Evaluation

My role in this Unit was to create a design for the set of a production-taking place in the school of “The Little Shop Of Horrors”. In order to do this professionally I was required to follow out some research of images, different set designers and stage types. I had gained an understanding of how important sightlines were and why they were created in order for all the audience to be able to see the theatre stage, no matter where they are sitting in the theatre.

I was involved in many practical aspects for the production such as scene painting, prop and action prop constructions, following my visual research I was required to make a graphic design for the poster, and work our all-technical requirements, also involving me with stage management.

Whilst working on all of these jobs I found out that I had to work accurately yet quickly as there was a strict time scale, due to the immovable deadline of the production being viewed. Regarding the group there were many separate responsibilities, requiring a management system and organizational skills, this also helped me gain many organization skills as I learnt that talking to fellow group members can make something more easier for you, also sharing ideas between the group made us realize that each of us had something that would allow us to benefit from it.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, as I found out that I was good at using different images from my 1950’s New York mood board and hanging the images from the mini set, which gave me ideas of how they would look on a backdrop of the stage, this also made me feel more professional as I was testing everything I did carefully, in order to gain the best possible results. Looking at different search engines to find my images was pretty challenging as I had to be careful that the images were clear to see at all times. I also found making some of the images come to life by painting the bricks and some of the props very challenging, as I knew that making them looks as realistic as possible was crucial.

I realized that a key element for working on this project was to work quickly in order to meet the non movable deadline for the set design, I also knew that I had to quickly learn the new skills of knowing how to organize the stage management. I found out that working as a team with good communicational skills was making the job a lot easier for each of us, including me. Whilst working backstage I learnt that communicating with the rest of the crew was crucial, in order to know your queue when to take props out safely onto the stage during a stage blackout, making sure there was no way for yourself and the actors/actresses to be harmed. There was a lot of communication between me and the rest of the crew as some of them were in charge of holding torches to guide us safely onto the stage, I also had to have an understanding that there was a time limit when taking out each of the props, in order for them to be placed accurately for the next scene.