#u8c4

Using tools:

When using tools ensure:

the tool is working correctly

you know how to use it

any safety equipment is used (like goggles, gloves, ear defenders, etc)

you are wearing sensible clothing

your hands are not near the dangerous end

you don’t rush using it

the area around it is safe and clear

the area is well lit

the cord is in tact and plugged in

the tool is in tact and not broken

electrical tools are unplugged after use

Using ladders:

When using ladders, ensure:

you are facing the right way

you have at least three points of contact

the ladder is secure

someone is footing the ladder

away from live wires

if you are using tools up the ladder, the people holding it have hard hats on

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:

There are many techniques used when building a set. There are different ways of cutting, joining and sculpting materials to the needs of the plans.

Cutting:

There are many different types of saws that can be used for cutting wood.

There is a handsaw that doesn’t require any power, but does take time to cut. 

Another saw that can be used is a table saw. This can be used to cut big sheets of wood, as it is easy to push the sheets on the table while the saw cuts it.

Another saw that is used to cut big pieces of wood is the circular saw. This can be used to cut long thing beams of wood as you bring the blade down to the wood, instead of pushing the wood over the blade.

The last major saw that is used is a jigsaw or bandsaw. These are both very similar machines, which can cut out more intricate lines, instead of just straight lines.

There are also many other methods for cutting, which differ depending on the materials. For instance, to cut polystyrene, you have to use a hot element, like a heated wire, or a serrated knife.

For metal, a grinding wheel must be used as it uses the friction to create heat to melt through the metal. If something sharp were used, it would become blunt straight away.

When using the electrical saws, care must be taken to ensure hands are nowhere near the blade, and glass/goggles must be warn to prevent small splinters of metal or wood, to go into your eyes. Ear defenders must also be worn when the saw creates an excess amount of noise to prevent damage to the ears. 

Joining:

Same as with cutting, there are many different ways of joining materials to each other. The most common way of joining materials is either screws or bolts. These are good because it makes the join temporary so that you can disassemble the set and use pieces of it again.

Another way of joining materials is by using glue. Many different types of glue can be used, depending on the materials. This can often not be as strong as other means, but is a cheap alternative. 

Another method for joining can be welding. This only works for metal but is the best method for attaching two pieces of metal permanently.

When welding, extreme care must be made, wearing a proper visor made to prevent the intense light from damaging your retinas in your eyes. People around must also be warned so they do not accidentally look into it without the visor on. 

Sculpting:

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 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

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.