KEY ELEMENTS OF
PRODUCTION
Mrs. D. Duhaney-Millen
What do we mean by Production?
A theatricalproduction is any work
of theatre, such as a staged play, musical,
comedy or drama produced from a written
book or script.
What do you need to actually know when
staging a play? What key elements are
involved?
THEATRE/PRODUCTION DESIGN
The design of the set, lighting, music, sound and costumes, and
the way digital technology is used all contribute to the
audience's experience. There are a range of roles within
theatre design.
Design has a huge impact on an audience’s experience of a play
as it’s the first thing they see when the stage is revealed to them.
The design provides essential information such as setting,
period and the type of production you’re seeing. There are a
range of roles within theatre design which can cross over.
A LIST OF KEY ELEMENTS
a) Setting
b) Lighting
c) Costume
d) Makeup
e) Sound
f) Front of house management
g) Stage management
h) Directing
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Production design
The production designer works closely with the director to establish a
shared vision for the piece and then they are responsible for every area of
design. This is a very creative role and can also encompass other areas of
design, such as film and multimedia. The production designer might hire
specialists to work with them such as a set designer or a lighting technician.
But they usually have overall responsibility over the following elements:
set and props
lighting
music
sound
costume
LET’S TALK ABOUT SETTING
It's important to consider the type of stage being used when deciding
on set design.
The shape and nature of different performance spaces and stages
affect the way that plays are staged and performed. Think carefully
about the audience experience and what they see.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z26bjxs/revision/1
Set designers usually take responsibility for props too. Their role
involves making decisions about everything in and around the acting
space, such as furniture, raised platforms or playing areas, entrances
and exits, and the shape of the space itself. If the production has
painted scenery the set designer may work with a scenic designer,
who designs and paints scenery for the back or sides of the stage.
Sometimes the two roles are combined.
SETTING
It’s important that the choice of set suits the style of production and enhances it.
The set designer must have an excellent working knowledge of the needs of the
play. Their work involves creating multiple locations, sightlines for the audience
and entrances and exits for the actors as well as dealing with any set changes that
are needed. They must design to support the action rather than for design’s sake. A
set that is overly cluttered might detract from the action and make the actors’ job
more difficult, rather than supporting them onstage.
The set designer usually starts by discussing sketches of their ideas with the
director (and sometimes the cast). When the choices have been made, they may
build a scale model of the set, which is called a model box. This gives them an
idea of what the real set would look like and lets them make any necessary
adjustments.
If you're writing about your set choices or the set of a production you've seen,
remember to note the colour, texture, shape, scale and style in your review.
THE SET
LIGHTING
Lights can be useful for defining different locations on the stage, creating mood and
atmosphere, highlighting key moments of action and directing the audience’s focus.
Lighting can denote time of year or day and can also be used in
an abstract or symbolic way, such as using a red light to symbolise danger or
passion.
The lighting designer must also know the play very well. They work closely with the
director to understand what they want to communicate in each scene and where the
focus of the action onstage should be. They also work closely with the set designer,
as they both play such a large role in the visual impact of a production. Often the
realisation of the set designer’s artistic vision depends greatly upon the way their set
is lit.
The lighting designer designs lighting cues. That means they decide when to move
from one lighting state to the next. A sudden change to a different lighting state is
called a snap and a slow change where one state overlaps another is called a fade.
LIGHTING
Lighting is a very technical area and there are many types of lights (or
lanterns). Coloured gels can be added to the front of some lanterns so that they throw
coloured light onto the stage. Some can also be fitted with what is known as a gobo.
This is a sheet inserted on a frame at the front of the light with a design cut into it. It
filters the light, creating a picture effect on the stage. For example, a gobo could be
used to create a dappled lighting effect to look like the leaves of a forest, or could be
cut to create strips of light onstage which look like the bars of a prison.
TYPES OF LIGHTING
https://youtu.be/jfnMZ-n26No
How do they use Lighting in the opening scenes of the this
play, Ras Noah and di Hawk?
What kind of lighting was used?
What effect did it create?
Set Design
What can we observe from the design of the set?
What does the backdrop portray about the settIng of the
play?
MUSIC AND SOUND
The sound designer is responsible for how a production sounds
beyond the noise the actors make. Sometimes the sound designer
is responsible for music too, but usually music and sound design
are separate roles. It depends on the requirements of the show. A
production with a lot of live or incidental music might have a
separate composer, who writes original music for the production
or a musical director, such as in Musical theatre.
The Sound Designer
Some shows use a lot of sound effects and it's the sound
designer’s job to decide what should be added where to enhance a
production. They must then source the sounds and plan when
they come in, when they stop and what volume level they should
be at for best effect. If the sound designer operates the sound
during performance they will have headphones so that they can
check the sound effect or piece of music played is ‘cued up’ and
ready to play at the right time. A loud sound effect coming in at
the wrong moment could spoil a scene and break the theatrical
illusion.
FUNCTION OF SOUND
Once again, the artistic choices the sound designer makes will depend on
the style of the production. Just like lights, sound can be used effectively to
create atmosphere and location, such as adding a faint sound of birdsong
under a scene set in a garden. Sound can also be used in an abstract way.
For example, you could choose sounds which reflect the emotions of the
characters onstage or a sound that creates fear or builds tension, eg a
repetitive ticking noise that increases in volume throughout a scene.
Music may also be used to create mood and atmosphere. Playing it
underneath the action onstage in this way is called underscoring. Can you
think of a production where the music choices impressed you?
Choice of music is very important. You must decide if it should be live or
recorded and consider whether it improves the work or if a scene would be
more powerful without it.
EVALUATING SOUND
https://youtu.be/irOxm9F_F78
Skip to 4:58 and 7:08 timestamps
What were the functions of sound in this scene?
Would the scene be effective without it?
COSTUME
Costume is what the actors wear onstage. This can
have a huge visual impact, as well as alerting the
audience to character, place and the period of
history in which the play is set. Choice of costume
will vary according to the demands of the play. The
costume designer must know the play well and be
aware of the pace and structure of the piece. For
example, it wouldn’t be practical if a character was
working as a fireman and wearing an elaborate
costume in one scene and relaxing at home in his
own clothes in the next one. The symbolic addition
of a hat in the first scene might be enough to
represent the role and wouldn’t interfere with the
flow from one scene to the next.
The style of production will also greatly affect costume
choices. A naturalistic production will aim to dress the
character in an authentic costume that is as close as
possible to what the characters would have actually
worn in that setting. However, a Theatre in education
piece might have a handful of actors playing many
different parts. Most of the changes of character will be
communicated by what the actors themselves do onstage
using voice, body language etc. A simple costume might
be used to enhance this, such as the addition of a hat,
stick or shawl.
The costume designer will work closely with the
director so that they have a shared vision. Perhaps the
director has a particular colour scheme in mind for the
piece. Or they may have chosen to set the play in a
particular historical era which is not evident from the
script, such as in a ‘modern’ production of a
Shakespeare play. The costume designer must then
select suitable garments and consider fabric and colours
that are right for era and character.
The costume designer will work closely with the director so that
they have a shared vision. Perhaps the director has a particular
colour scheme in mind for the piece. Or they may have chosen to
set the play in a particular historical era which is not evident from
the script, such as in a ‘modern’ production of a Shakespeare
play. The costume designer must then select suitable garments
and consider fabric and colours that are right for era and
character.
Any props that an actor carries with them, such as glasses, an
umbrella or a walking stick are also considered to be costume as
they are an important part of the way a character is dressed.
Make-up
Theatrical makeup is the practice of painting, enhancing, or
altering the face, hair, and body of the actor with cosmetics,
plastic materials, and other substances; it is also the
collective term for the materials used in making up.
HISTORY OF MAKEUP IN THEATRE
Thousands of years ago, people in many parts of the world
discovered that powdered pigments mixed into a base of
wax or grease could be used to create striking effects of
personal adornment and transformation. The survival of
that practice is reflected in a common term for theatrical
makeup, "grease-paint." Select types or styles of makeup
were often used for special occasions, which could include
going to war, celebrating stages of life, and religious
festivals. The latter often included performative aspects,
such as dance and reenactments of mythical events.
Modern theatrical makeup therefore is heir to a very
ancient performance tradition.
MAKEUP IN MODERN THEATRE
Ancient Greek theater was masked, but later European
theater usually used stage makeup to create characters,
heighten facial features, and compensate for the effects of
stage lighting. (The Italian Commedia del'Arte, which
continued to employ masks, was an important exception.)
Until well into the twentieth century, performers were
expected to do their own makeup, as they were expected to
supply their own stage costumes. The professional
theatrical makeup artist is a modern phenomenon, as is the
theatrical costume designer.
Function of makeup
Whether in the dramatic makeup of a horror film or the powerful aesthetic
appeal of the unique makeup employed by the Cirque du Soleil, makeup plays
an important part in establishing the characterization and impact of a
performed role.
https://youtu.be/OwTkYfIKZtY
Look at the variety in this video clip.
What would you say these makeup artists are trying to achieve?
In what kind of production would you put these characters?
COSTUME
Choosing the correct costumes for
characters is vital in both period and
modern plays. They must be
appropriate to the time and culture in
which a drama is set and to the status
of the characters.
Costumes are part of the overall design concept of a production and should be
considered carefully at the planning stage. As such they should contribute something to
the production. At one extreme they might be part of a complex colour scheme which
conveys a message as part of the production. Conversely, the performers may be
dressed in street clothes that suit the characters they play and succeed in not attracting
attention.
WRITING ABOUT COSTUME
When writing about costume, your job is to identify the
contribution that costume makes to a show or to an individual
performer’s work. You should write in precise detail both about
what the costume was and the impact it had. However, while
you need to be precise there is no need to go into
comprehensive detail. Unless you’re building a statement on
certain points, it’s enough to give an indication like ‘correct
Elizabethan costume’ or ‘smart office clothes’. If we can
assume that the fact that an actor was wearing red clothes is
important, you will say so but you will also say why.
The designers focus on how the costume choices should reflect the type of character
they’re dressing. This is because the costume that a character wears provides a lot of
information to the audience before the actor even speaks. You can quickly work out if
the character is rich or poor, shy or flamboyant, or fashionable or not.
Clothes from other cultures
If a play demands the costumes of another culture, it’s vital that they’re done
properly. In every country in the world we accept our own clothes as natural and
we look more critically at the clothes of other nations. If you wish to represent a
Japanese geisha, for instance, you must pay attention to detail. If you comment
on such a costume, you should note how convincing it was and what it gave to
the role. It should, in other words, be a truthful representation. Remember also
that make-up is a key element of how the audience ‘reads’ and identifies a
character.
Period costume
The expression period costume refers to costumes from a particular era. Generally,
there are much more specific expectations for the rich than the poor or ‘peasants’.
Colour and fabric
Colours can be used to signal emotions or themes to the audience.
Red can be used to represent danger or blood, making it a good
choice of colour for Lady Macbeth’s costume. If the lighting
designer is using coloured gels, you could comment on how the
costumes are affected by them. Under red lights, the colour red
looks washed out whilst under blue lights it can look almost black.
The quality and look of fabrics can tell the audience if the
character is rich or poor. A rich aristocrat would be expected to be
dressed in expensive silks with embellishments like jewels whilst a
poor character would more likely be dressed in coarser and
cheaper material.
SELECTING COSTUME
Usually costume designers will present
sketches to the director to show their ideas on
how the character should be dressed. The
director can then visualise the character’s
appearance and suggest any amendments.
Look at this sketch by costume designer, Ray
Holman for Matt Smith’s portrayal of Doctor
Who. Note the inclusion of the bow tie, a
unique costume element for this particular
incarnation of the character. Does the
costume and fabric choice reflect the
character’s persona accurately? And if so,
why?
Evaluating Costumes
What decisions do you think the costume designers had to make for the
costumes used in these scenes
https://youtu.be/nQ5eUJNXrMw
FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGEMENT
The house manager assumes control of "the front of the house" -- this means
the space beginning at the outside entrance to the theater and extending to the
foot of the stage. If there are programs to be handed out prior to the
performance, the house manager makes sure that the right amount are
available.
https://youtu.be/h-DmHIKefhs
STAGE MANAGEMENT
https://youtu.be/PtLHHAdzAtg
Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of
organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production.
DIRECTING
https://youtu.be/QyMLiD48w6I
https://youtu.be/yBu255CjJyk
stage director provides the overall vision and guidance of a performance,
ensuring that all elements are unified and that production runs smoothly.
JOURNAL ENTRY
You are the costume designer for the
theatrical production
“Johnny from Johncrow Mountain”
In your journal, make a sketch of the
costume you would design for Johnny
making annotations and including
clippings of fabric choices for his role.
