A great set can help the actors perform and the audience believe. Creating and realising the design is a collaborative process, between at a minimum the Director, Set Designer and Master Carpenter. Of course in smaller companies this may be the same person.
Designs can range from basic to extremely complicated, but keep in mind the set is on stage to make the action more believable and complement the show. Most Importantly - Safe set construction and use is vital and you must assess and minimise risk during all stages of the process.
1Figure out your Design Brief. This answers the basics of What, Where, When, Why, Who, How.
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- What is the set to portray?
- Where will the scenery be constructed and used. Facilities available at the build shop and technical specification of the theatre.
- When - Consider the timescales. It's no use designing a huge set if you don't have time to build and paint it or the fit up time and strike time is insufficient at the theatre.
- Why - How will the scenery be used. For example do actors stand on your scenery? Does a door need to open? Does scenery need to be designed in a particular way because of the plot?
- Who - Who will design, construct, paint? Who else needs to be consulted? For example if lighting needs to be integrated into the set the lighting team will need to be in on the discussions.
- How will have started to become clear but this is where you focus more clearly on making it happen. Think about budget, transportation, and hiring or borrowing or adapting existing set.
2Design your set. Now you know the 5 W question basics, you are ready to design your set. Think particularly about how the various parts of the set can interact with each other; this will keep your costs and scene change time to a minimum. Using your knowledge of the performance space think about audience sight lines: What can and can't be seen? How you will mask areas you don't want seen? Make your sketches and think about how these designs can be realised in sections which are joined together to create your set. Depending on your experience you may need to be working closely with the Master Carpenter who will be realising your designs and will be able to advise on how to create your vision.
3Include risk assessment in your design. Remember fall from height is a major risk in any work environment, including a stage/set. As an example look closely at the Anything Goes images; hand rails are present to prevent a fall either side of the set at the top level but careful lighting reduces their visibility. Note also that no hand rails are present at the outer edge of the stairway. Aesthetically the designer didn’t want hand rails. The way in which the treads were to be used by the actors was discussed and assessed with the director and a decision was made that rails were unnecessary. These are the sort of decisions that need to be risk assessed during the construction process.
- At the theatre, stage crew and actors must be briefed on the risks and the set ‘walked through’ to ensure safety. Mark hazards clearly and light areas where necessary.
4Construct and paint your set. A quality finish to your design will add realism. See how porthole surrounds and bolt heads with a rust paint effect add realism to this set.
5Use lighting to bring your set to life. In the example set, careful lighting enables 'rooms' to be created purely with the addition of scenic props and an illusion of people walking though the corridors of the ship can be created by switching on and off individually lit portholes.
6Use sound and special effects with the scenery too. In the example shown, the set had a smoking funnel which combined with a ships foghorn and seagull noises were used to great effect to create the illusion the ship was moving.Advertisement
About This Article
- German, L. (2013, Sept 7). The Set Design: 'Anything Goes.' Retrieved from http://lilygerman.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/the-set-design-anything-goes/