The background of the set plays a huge role - it transforms the stage into something real, sets the scene but in my case also adds depth.
The scene I was focusing on was set in the heart of the Wild Western desert land. When researching this genre I could not escape the fact of the vast surrounding landscape - distant mountains, open skies and weathered looking plants and wild life.
Measuring up for the backcloth
I found it difficult to define the correct size for this element when trying to measure up with a steel rule against the model box. To overcome this I decided to measure smaller dimensions on the model and resorted back to the proscenium arch plan on Auto CAD to draw a template for the backdrop. After printing the new plan I double checked that the dimensions were correct against the model before cutting out a mount board piece.
To enable this part of the set to become interactive in the model box a piece of dowel was glued to the top edge and used to enable the backdrop to be lifted in and out of the model box in a production meeting.
The Gauzes
My original idea for this design was to have a Forest of Cacti- the main purpose of this being to hide the Lion's castle (tepee) until the penultimate moment. I was planning to have two large trucks each consisting of a row of approximately 6 cacti. I thought this idea was excellent, a simple yet effective way of creating a 'fantasy forest' on stage...now this was before I actually began to realise my design on the stage I was working with. The Margate Theatre I must admit isn't the deepest stage in the world so when realising my prospective design I soon figured it wouldn't be as successful or impacting as I would have liked it to be. Due to the stage depth I was limited into how long my rows of cacti were.
So after some careful consideration I decided on just 3 cacti per truck, therefore not making the trucks as long. On the plus side, this limitation would in fact make the trucks more assessable and easier to move for its operators (i.e. stage hands or performers). On the other hand by minimising this scenic element to its bare minimum in turn discarded the fullness and depth factor I wanted to portray within the 'Cacti Forest'. No worries, the resolving answer was...the magic of the Theatrical Gauze!
Developing from this I came across a very useful website: http://www.iweiss.com/stage/fabric/scrim.html - it told me all I wanted to know about gauzes and how they are made and worked.
I decided to have more than one gauze to add more depth to the Forest.
Now the dilemma was how to portray this in a 1:25 scale model.
I experimented with drawing onto tracing paper but after experimenting in this the result wasn't that clear.
First attempt at 'Cacti Forest' gauze
The plan was to stagger the two 'gauzes' at a set distance within the model box. Although before getting to this stage I realised the tracing paper I had used was not translucent enough, so the effect I was trying to create wouldn't have worked as well. What I needed was a clear instant visual representation of a gauze.
Next I considered using acetate, now the question was how do I reproduce my original design onto this material. I went to seek guidance from the computer wizards in the IT department and to my delight this method was achievable. My original idea was to photocopy onto acetate but I was guided to scan the images in and manipulate the background in AdobePhotoshop to make sure a transparent background was achieved.
Once I had scanned my original designs for the gauze in, I decided the singular plants didn't really create the 'Cacti Forest' I had originally visualised in my head. My main idea was to create the gauzes in order to hide the tepee from the audience at the beginning of the performance. What I really needed was a fuller forest landscape. I could of spent time slaving away creating two newly painted designs which were fuller, but I was working to a deadline and with a week to go and plenty more scenic elements to create within the scenographic model I decided to scourer the world wide web and manipulate a photograph of a landscape.
Creating Gauze in Photoshop (removing the mountains)
Once happy with the image I scaled it to fit the model box and figured out the correct printing settings to produce it onto a sheet of A3 acetate for the model box. Before printing my seconded gauze I decided to see what it looked like against the background and tepee I had already created within the model box. From this it struck me that all I needed to do was flip the image horizontally in order to create the second gauze. Once I had the two gauzes produced I played around with these in the model box again and was able to see what depth the audience would visualise from these gauzes on the stage. When experimenting with this I realised the back gauze image needed to be higher in order to hide the tepee fully - otherwise the element of surprise would be ruined. So it was back to Photoshop to manipulate the image further (I heightened the image by 200mm and also made it slightly smaller than the image on the front gauze to help with the 'depth' concept.
Gauze against backcloth in scale form
Practical table experimentation of heightening the gauze's height in comparison to the backcloth before editing in Photoshop.
When manipulating the image for the second gauze in Photoshop I used guides to help me alter the height correctly and the clone stamp to repeat and blend my image accordingly.
Screenshot below of work process
Each gauze design was printed onto acetate and framed to fit the model box. The bottom of the 'model gauze' did not have a boarder. This was in order to suggest that the gauze when produced for the actual stage would be made to the whole height of the stage - touching the floor line.
Sizing the frames for the gauze using the Proscenium Arch plan
Two parts of frame sandwiching the acetate in place
After both gauzes were successfully encased in a frame with a piece of dowel running across the top, I could play around with positioning in the model box.
Front View
Plan View - Positioning in rig of gauzes and backdrop
By having the backcloth set at a distance up stage of these gauzes, the painted image on the gauze would appear with more spatial depth. The gauzes would be hung from the flight rig and 'dropped' in and out.
'Roller drops can operate by a single fixed roller that lowers the cloth in effect like a roller blind. The rollers fixed position above unrolls through a handline off-stage. Alternatively, the roller is attached to the base of the cloth. The roller extends a short distance beyond the edge of the cloth on either side. The cloth's top edge is fixed to a batten that is secured above the stage. The cloth is first rolled up to the raised position. Cables that run through pulleys attached to the top batten are attached to the roller ends. The unrolling motion of the cloth while it lowers causes the cable to wrap around the roller ends on either side. Drawing in the cable from off-stage causes the cable to unwind which causes the roller to roll-up the cloth'. (Thorne 1999:162)
By using this mechanism to fly my cloth in would result in the cloth unrolling itself in a downward direction, with the roller positioned on the upstage side of the cloth the painted image of the forest on the cloth would appear to unfold magically before the audience's eyes. This is opposed to a drop cloth being lowered in from above with the bottom appearing first - not as magical. Therefore the latter would be the preferred option for my design to be portrayed to its full potential.
Materials
A sharkstooth scrim (a more densely woven material mesh) would offer more scope when intending to make something appear and disappear magically. As the Father in the narrative travels through the Cacti forest, the forest would gradually disperse before the audience's eyes, take for example moving the trucks and fading the gauzes.
When lit only from in front and above, the cloth would appear solid making anything up stage invisible. Therefore at the beginning of the Father's journey I would intend for this effect to be produced upon the front gauze to translate a full forest in front of the Father.
As the father makes his journey up stage through the forest the stage would be lit from the front as well as lighting the Cacti positioned between the gauzes as this would deliver the illusion of the painted Forest merging together with the Cacti trucks. In order for this effect to work the paint used on the scrim needs to be dye in order to not fill the mesh.
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