#u78c1

When making models, many different materials and processes are used. One really good material to use is foamboard. This material is very good because it is firm and already has a thickness to it. This, however, also means that you are indicating that the set made from this has the scaled thickness of the foamboard. For this reason, foamboard is normally used in rough models; because it is rigid and easy to cut. However, when cutting, if the blade is not upright it can be obvious due to the slant on any side. Also, once cut, the edges are untidy and messy because foamboard is foam sandwiched between two pieces of paper. Another material to use is card. This can be a more accurate material as there is barely thickness to it. This means that the card can be cut and attached together to create 3D objects instead of relying on the thickness of foamboard to make it 3D. However, as it is card, it is a little harder to cut as the density is a lot more, also, as it is thinner, the rigidity is a lot less. Fimo is another material that can be used to create models. This is a clay-type material that can be moulded and manipulated to create different objects that would be difficult to make out of plat planes, like bowls or pots. After the object is made, the fimo is placed in the oven which turns it into a plastic, which allows it to retain its shape and give it more rigidity. Balsa is also a good material for models as it is very light and easy to cut. It is also easy to carve, so that you can put details into the wood. However, this material is therefore not as strong and can easily break. Another material that could be used is wire. This is a good material for making organic stringy objects like vines or branches. It can also be used as a skeleton to apply fimo or any other material too. This, however, can be difficult to manipulate and can be very pricey. The last material we had access to was sheets of plastic. This could be used in the same way as the card, but was a lot harder to cut and work with. Although it was also considerably more expensive, it is a lot more rigid and can be used in my longer thinner lengths than card.

As there are many materials that we had access to, we also had access to a few different glues that could be used for different circumstances.

PVA is the most common glue and is effective for wood, paper and card where the air can get to the glue easily. This is because this glue dries when the air can get to it, making it harden. This glue is also the cheapest glue, but can sometimes not be very strong.

However, Bostick can be applied to the two surfaces, allow to become tacky and then place them together. This means that the glue is dry before the two materials are placed together so that the glue is properly adhered to the materials and the glue easily sticks to other glue. This has a stronger bond as it allows the air to get to it, making sure the glue has a strong bond with the materials. This glue is better than PVA but is also much more expensive.

Other glues like polyweld have a specific use. Polyweld is used to melt two pieces of plastic together creating a bond that is very strong.

unit 78 design method 

unit 79 stage design for performance

unit 76 design drawing development

unit 80 stage model making

A spray gun can be used when painting a piece of set as an alternative to painting with a brush. It can also help to give the set different effects which will help make the set look more realistic. 

Equipment 

Spray Gun

Air Compressor

Paint Being Used

Air Hose

Masks

Method  

1. Connect the spray gun you are using to an air compressor to provide the gun with air, which will allow it to spray the paint.

2. After the spray gun is connected to the compressor it is ready to be filled with paint. The paint I used was Rosco Super Saturated, which I watered down to the ratio 1:4 (1 part paint 4 part water). When the paint is mixed it can then be placed into the pot on top of the gun. Before you put it in you must first check that the pot is securely attached to the gun otherwise the paint will come out of the bottom of the pot. Once you have checked that you are ready to put the paint into the pot. When doing this you need to used a porous material that can be used as a sieve to remove all of the pigments from the paint to stop the guns nozzle being blocked by them. When the paint is in you must ensure the lid is securely attached to the top of the pot to stop the paint coming out the top. 

3. When the paint is in the pot you are ready to begin painting. When using the spray gun you have to pull back to trigger to make the paint come out. The trigger can be pushed back twice, the first time will only allow air through but when you push it back again the paint will be allowed through. I would suggest that before you start to pull the trigger back so that only the air out off the gun. Once you have the air coming out of the gun you can the push it back and allow the paint through. 

4. Once you have the paint coming through you can move the gun around how like to give the effect you require on the set. If you want what you are painting to be straight you should ensure that your arm does not arch as this will created obvious curved lines and ruin the effect you are looking for. If you want the paint to come out straight onto the surface you should walk from left to right with the gun held straight to make the paint lay straight on the piece of set you are painting. I would also suggest you use the trigger to control how much paint you want to come out of the nozzle. If you want the paint to look patchy then you should hold and release the trigger a little to make less paint come through the gun this should in theory give you a patchy effect. When spraying you must ensure that you are wearing a masked for health and safety reasons to prevent the paint fumes let of by the spray gun getting into your body and damaging it. 

Equipment

Sharpe Pencil 

Drawing Board 

Set Square 

Scale Ruler 

Inking Pen 

Tracing Paper 

Method 

1. Begin the process by clipping your paper onto the drawing board ensuring that the paper it straight before completely clipping it on. Once the paper is clipped in you must draw a ground line. This will be were all of your tech drawings come from. You must also mark the datum point as well. The datum point is were everything on the paper comes from. 

2. Once you have put in the ground line you can begin the tech drawing. When doing a tech drawing you need to show the Top View, Front View and Side View of the object. I would suggest starting from the top view as this will help you when you come to do the other views. To do the top view you take measurements, using a scale ruler of everything that you can see from looking down at the model. Once you have the measurements you can start drawing out the object. I would suggest doing this lightly with a pen so if you make a mistake it is easy to rub out. Once you have the top view drawn out you may have to add legs if the object is of the ground, these can be represented by squares. Also if the object has thickness this needs to be added in to the drawing. 

3. With the top view done you can move onto the front view. This can be made easy by extending the lines from your top view down to the ground therefore you won't have to remeasure the model. Obviously if there is something else in the from view that needs to be added ad it in by measuring the piece with the scale ruler and then drawing it on. If there is detailing that is behind something on any of the views then this can be added in by using dotted lines. If there is more then one thing behind the object you should use different line styles. These can be placed in a key so that the person using the tech drawing knows the difference in the line style. 

4. After completing the front view you move onto the side view which again can be made easy to draw if you lightly draw working lines from the front view to save time measuring. Again if there is anything that needs to be shown on the side view that is not present on the front view measure it and add it in. 

5. As well as doing a Front, Top and Side View you may also be asked to do a ground plan. This is were you take all of the tech drawings for a set and then place them onto an outline of a theatre. The outline of the theatre should include every last detail, right down to wall thickness to ensure that you have the right amount of room for the set. It should also include the fire exits and these should be taken into account when placing pieces of set as you do not want a piece of set were the legs for it block the fire exit. Also on a ground plan if you have a piece of set which moves on and off stage during a show you should show its off stage position and then its off stage position. The off stage position should be shown with a dotted line style (this could be something like dot dot dash continuously until the piece of set is drawn).

6. When the tech drawings are done you need to add in measurements for each part of the tech drawing. These are done by drawing a small horizontal line at the top and bottom of the drawing and the placing two V's one upside down so it is pointing up and the other the correct way up to show it going down. The measurements should be placed in the gap and should be written horizontally to make it easier for the user to read. 

7. Once you have completed a tech drawing you should include a box which provides the user of the tech drawing the following information;

What show the tech drawing is for 

Where this tech drawing is for (i.e. a large theatre or a small theatre) 

Who the director of the show is 

What the tech drawing is showing 

Who designed it and who drew it (should be in separate boxes and signed with the signature of the person)

The date the tech drawing was done

The Scale it was draw in (commonly in the theatre industry 1:25) 

8. Once you have completed the box of information and the tech drawing is complete you should go round it and ink it out. This stops it from being rubbed out by the person using it. You should also draw lines between each view to show that one follows after the other (these should also be blacked out. Once this is done you have a completed tech drawing that is ready to be used by the construction team to build your set.