Need some help with trees and a boulder...
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Topic: Need some help with trees and a boulder...
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Need some help with trees and a boulder...
Date Posted: 9/25/03 at 8:02pm
I have been asked to build a boulder and four trees (two at 6', two at 8') for my girlfriend's theatre company; and I have almost NO CLUE how to do it. I think I slept through my tech classes back in college.
The boulder has to be light enough to move, but heavy enough for two people (est. combined weight 300 pounds) to sit on, and one person (est. weight 160 pounds) to stand on. I think that given my budget ($250 for the whole set), that's gonna be near impossible. My idea is to take a bag of stryofoam and small wood chucks/pieces, wrap that in chicken wire, use spray foam to build the boulder body, then paint; but I don't think that'll be strong enough. The problem with using stronger materials is that I make it too heavy to move. My idea right now is to build a 2D boulder, basically a paper mache facade built around a block made from 2" x 4" (it's a proscenium stage, so it can be 2D).
The trees have to be a) movable, and b) stable enough not to fall over. I can't stage pin them; I'll be using sand bags or weights. I have a couple of designs for pretty real trees; but I'm thinking I might go with luan (lauan?) plywood, as it can be cut (slowly) with a matte knife, and I have no table saw.
Oh; did I mention that due to space limitations and sharing the stage with other shows, the trees and boulder need to be rigged with eye screws; so that they can be hooked to ropes and flown into the flies? Yeah. And I have no construction space to speak of; and few tools other than basic hand tools, and a power driver/drill.
I should NEVER have taken a design gig for a theatre with a) no budget, and b) no construction space. My mouth sometimes overestimates what my body can actually do.
Any suggestions? Other than running away from home? Heh.
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Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/27/03 at 11:15am
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Other than biting on your cyanite pill or putting to good use your harakiri sword, here's a couple of ideas: Boulder: make a cube of 1/2-inch or better, 3/4-inch plywood 2x2x2 feet. No bottom necessary. Cut holes in two opposite sides for handling. Glue with spray adhesive or hot glue gun the pieces of styrofoam that languish in the box your TV came in onto three vertical sides of cube. Sculpt with serrated steak knife. Don't bother to make it LOOK like a boulder as long as it's kind of rough. You can PAINT the details on. For trees, use one-inch insulating styrofoam that goes for about $10 for a 4x8 ft. sheet. It cuts easily with a steak knife and takes paint like a charm. Cut out the outline of the trees and PAINT the details on. You may add pieces of styrofoam to make the tree wider, taller or whatever by gluing reinforcing pieces of styrofoam to connect two "front" pieces together from the back. Use gaffer tape on the back to make loops from which the trees will be suspended and lifted out. Make bases for the trees from leftover styrofoam or scrap 2x4. Glue the styrofoam on, don't nail it. Learn to play the guitar and join a band so that next time your girlfried asks for help you may say you're too busy preparing for a gig.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/29/03 at 2:25pm
I read the reply for the rock, and it is very sound.
I recently had to build trees for two of my musicals. Into The Woods and South Pacific. I took some 16 inch Cement tubes (bought from the local Home Depot) they are about 4' tall. I screwwed two together with a 1x2 inside. Then I took a canvas tarp cut it into strips to wrap the tree giving it a more "ripple look of bark. Attached a base and painted the canvas brown, adding touches of texture. The only thing that would need to be cut with a saw is the base. Which I used a slightly larger square peice of 3/4" plywood with a 2x4 which attaches it to the tube with a few screws. You can add stuff on the outside like branches if needed. Attach your fly to the top and take them away. We have no fly so we took them off stage manually.
Good luck if this isn't too late.
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