Closed Topics: Set Costs

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Set Costs

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Topic: Set Costs

Posted By: JCCTony
Subject: Set Costs
Date Posted: 3/07/05 at 8:58pm

How much does a set cost to construct, paint and dress? Basic interior room set. Approx 15 4' wide flats, three being full doors one one just a doorway.

Replies:

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/08/05 at 11:00am

More info would be helpful. How tall are the flats? 8ft? 10ft? 12ft?It also depends on what you have already. Are you starting from scratch? How much do you think you can get donated? It also depends on the play and what the script calls for. Is it is a bedroom? A livingroom? A kitchen? An office? They would all be different costs for a variety of reasons. Also, how much detail do you need or want? Are you going to construct or faux paint molding and sills? Our audiences are practically on the set with us, and we don't want them to be aware our short cuts. We put lots of effort into the details, to keep the illusion from falling apart. I can tell you that a basic livingroom interior set for our last show with all but a few special flats that needed to be constructed with 3 doors (in stock) and one working window (in stock) came in at about $300 plus $100 in donated materials. All of the furniture was borrowed and all of the labor was volunteer. If you have to build the flats, buy the doors and the hardware you could easily double that amount.

On the other hand it might depend on who is doing the building and designing. I just got done working with a brilliant set designer. We did an exterior street scene with working lamp posts, 15 foot high buildings with roofs, windows that lit from the inside and every set piece had trick that would transform it for scene changes. He scavanged everything he could find in the building (granted it was a well established theater with lots of stuff) and whole magnificent set cost $250.

I hope this helpful.

Linda

Posted By: dougb
Date Posted: 3/08/05 at 11:46am

As Linda says, there are so many variables that it is almost impossible to come up with a general cost. We did an outdoor scene against a cyc for "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday" for less than $100. We did an interior for Arsenic and Old Lace for $1,000. Theaters seem to have an unwritten scene standard - some budget just a couple hundred dollars for a play for sets and get some good results - at the other end, I know a professional Seattle theater that routinely spends $20,000 on sets. Locally, when directors propose to do a play, they present a budget that includes the estimated cost of the set. Some directors (and some plays) work very well with a simple or even suggested set and others require a complex strong set. When I direct at one nearby theater I routinely budget $1,000 because I never know what they will have for flats and set pieces. At our theater I would budget $250 for the same show - our stage is smaller and I know what we have in inventory for doors and windows and wall flats.

To buy all the materials and build a 4 foot wide flat probably costs around $30 for the wood frame, muslin, ply for corner gussets, glue, screws, FR spray, paint etc. The actual cost would be less because you can usually scrounge the plywood from the scrap pile, glue, screws from inventory and so on.

We usually make our flats on multiples of heights and widths. For example, if the flats are 10 feet high, widths are even multiples of 10 feet (5 feet or 3 feet four inches) in width so one flat can be layed horizontally over vertical flats and come out even on the ends. We have been moving to plywood flats using 1/8 inch plywood over the wood frame. Theaters usually have torn flats that can be used for doors and window openings rather than make a new flat.

I am not sure if I am really answering your question or if my answers are any help.

Doug

Posted By: JCCTony
Date Posted: 3/08/05 at 5:17pm

No, this is really great information. It obviously does depend on the venue, I totally get that. I'm just being super bold this summer and going to try my hand at producing a show and I'm just starting a tad early so i'm not crunched for time later on. I'm hoping to do it at a high school that a guy in my group graduated from a couple years back as he's still in contact with his drama teacher. I guess the school routinely rents out thier theatre for projects. If we can't do it there I need to look into constructing from scratch.

The set is actually (tentitavely) for Dinner For Several by our very own John Shanahan. Apartment interior, 3 doors one door opening, UC window and some furnishings. My guess is (assuming 4' wide flats) 15 flats, but of course I'm not the set designer.

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 3/12/05 at 11:01pm

I usually gestimate for a box set of flats @ $1/square foot, to construct from scratch.

Invariably it works out with enough over, for tarting up, but it is all a numbers game in the end.

I was taught that, it is not the selling price that is paid - but the purchase price that counts.

Which if you are prepared to do some ?Rubbish tip swimming? or a few ?Skip dives? & gain all the reusable resources you can & retain the best of course - people!

It will also save, if you don?t worry about the length, before checking the width first!

-------------
Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}