Moveable Set Design
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Printed Date: 6/07/25 at 1:09pm
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Topic: Moveable Set Design
Posted By: MishDad
Subject: Moveable Set Design
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 10:12am
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HELP!!! I am with a Christian Drama troupe ( http://www.mish-inc.com - www.mish-inc.com ) that performs a play called "Dead Serious About Life". We travel all over the country and are in need of some new set props that I have been "volunteered" to build. In particular, we need to build some set walls (they stay in place for the entire performance and are just re-decorated for each act) and possibly a staircase. I am trying to design something that several unskilled to moderately skilled dads can build that can be moveable yet durable, somewhat easy to assemble and light enough to strike and carry to our truck. Any ideas? Thanks! Ken Humphries ------------- Ken from Mishpacah, Inc. |
Replies:
Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 10:33am
| For walls I would use Hollywood Flats ( same as regular flats but covered with luan) these can stand on jacks and be moved easily. I would attach the jacks with loose pin hinges so for travel all you have to do is pull the pins. I like to keep the pins with the unit. for set up just line up the hinges and put in the pins. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 12:16pm
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Good suggestion of the TV hard skin flats & the t drop pin Butt hinges. However as far as the flats go there is a few drawbacks with them, as opposed to the soft skin flats. While on there is a lot who believe that a hard flat has is less susceptible to damage, they are also heavy & a nightmare to repair, if the skin is damaged. Further while bumping in & out, the crew tends to take less care handling them. Sure they are easier to make, but I guarantee loading in/out of some venues, you will wish you hadn?t! I prefer to tour the soft ones because of weight, handling, ease of repair & care becomes natural when handling! I do not have a clue what Luan is? So I gather it is a proprietary brand US hard board product! Over the years I have found unbleached calico, cheap & easy to use to skin flats with. Also it can be quickly repaired shamelessly with ordinary roller bandage, for splits or tears, as an invisible mend from the rear, with larger damage calico offcut pieces work well. Which is far superior to patching with gaffer or masking tape. What is a clue is to make up a template to build the frame on & fix the butt hinge halves in the same standard location, so all flats can be used in any configuration what so ever, & line up & mate with other butt hinge half. Attach the loose pin to the flat on a cord, wire or chain. Adjacent to each hinge halve, this means that even if one is ripped off or damaged, there is always a spare handy. If you can?t get removable pin hinges locally, you can purchase ordinary ones & grind/file off the pins holding cap & remove the pin. Then get the a length of the same diameter rod & make up your own drop pins. Just remember to cut them upto 50% longer than you need to hold the hinge halves, the extra length will allow the rod to be curled into a finger holder for insert/removal, file off the edge of the pin edge, to make insertion of the pin easier. You can use 6" nails with the head end bent over, which also works! We also use drop pin hinge provision on each flat, to take ?French? braces - which Shatcher possibly calls ?Jacks?. May I suggest you check with your local library & find printed information or diagrams on set building &/or stage craft, Also google the net will help! ------------- 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} |
Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 12:28pm
| Good point Gaafa. I like hard flats for tour but like all things in this crazy business there is no one way to do it. Luan is a plywood type of material with a wood vener top. Looks great cost a lot less than ply and is lighter. Wood cover flats are also easy to attach props or other set pieces to if needed. However weight being an issue soft cover may be a better idea for you. There are many good books on set building, or you might try a local university theatre department. they may have a 3rd or 4th year student that could help you out. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 1:17pm
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G'donya Schater, so that?s what this luan is! We normally call it panel board! A very good point about attachments to flats! With toggle rails on the flat you can usually work it, but it is something to remember when the design is done. Normally a picture rail can be used or a piece of scraps wood can be attached to the back of the stiles/rails to hold a skin attachments or even fishing line from the top rail. However with hard flats it can also end up like Swiss cheese, with holes drilled or tech screws, over a period of time. A lot of groups who use them around here, won?t allow any holes from attachments in the hard board flats! Which is completely weird, as that?s why we use flats, as a reusable gaff! I can see the economical point of view, but not the theatrical one! ------------- 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} |
Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 9/09/05 at 3:00pm
AH Gaafa if only all techies were as smart as we are!
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Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/10/05 at 10:18am
I think our redundancy is safe mate!
------------- 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} |