#u8c3

As a department, we started by looking at the model box and technical drawings. We discussed what needed to be made and what could be bought in. We also got put into three sub groups so that we could all focus on small sections instead of the whole thing. I was put in a group with Chelsea, and we were assigned the forest sections. We looked at the forest and decided what each part of it should be made of. We also discussed what order would be the best to complete the parts. By knowing the scale, which was 1:25, and measuring the items in the section, we could work out how much of each material we needed. 

Staging:

The first thing we started to put together was the staging. For this, we looked at the plan and worked out how many legs we would need. We decided that we wouldn’t have a leg in every single hole, to avoid having two legs in the same place on two different decks. For instance, when we joined two 8” x 4” decks together, we would have one deck with four legs, and the other deck with two legs. As we joined them together, we wouldn’t need twice the number of legs where they are connected. We decided to count the number of legs needed first, before starting to assemble the staging, so that we could prepare all the lengths we needed to speed up the installation of the staging.

After working out the length we needed, we went searching for as many as we could find that were either the same length, or slightly longer, so that we would waste the least amount possible. After searching around we realised that we would have to cut a lot, but that wasn’t a problem. We measured the length with needed with a tape measure and put a pen mark where we needed to cut. We then used the metal grinder to cut the pole to the right size. After doing this to the poles, we used the angle grinder to smooth off any shaper edges so that it was safe to be handled and used. 

When setting up the staging, we would put the legs into the hole they went and tighten up the bolts. This was to ensure that the legs would not fall out when put upright and it made it more rigid. We would then put it upright and if it was against another staging piece, we would put at least two bolts between them, connecting them together. 

Handrails:

The handrails were a tricky and interesting challenge to overcome. We wanted something non-intrusive but also strong enough to stop people from going past them. We decided to use metal wire, as it can be nearly invisible in the right light, but very strong. We could also put it under high tension to make it a lot harder to push past it.

We didn’t have any supports to put the wire between so we designed an upright that could be used and made it. Firstly, we got a 2” (two inches) by 1” (one inch) metal bar as the main upright. We cut it to the right length of 3’ (three foot), which is long enough to stop someone, but not long enough to get in the way of sightlines. We then found a long piece of flat bar that had been folded in half lengthways to create a corner. We used this, after it had been cut down, to create a lip at the bottom of the bar. 

When cutting the bars, I ensured I had goggles on to protect my eyes from the tiny shards of hot metal, and ear defenders to protect my ears from the excess amount of noise. 

We welded this onto the bar so that it would be attached strongly and won’t come off with a bit of pressure. After attaching this piece of metal, we lined it up with a piece of decking and marked where the hole needed to be. After double-checking that the hole is in the middle of the bar, I took it to the pillar drill and slowly drilled a hole through the metal. This hole is so that we can put a bolt in and attach it to the decking. I then put a plastic cap on the top end so that if an actor put their hand on it, it would be safe and not hurt them. After putting the cap in, I then drilled a hole an inch from the top to put the wire through.

Tree Trunks:

After discussing with my team, we decided that the tree trunks would be made out of carpet tubes. These are long cylinders that are made out of cardboard. They are normally used to transport large pieces of canvas or to put carpet around them to be stored. We decided to use these as they were already the right shape for what we needed. After a lot of research, we found a few websites that sell similar to what we wanted, but none that sold them long enough. We then looked at some tubes we already had in the workshop, and found out where they were from. We phoned up the company and ordered some to be delivered.

After they arrived we cut a third of them in half. We did this by measuring the length, dividing by two and then putting marks all the way around at that distance. We then used a handsaw to cut the tubes in half.

We then cut some pieces of wood to small lengths so that we could glue and staple them in the top of the tube. This meant that we could then slide another tube on top and attach them together. We did this so that we could have longer trunks, so that they would reach the top of the theatre.

When we were installing the trunks into the staging we first planned out exactly where we wanted them to go. We placed the white caps on the floor in the right places so we could make sure there was enough space between them. To keep them in place, we screwed the white caps onto the decking, and put the trunks onto them. We then stapled them to the caps. We realised that this would not be enough to keep them staying upright, so we cut a piece of wood roughly the right size and then used the bad saw to make it curved. 

We attached this piece of wood to the end of the tubes. We then drilled a hole in it and used a twisted boom arm to attach it to a lighting bar.

Branches:

We decided to use polystyrene to create the branches for the trees. This was so that they were light enough to be attached to the trunks, whilst also be hung from the lighting bars.

We used the branches from the model box and an overhead projector to project a shape onto a large sheet of polystyrene. This meant that we could use the designs from the model box to create the large-scale versions. We used a chalk on the end of a stick so that we wouldn’t get in the way of the projection.

We then used a hot element to cut out the branches.

Ladders:

Since January I have been part of the design team given the task if designing the set for the show The Beano. Throughout the months of design I have undertaken a number of different production roles. This evaluation is going to analyse these roles discussing what my responsibilities where, what health and safety I had to follow and how I felt I did in each of the roles.

Research/ Mood Board and Sketches

The first part of the process is to carry out the research that is relevant to the topic. For this part of the process my production role was as researcher looking up things like beaches in Victorian times, Bass Brewery holidays, Scarborough in the Victorian times, Scarborough pier and pavilion and beach entertainment in the Victorian times. During this production role I felt my strengths were the fact that I found a large number of sources that can be used on the mood board to help us come up with ideas. The only weakness I feel I had was the fact that I could of done more precise searches to get more accurate research that will help us in coming up with ideas. Once I completed the research my next production role was to do sketches. To do this I had to use the mood board to take inspiration and then draw it what I felt. The strength I feel I had was the fact that I was able to improve my drawing skill and my perspective drawing skills. I feel I had two weaknesses the firs to was the fact that I don’t think I came up with enough ideas that could be used when coming up with the final ideas. The other weakness I feel I had was the fact my drawing was I’m my opinion not that good on some of the drawings.

Model Making

After completing the research and idea part of the process you then move on to the model making part. In this part of the process you have to first create a rough card model of a set idea and then once that has been okayed by the director you can then do the completely accurate scale model. When making the models they are made in a 1:25 scale. During this process I had to carry multiple production roles at the same time. To make the rough aced model my first production role was to produce the rough card model of the pier and pavilion with Jake. I concentrated on the pavilion whilst he did the pier. After doing the rough card of the pavilion, which was eventually used as the real thing I then moved on to make an accurate model idea of the back structure. Once all of the models were made and the directors had okayed them I took on the role of repairing certain models and ensuring that they were accurate so that construction could use them. The final production role I took on when doing the model making was the paint of all of the models. To do this I had to use the learnt knowledge about painting techniques to accurately paint them.

Throughout the model making process I feel that I had a number if strengths but I also had some weakness. The strengths I feel I had during the model making process was the fact that I could autonomously create a model using the research carried out to ensure that the models were an accurate representation of things at the period the show was set in. Another strength I feel I had was the paint of the models which I feel I did successfully using the different painting techniques I had learnt. The final strength I feel I had in the model making was how structurally put together my models were. I feel that I really understood the correct amount of the glue to use on certain parts of the model, which help to make them accurate. In terms of weakness I feel the main weakness I had was the fact that some of the models I made when we were making the 100% accurate models were not accurate which meant I had to redo them which cost the team time. I feel this weakness was down to the fact that I made stupid mistakes when it came measuring out the materials.

When making the models you have to follow Health and Safety rules. During the process I used a scalpel and when using it I had to ensure that I cut with it using a cutting mat to stop the table being ruined, I had to ensure that I was not cutting towards myself because if I slipped I could hurt myself and if I broke a blade I had to ensure that I disposed of it in a sterile tub to prevent people from hurting themselves on it no also to ensure that if I had cut myself on it people would not pick it up and then catch something from me if I was ill at the time of using the scalpel. When painting the models I had to ensure that I didn’t eat the paint as it would cause harm to my body.

Tech Drawings

Once the model had been okayed we moved on to the next part of the design process which was the tech drawings. The tech drawings are what are given to construction to help then build the set. During this process I took on one production role which was to draw the ground plan of the set. A ground plan is a birds eye view of a set which is used to place the set in a theatre space. To carry out this production role I used the model box to work out were all of the set should be finally placed on the ground plan. Like the models tech drawings are drawn out in the scale 1:25.

During this role I feel I had a number of strengths and no weaknesses. The main strength I feel I had was the fact that I was able to autonomously draw out the plan of the theatre and then trace in all of the set elements so that they were in their correct places. Another strength I feel I had was the fact that the tech drawing in my opinion was completed to an accurate standard that could be used successfully by the construction team when they place the set. The next strength I feel the ground plan had was the amount of detail I had on it as I included all of the fire exits and the detailing in the dock. The final strength I feel the ground plan had was the fact that I was able to place all of the set models in the correct place, taking into account the roller in the rig and the size of the different parts of the theatre (for example the dimensions of the dock). I do not feel that the ground plan had any weaknesses in my opinion it was a very accurate drawing.

Scenic Painting

After the tech drawings are complete and construction had placed the set in the space we moved on to the final part of the design process which was the scenic paint job. For this part of the process I was given a number of different production roles. The first role I carried out was the spraying of the gauzes. To do this us used the walls in the model box to get the correct look on the gauzes. During this role I feel the strengths I had were the fact that I was able to improve my skills when using the spray gun which in turn helped with another strength I feel this role had which was the effectiveness of the gauzes which made them look like they did in the model. The only weaknesses I feel I had were the fact that it took longer then I felt was needed to get myself used to the spray gun and I also feel another weakness was the time it took to spray all of the gauzes.

Another role I under took which involved the spray gun was the spraying of the floor. It took a lengthy discussion in the design team to decide to use the spray gun to do the floor and I feel it was a good choice because when it was completed it look very close to the floor design in the model. Again using the spray gun helped to improve my skills when using the spray gun. When using the spray gun there are health and safety rule which I had to follow. The main one was to ensure that I was always wearing a mask whilst spraying to stop the paint fumes getting I my body and causing illness. I also had to make sure that I wad also aware of the cable from the air compressor as it could cause me to trip. To stop this from happening I ensured that I had someone assisting me so that I didn’t trip.

The other role I undertook was the priming and painting of the pavilion. I used the model to ensure that it look how we decided when we painted the model. I feel the main strength of the pavilion was my use of the painting techniques (forced blending and stippling) which helped to make the pavilion look effect. The only weakness I feel I had was that on some parts of the pavilion I may have stipples in to much detail which in my opinion ruined the pavilion. The only health and safety rule I had to follow was because j was working at height I had it make sure that I watch were I was stepping all the time so that I didn’t fall of the 3 metre high platform.

In Conclusion…

Today I continued to work on the Beano set. In the morning I helped construction to finish off the last side structure and the ramp. this involved helping Dean complete sticking in the polystyrene, which had been stuck onto all of the side structure to give them a cliff like look. At 1 the company had a production meeting which I attended (Notes on separate blog). In this meeting we discussed what each department was doing and how the rehearsals with the actors were going, as well as discussing thing people were unsure on.

After I had attended the production meeting the rest of design got together and we discussed what needed to be completed before the end of term. Once we had a good idea of what needed to be done we started prepping all of the paint that we needed for this evening. When all of the actors had finished rehearsing were able to go into the auditorium and continue painting. Jake, Tom and Dean started painting the wood on the back structure, whilst I continued to spray the gauze. I was still spraying thje yellow on because I had not finished it yesterday. I had to spray the three small gauze's and the last big one. Spraying the small ones was easy, because I didn't have to fold it in like I had to do on the big gauze, meaning that I could easily and quickly cover it without worrying about having to fade it out. Once I had finished the three small ones I moved onto spray the last large gauze. Again like yesterday I had to remember to fade it when I came to the end of the fold. This would stop there from being a massive line of paint where I had just sprayed it with colour fully.

Once all of the yellow was done I took the gun back to the workshop and cleaned it out thoroughly. We then ended for the day.

Strengths 

I feel that I had continued to work autonomously when spraying the gauze's and this has helped to get them completed easily. I also feel I am getting more confident when talking in the production meeting and I feel I am able to successfully communicate to the rest of the company what we have been doing. 

Weaknesses 

I don't feel I had any weaknesses today. 

Plan of Action

Today the paint order arrived so the design team were sent by Alan to go and pick it up from security. We brought it back to the workshop and in packed it to have a look at what we had ordered. After we had unpacked all of the paint we realised that a tub of raw sienna and two pots of white primer were missing. Alan rang up Flints and asked them about the order and if we could possibly order the missing paint. Once he had finished talking to Flints he set us the task of sorting out the all of the paint and putting it in some kind order. Whilst we were sorting through the paint we discovered that there were two pots of white primer that we could put together to make one pot. this would at least help us if the primer didn’t arrive in time for us to start painting. When we had sorted out all of the paint that we didn’t need we ordered them so that on the table was all of the Rosco paint and under the table was all of the Flints primer and emulsion.

When I returned from lunch I helped construction to make one of the side platforms that would be placed on stage right. To do this we made a frame that followed the shape of the platform. Once we had made this and it had been welded together by Cooper we had to flip it over to put the legs on. We had to flip it over to ensure that the platform would be put in the frame correctly and therefore not be upside down. When we had the legs put on we filled it over so it was standing on its legs and we then secured the platform to it.

Strengths

Today I again feel u used my skills in construction to assist the construction team when building the set.

Weaknesses

Today I didn’t feel I had any weaknesses.

Plan of Action

Today I was once again in construction because until the set was up we could do nothing design wise. We started moving all of the set that we had made so far, which was the back structure and the pier, into the auditorium. We started by carrying the two back structures into the auditorium, and once they were both in we lifted the pier onto two trucks so that we could easily move it into the auditorium to prevent us from getting an injury lifting it as it was really heavy. Once we had bother the pier and back structures in myself, Jake and Luke started to position the two back structures, whilst construction started lifting up the floor in the dock and on stage so that they could place the track that Will had made yesterday. In order to position the back structure we measured the back structures distance from the back wall and the side wall on the tech drawing, and then using these measurements we measured it in real life and the placed them. Once we had done this we measured the distance between the two structures, which would give us the measurements for the bridge and if they were similar to the tech drawing then we knew we had positioned them correctly.

After the back structures had been positioned I moved on to help cut the wood that would be used for the floor around the track in order to hide it. This started of well but as we moved in cutting out each of the pieces if wood we realised that the track had gone in a bit meaning that the bit of wood we had cut was wrong. Will and Cooper corrected this by grinding the weld, repositioning the piece of track that was wrong and then re-welding it back down. Once thus had been do e we could place the wood and screw it in to the ground. Once the track had been completely laid Cooper went to get the wheels and bolts required for the pier.

After lunch we construction put the wheels on the pier and we tested it out in the track. Whilst thus was happening Robbie had come in a spoke to Alan about making the pier into a train for the first act of the show. The design team discussed this and told Cooper. Once we had the pier and back structures placed we started work on the pavilion structure. We had to work out how high off the ground it would be so that you would not lose the top of the pavilion or who ever was on top of it. After discussion and measuring we decided that the pavilion platform would have to be 2 m 90 cm of the ground and would be made of two pieces of 4 by 8 mega deck and two pieces of 2 by 8 mega deck all bolted together. Myself, Harry and Dean took a trip to get the legs, which we had to cut. Once all of the legs were cut we started putting it up. Me and Will had to get on the pier under the mega deck and bolt it together. Once we had done this other we put the 2 by 8 mega deck up by putting the 2 m 90 legs in and the two dummy legs to keep it from falling over. This was then bolted on.

Here is a picture showing the start of the set going in;

Strengths

Today I feel I used my skills that I learnt whilst in construction over Christmas to help construction. I also feel that I have been able to communicate to the set construction team what is required to build the pieces of set construction.

Weaknesses

I feel that I had no weaknesses today.

Plan of Action

Today the design team worked in shifts to complete all of the tech drawings so that they could be handed over to constriction who had already started building the set. Whilst the rest if the design team were doing all go the tech drawings (so that I could put them onto the ground plan that I had stated drawing on open evening) I was sent to construction to help continue building the set. I help Matt and Phil cut the scaffold boards that were going to be placed on the back structure and the pier. We had to cut these to the length of 44”. Once most of the tech drawings were done I was called back to design to complete the ground plan.

When doing the ground plan I had to place all of the different pieces of the set on to the drawing, using the model box. The only difference was that I had to take into account the fact that the roller, which was being used to make the cloth at the back go in and out during the show was hanging from the ceiling. Taking this into account I first placed the back structure. Once I had placed the back structure I then started placing the side structures. The two at the back had to be placed around the back structure so I had to work out looking at the model how to place the back platforms in relation to the back structure. When they were in place I put the pier in the drawing. When I did this me and Alan discussed the best place to put it, whether it was central to the dock or central to the theatre. We decided that it would be central to the dock because it comes out if the dock it will look central to the audience. When doing the pier I had to do it in its position in the dock and it’s position on the stage. I drew it in the dock with a line and on the stage with a dotted line. Once I had the pier placed I then put the final side structures on, one of which I had to draw.

Here is a picture of the completed ground plan and the tech drawing I had to draw with the model I took it from;

Once I had finished the ground plan I returned to the workshop and help finish off the pier. I helped Dean plank the top if the pier. We had originally intended to do the planking horizontally but Cooper decide that it would look nicer if it was placed vertically this meant that we would have to plank different sized pieces of scaffold board along it to make it look authentic. We also had to ensure that there was the correct distance between the planks so that it looked effective. When we finished after only breaking one drill bit, burning out one drill and risking injury putting the wood on we went home.

Here is the pier with the planking on;

Strengths

Today I feel I used my skills that I learnt whilst in construction over Christmas to help construction. I also feel that I have been able to communicate to the set construction team what is required to build the pieces of set construction. I also feel I drew an accurate tech drawing that can be used by the construction team when placing the set.

Weaknesses

The only weakness I feel I had today was when I broke a drill bit.

Plan of Action

Today I was in construction again, because we had near enough finished everything we needed to finish on design. We were working on building the pier which would extend out of the dock onto the pier. We started by measuring the model of the pier to get the correct measurements. Once we had the correct measurements we started to measure out the pieces metals ready to cut. Once we had the metal cut Cooper started to weld it all together to form both sides of the pier. Once we had made both sides of the pier we connected the together at the front with a longer piece if metal so that we could take into account the section for the wheels to go into so that it could travel down the track. Once that was in place we cut four pieces if 2 by 1 steel to go the length of the pier (two on either side) to house the wheels. Once we had made the base of the pier we moved on to make the handrail. We measured the handrail on the model and realised that in order to make the pier safe for actors to walk on we would have to change the angle at which the handrail was at. We decided that we would have a piece of metal that would be cut at 90 cm and then placed on the pier at and angle so that it’s height was at 70 cm. once all of the pieces were cut we drilled two holes one at the top and one in the middle for a handrail to go through. Once that had been done Cooper then welded them on. When that was welded on we the cut circular tubing the length if the pier and we then put that though the holes to create the handrail.

Here are pictures of the pier;

Strengths

Today I feel I used my skills that I learnt whilst in construction over Christmas to help construction. I also feel that I have been able to communicate to the set construction team what is required to build the pieces of set construction.

Weaknesses

I don’t feel I had any weaknesses today.

Plan of Action