play’s period OR researching pictures of those pieces in the library
Understanding the general motifs and idiosyncrasies of the period is most important. You do not have to duplicate every variation and nuance
Historical Period of the Play
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Locale of the Play
If the design style being used is based in realism, then locale needs to be a consideration
Geography and climate have a significant impact on the design of buildings and their furnishings
When establishing locale in the interior of a building, a designer should take into consideration the time period as well as the socioeconomic background
Decorative properties and floor treatments can help create a believable environment
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Most realistic sets give some indication of what sort of characters will inhabit the environment of the play
The designer normally uses set and decorative props as tools to achieve this effect
Decorative properties and floor treatments can help create a believable environment
A living room decorated with inexpensive yet tasteful furnishings suggests one type of occupant.
One with expensive yet gaudy furnishings suggests another
Socioeconomic Level and Personality of the Characters
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Season of the Year
It is difficult for a scenic designer to provide more than a cursory indication of season
If the play takes place in the summer, the designer can have the doors open or use screens in the doors and windows Decorative properties
and floor treatments can help create a believable environment
The selection of colors and fabrics can also help create a feeling of season; however, the projection of season is usually left up to the lighting and costume designers
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Scenic designers must be able to draw freely and easily
Taking art classes is the best way to become adept at drawing and painting
Manipulation of the compositional elements is the root of any design
Line
Form
Mass
Value
Color
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Line Line defines form
Dimension, quality, and character define the characteristics of any line
Cartooning is almost always based on the principle of line simplification
Simplifying or altering the line within a scenic design creates character definition
Objects drawn with strong, bold, angular
lines indicate power, dominance,
and purpose
Objects drawn with soft, curvilinear, and lightweight
lines can indicate weakness
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Form refers to the space enclosed by a line
The evocative characteristics of the line defining the form will dictate the emotional qualities of the form
The character of the line will create a perceptual key that helps explain the psychological nature of the object depicted
Form
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Mass is the three-dimensional manifestation of an enclosed form
The exaggeration of either form or mass can be used to stylize a design
By exaggerating height, width, or depth, we can change the character of the object
Mass
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a line, form, or mass
The emotional reaction to the value of an object has become ingrained in the core of Western thought
Value
Purity, truth, and honor
Evil, dishonesty, dishonor
Purity, truth, and honor Evil, dishonesty,
dishonor
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Elements of Composition
Although scenic objects are normally painted to appear as they are in life…
substituting an unexpected hue can achieve interesting results
Color
The countryside for Brigadoon
could be painted in PLAID!
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Practicality of the Setting
Any scenic design must fulfill utilitarian functions before it can be considered anything more than a pretty picture
The designer must take into consideration the needs of the director, the needs of the actors, the demands of construction, and budgets of time and money
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Practicality of the Setting
Needs of the Director
The set design must follow the production concept of the director
The design must also accommodate the blocking and other stage business that the director has in mind
The director and scenic designer discuss these directorial needs during early production conferences
If the director wants the heroine to make a grand entrance down a flight of stairs, the designer must place the stairs in a prominent position
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Practicality of the Setting
Needs of the Actors
The set must function properly, efficiently, and as planned
It must provide a safe environment
Actors must be able to concentrate in order to perform properly
The last thing they need is anything that would break their concentration
Slippery floors
Doors that won’t close
Windows that won’t open
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Practicality of the Setting
Construction Demands
A set’s complexity is directly related to the intricacy of the design
The designer must be aware of construction challenges and determine how thesis pieces can be constructed and rigged
Before construction starts, the scenic designer reviews the plans with the lighting designer to make sure the set can be lit effectively
Elements such as a spinning staircase may create construction challenges that cannot be solved by ordinary scenic-construction techniques
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Practicality of the Setting
Time and Fiscal Budgets
The scenic designer is ultimately responsible for the timely construction of scenery and properties within the budget allowed
In commercial theatre, the producer approves the plans and then solicits bids for the construction
In regional, educational, and community theatres, where they build their own sets, it is up to the scenic designer and technical director to make sure they stay within the approved budget
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Sketches
Thumbnail sketches are rough drawings, usually in pencil, that show the general composition of the set but very little detail
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Sketches
Renderings
Are finished color sketches of the set
Drawn to scale
Complete in terms of type, style, location of furniture, trim, and decorative touches
Quality renderings also give indications of lighting
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Models
Functional models are the three-dimensional equivalents of a thumbnail sketch. Their purpose is to help the design team visualize the basic composition of the scene design. The functional model is built to scale, quickly constructed, and rarely painted
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Models
Production models provide a complete visualization of the scenic designer’s concept.
Production models are built to scale, fully painted, and completely decorated with all of the furniture, props, and set dressing used in the production
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Computer Presentations
Every traditional medium used to create scene design sketches can now be produced with a computer. Most drafting programs have a three-dimensional component, and animation programs an provide time-based visualizations of scene shifts
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Designer’s Plans
Sketches and models may give a clear indication of the scenic designer’s intention
However, they do not give the technical director or carpenters the information they need to build the set
That information comes in a series of mechanical drawings (designer’s plans) that depict every detail of the set with exact measurements of its components
Front Elevations
Ground Plan
Detail Drawings
Full-scale Drawings
Sight-line Drawings
Painter’s Elevations
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Ground Plan
It is a scale mechanical drawing showing the top view of a setting in its proper position on the stage
The location and measurement are given for all architectural features of the set, onstage and off
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
These show a front view of the set as if it were flattened into a single plane
The main purpose of these scale drawings is to indicate all of the vertical measurements that cannot be shown on the ground plan
Front Elevations
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Detailed pieces, such as an elaborate fireplace or an intricately designed stained-glass panel, need to be drawn in a larger scale
Detail Drawings
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
A few of the smallest features of a set should be drawn in full scale, or actual size
Full-scale Drawings
If the design is unusually intricate or the object rather small, such as a wallpaper pattern, it is easier and faster to draw in full scale
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
A scale drawing of sightings that extend from the extreme seats to any position on the stage
Sight-line drawings are used to determine how much of the stage and backstage will be visible from specific auditorium seats
Sight-line Drawings
Theatrical Design and Production
Chapter 7: Scenic Design
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Visual Presentation of Scenic Designs
Designer’s Plans
Painter’s elevations are front elevations of the set, drawn on watercolor board and painted to show not only the colors but also the painting techniques that will be used in finishing the set
These are renderings that the scenic artist and paint crew use when painting the set
Painter’s Elevations