The World of the Play

The scenic designer creates a design concept, which extends the director's production concept into a complete plan for the visual aspects of the production

Creating a visual environment that includes: A central metaphor or visual image based on Information gleaned from text analysis.

The audience makes assumptions about the play's style and tone based on the set designer's work The set gives the first information on time period and location. Designers establish a style and determine how the stage must be used in the production. The set gives the first information on time period and location. Designers establish a style and determine how the stage must be used in the production.

A Collaborative Process The set designer coordinates and integrates the scenery with all other elements of the production costumes lights sounds actors staging needs & special effects The set designer coordinates and integrates the scenery with all other elements of the production costumes lights sounds actors staging needs & special effects

The effect of all of these elements should be an integrated whole

The scenic designer works most closely with a director and lighting designer because the set designer's ground plan is necessary to a director when blocking, and the lighting designer must know all about the scenery they will have to light. The scenic designer works most closely with a director and lighting designer because the set designer's ground plan is necessary to a director when blocking, and the lighting designer must know all about the scenery they will have to light.

Theatres aesthetic elements of visual composition are similar to The Elements and Principles of Visual Art Line Mass Composition Space Texture Color

Line Dominant lines of a composition might be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, or spiral. Line itself may dominate the composition or only define the edges

Mass - The size of the elements on the stage. On stage, mass relative to the actor's body is important: Does the scenery dominate an actor (a big cathedral, huge stone palace, large forest) Or is it in scale with the actor (an everyday kitchen, a subway car, a corporate office)?

Composition How are the scenic elements arranged in space (along an x,y, and z axis)? Along any given axis, the composition might be symmetrical, balanced, or unbalanced

Space Positive space is three dimensional space taken up by scenic objects. Negative space is open space, which may be taken up by actors and perhaps by movement of actors and other pieces of scenery.

Texture can be two dimensional or three dimensional Two dimensional texture is variation in color, pattern and material. Three dimensional texture is a tactile property: objects could be rough, smooth, silky, bumpy, gritty. Because stage lights tend to hide an object's texture and because texture is harder to see across a distance, a scene designer usually exaggerates stage objects' textures.

Color Hue is what we normally think of as color; in paint it is a specific mix of primary colors red, yellow, and blue; in light it is the wavelengths absorbed by the object while the rest of the wavelengths are reflected and caught by the eye. Saturation is how much of the hue, the hue could be faintly or strongly present. Value is the scale from black (value=0) to white (value=100) Temperature is a metaphor used for the emotional qualities of a color: reds, oranges and yellows are warm colors while blues, greens and purples are cool.

Effective Scenic Design Should match the Authors Intent and the Directors Vision Aid the action of the play, never dominate the actors Compliment the costumes, NEVER clash with them Never become an obstacle course for blocking Be consistent not distracting Be simple in design., construction and shifting