Cerys Laws Blog Book

[cerys098blogbook]

Best ways to join materials

Wood: When joining wood to build the set, I found that using gorilla glue and a brad gun worked the best for if you wanted a neat join but screws were best for a strong hold. When making the supports for the church I used glue and brad gun as they had to be neat and they did not have to be too strong. However, Charlie and Sam had to use screws for their wood to make their house as that structure was holding up a lot more weight.

Polystyrene: When joining polystyrene, it is best to use adhesive glue and skewers. Adhesive glue is applied to both parts you want to join then left for 5/10 minuets until it becomes tacky. Before placing them together, we put a skewer half way into one side before putting the other side of the skewer into the other side of polystyrene, joining the two together. Other glues cannot be used on polystyrene as they are either not strong enough or they erode the polystyrene.

Metal: When connecting metals, it is best to weld it so that it ca be a strong bond. However, welding is not always the answer and you have to find other ways. Sometimes, it is best to use a nut and bolt if there are holes that line up. When building the set, we used nuts and bolts to hold together the steel deck as it needed to be taken apart at the end of the show run, how ever, we welded on ladders to joints that were screwed into the steel deck.

[cerys098blogbook]

Using scale drawing to make my set

When we were given the set drawing there were in a 1:25 scale. We had to use a scale ruler to convert these measurements into meters. Luckily for me, most of my set was in exact meters, so it was not too hard to work out how long they were.

[cerys098blogbook]

Dance Show Construction

For dance show, a wall was needed so that one of the dancers could run up it during part of their dance. This meant creating a structure that was strong enough to support a dancer, yet light enough to be moved quickly on and off stage. The structure was also being stored in the wings so had to fit in the doorway behind the curtain so the dancers could still use the wings.

We found an old door in the compound along with some braces. We decided to us this, as it was the perfect size that the directors wanted. We found some old triangular pieces of metal that we used as braces so the door could stand up. Even with these braces, we still needed to stand behind the door so that it would not topple over.

When we used this wall in rehearsals, we found that it was heavy and awkward to move into place as well as get the braces on in time before the dancer ran up it. One reason for this was that the wood was warped therefore the braces did not go on straight, also the door was very thick and heavy so needed at least two people to lift it. This was a problem as there were already lots of people backstage and this just created more chaos. 

After realising these problems, we decided to build a wall out of lighter wood and one that where you didn’t have to attach the braces separately. This wall was a lot lighter meaning that only one person had to carry it and the other to people would be spotters to make sure it was in the right place. All three people would brace it so that it was secure. The wall could also be stored in the door way backstage and out of the way.

[cerys098blogbook]

Here is a video of me using a saw to cut lengths of wood that were being used as banisters along the side of the church. When cutting i made sure that the part of the wood that i wasn’t cutting was weighed down so that it couldn’t move. To do this is asked Chelsea to stand on the end of it. I also made sure that i was to the side of the saw so that if it was to slip, i would not cut me, for this same reason i also kept my fingers out of the way. To make sure it was a clean cut i did not snap the end off, if i was to do that then there would be lots of splinters that would need sanding down and the overall finish of the wood, would not look professional.

[cerys098blogbook]

My Set For the Crucible, I was building the church set. I chose this set because I knew it would give me a challenge seeing as half of it would have to be supported from above because on the model there is no beams coming from the ground on the front right hand side to the first two beams. You can see this in the picture below.

This was my first problem, I had to now think of a material that would be light enough to not collapse under it’s own weight. However I also needed a material that would be durable enough to stand for at least 2 weeks. In then end, with advice from Cooper, I settled for Polystyrene beams. Even though they are not as durable as first hoped, they would be light enough to hold them selves up with little support.

These are three of the polyester beams set out to make one of the beams. I had to make sure that the beams spanned the length of the seating bank, which is 20 foot across. Laying it out like this meant that I was able to get the right angle so that I could cut out the supports and the edge of the polystyrene so that they would fit together. I did this three times to get all the top beams of the church.

The inside angle was measured at 40°, therefore, when cutting the supports I had to make sure that they were 40° so that they would line up perfectly with the beams and not look out of place. The picture to the right shows the marking out of the supports. I had to draw out 12 so that there would be enough for each beam (there would be 4 supports on each beams, 2 on each join). With help from Cooper (who showed me how to do the first one) I was able to draw out the rest of them to an accurate scale. I then used a Jig Saw to cut them out and used Adhesive Polyester glue to stick them together, placing stage weights on top to make sure that they stuck down. The adhesive glue took a while to stick; therefore I had to leave all the beams to dry overnight in the workshop before we were able to move them into the auditorium. Moving them into the auditorium was a struggle. It wasn’t that the beams were heavy; it was more the fact that they were extremely fragile and large, making them hard to manoeuvre. These 3 photos below show the stages of building the beams.

These are the tools that were used to build the beams. From top to bottom; • Protractor • Bugger flipper saw (we used the fine edge for a smoother cut) • Tape measure • Pencil • Set square All of these tools were important to make sure that the beams were made to the best standard. When sawing I had to make sure that it was straight, when measuring I had to be accurate. My pencil had to be sharp so that the line was as thin as it could be to be accurate. My lines had to straight so that I could make them line up. When cutting the wood I had to use a jig saw at the bed saw was too big for the small lines and a circular saw would not be accurate enough. The only problem I had when using the jig saw was making sure the line was straight. Because the jig saw is initially used to cut out shapes, it is easy to move away from the line. If there were a smaller circular saw, then it would have been easier to make sure the lines were straight. Overall, I thing that the supports came out well, it took a few attempts to get them right but overall they worked well and were able to support the structure.

These are photos of the 4 beams that hold up the main structure. They were made out of wood as it is more durable that polystyrene and would not have to hold themselves up as we can support them by drilling them into the floor. This meant that we were able to make these supports out of wood. That way the audience would not be able to pull chunks out of it and make them look horrible. The wood is more durable therefore a better material to use.  To make these, I had to cut out 12 strips of 2-inch wood each at 4.98 inches in width. This meant that they could all fit together to make a beam that was 5-inches all around, the same width as the polystyrene beams. To hold the beams together, we used Gorilla glue and a brad gun so that they were secure and would not fall apart. We added another set of supports to the top so that we could slide the polystyrene beams into it and glue them together.

The above photo shows the first beam that went in. this beam has support from both sides, however, we also used string to suspend it from the ceiling as well just so if the supports were to fail, the beam would not fall onto the audience. This was a very important measure for the other 2 beams as they only had support on one side.

These photos show the finished construction of the beams. After these photos were taken, the beams were painted and a cross was places upon the top of the church.

[cerys098blogbook]

Health and safety whilst working on the construction team

Ladder safety:

• Always have 3 points of contact with the ladder

• Stand facing forward on ladder. NEVER turn around and face away from the ladder

• If you are using tools up the ladder, make sure that people underneath the ladder footing it are wearing head protection e.g. Hard hats

• Make sure ladder is away from live wires (minimum of 6 meters horizontally)

• Only carry light tools or equipment up the ladder, heavy equipment must be lifted with a pulley device

• Make sure anyone who is using the ladder has had proper ladder training and is fully aware of the risks

• People footing the ladder should be concentrating on the person up the ladder and should not be on their phone or be using any other device that can distract them.

• Make sure the ladder is in good working condition, any loose bolts should be tightened, make sure the rungs are dry and free from grease and oil which can make them slippery, DO NOT use the ladder if any part of it is damaged or broken.

• Do not over reach. Guidelines state that your belt buckle or navel should stay in-between the stiles

• Do not overload the ladder. Make sure that you read the guidelines that state the maximum weight that the ladder can take.

These images are taken from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg455.pdf and show the correct and incorrect ways to use a ladder

Safety when using tools:

• Use the appropriate protection. For example, when cutting anything wear goggles. When welding wear a welding mask. When grinding metal, use a glove to stop sparks from burning your hand • Make sure training for tools is up to date and the person using the tools in the correct way. • Tools should be safety checked and maintained to a good standard, making sure that any tools that are broken. • If the tool sparks while you are using, stop use immediately and contact a electrician to get it checked (this mostly goes for tools that are plugged into the mains) • Avoid wearing loose clothing that can be caught in tools • Use the right tools for the right job, e.g. never use a screwdriver as a chisel • Do not use tools that have a ‘do not use’ sign on them. • Never stand in or around water when using tools • Make sure work area is well lit and you can see what you are doing at all times. • Never yank the cord; use and extension lead if needed. • Replace any cords that are frayed or damaged, do not tape them back together. • Disconnect any tools that are not in use

Workshop safety

• Wear appropriate clothing that will not get in the way of the job being carried out.• Keep the workshop clean and a safe place to work in. making sure everything is put away in the right place and not left on the floor• Clear up any spillages that happen immediately.• Tie back long hair that can get caught in machines.• Report any unsafe or worrying things to the workshop manager• Only use tools for their intended purpose, for example, never use the air compressor to clean machines or clothes.• Never distract someone who is using the machines• Place bags on the hooks and out of the way.• Never use big machines in the workshop if you have not had the proper amount of rest.

[cerys098blogbook]

Here is the team risk assessment that we all worked on

[cerys098blogbook]

Review on The Cherry Orchard

On Monday 9th November we went to Rose Bruford in Sidcup to go see their performance of The Cherry Orchard. A Russian playwright called Anton Chekhov originally wrote this play.

The set that was used was very minimalist, however the actors used it well. The one thing that stood out for me in the set was the large mobile hanging from the ceiling. This is the main thing that stood out to me as we entered the theatre. It looked very well constructed and also had little objects that linked in with the play hanging from it. They used the set very well considering there was hardly any of it and it was mainly made of props. They used a small stool for a lot of things as well as a small table and a large sofa. These were the main objects used in the play.

The lighting in the show was made up of a full rig of generic lights and one moving light. There was 1 Mac, 38 Parcans, 19 Fresnel’s and a few source 4 profiles. Since the lighting was very basic you didn’t need all moving lights and scrollers to set the mood. They used what they had very well and had programmed it so that the right mood was set and they didn’t have just one state for the entire show. One part that stood out for me was the one spot light that was focused on the old butler at the end of the show. It had been focused very well so that the light was directly on him and not focusing too much on anything else.

The sound used in the play was very good considering there were no major parts for the sound. A good thing they did was use sound as a constant backing to through out the entire play. This created the right atmosphere at appropriate times. When sad moments were happening, the music was very dark and low. However during happy scenes like the ballroom dance, the music was very upbeat and set a happy atmosphere.

A problem I had with the play was that it was hard to follow if you didn’t know what it was about or who each character was. I have never seen or heard or read The Cherry Orchard before, therefore I had no idea what was going on for the majority of the play. As well as that, I thought that some of the actors where unable to project there voices enough so that everyone could hear them. I know it is difficult because the theatre was an In the Round theatre. This meant that not everyone could hear what was being said all the time, especially those of us sitting in the upper circle of the theatre. This was very annoying and meant we could not experience the play to it’s full potential. This was disappointing and would probably not go back to see a show or pay to see and show there.

[cerys098blogbook]

Sound and lighting in a modern version

žIn my modern version, the sound a lighting will stay the same through out the play.

žFor lighting there will be a constant feeling of artificial light. To do this I would use a mix of electric lamps that would be on stage as well as Parcans with different coloured gels inside them. Such as a darkish yellow to great the effect of an inside light that has been on for a while and is losing it’s power. žI would also use dark gels on the background and possibly a gobo to make the effect outside gloomy. 

As for sounds, I would have a constant sound of rain in the background with the occasional thunderclap. I would also have sound effects for any props that need to make noise, such as the bottle and cork    

[cerys098-blog]

these are my costume designs for a modern version of Ghosts

[cerys098blogbook]

Modern props list

1. Small coffee table

2. On the table lies newspaper, iPad,

3. Small sofa

4. An office desk

5. Watering can

6. An arm-chair beside the table

7. A footstool

8. Laptop

9. Parcel

10. Bottle of wine or any bottle with a cork

11. Knitting needles and a half knitted scarf

12. Packet of cigarettes

13. Two bottles of beer or a bottle of wine and some glasses

14. Phone (to call them to get there attention)

15. Dining table

16. Electric lamp

17. Rucksack or shoulder bag

18. Packet of tissues

19. Small pocket sized box

[cerys098blogbook]

Props in Ghosts

In the middle of the room a round table, with chairs about it

On the table lie books, periodicals, and newspapers

small sofa

a worktable

empty garden syringe

an arm-chair beside the table

a footstool

a packet of papers

parcel

Bottle of wine or any bottle with a cork

Knitting and knitting needles

Cigar

Glasses

a tray with a half-bottle of champagne and two glasses

Bell

Dining table

Lamp

Traveling bag

Pocket handkerchief

Small pocket sized box

[cerys098-blog]

Modernising Ghosts

How the set could be modernised:

In the original story of Ghosts, it is set in a garden room in a large country house in the west of Norway during the 1880’s. There was very old furniture like this:

In modern day times, it would be more likely that it would be set in a conservatory on the back of a large house in the country, a house like this.

This is modern country house in West Norway. As you can see it would be brought by a family with lots of money, most likely of a high class just like the Alving’s. They would have a large conservatory looking out at the garden. The conservatory would be full of expensive furniture like this:

Modern costume that could be used in a modern version of Ghosts:

These are costumes that would have been worn when Ghosts was first written. to modernise it these clothes would have been worn:

This is the type of clothing that I think a modern Mrs. Alving would wear. These are modern clothes that higher class people wear in todays society. These clothes are made by designers across the world meaning they are very expensive and only the rich can afford them.

This is the costume I would put Oswald in. It is very smart costume that shows power and importance over others. Oswald is a character that is very high up in society because of his family line.

This is the costume that Regina the maid would wear. As you can see it is very similar to the costume from the original. That is because as time has past, the uniform of maid has pretty much stayed the same.

This is the type of clothing that I would dress Jakob Engstrand in. Since he is a drunkard and a man of low class, he doesn’t have money to buy expensive clothes like the Alving’s.

[cerys098blogbook]

Impact on original audience

The original audience watched the play only a year after it was written so they were still living in the era that it was written. This meant that the first performance shocked the audience and gave the play negative criticism and immediately generated strong controversy.

[cerys098blogbook]

Research into themes given in performance material

Why was ghosts written?

I believe that Ghosts was written because Henrik Ibsen wanted to express the emotions he was feeling when he was suffering from depression and was traveling around.  I feel as though Henrik Ibsen see's himself as Oswald Alving. Oswald was constantly traveling and falls in to a state of depression at the end of the play due to his illness.

Where was it written?

Henrik Ibsen wrote Ghosts whilst living in Rome, Italy. He had meditated about writing it in 1880, a year before he finally wrote it. He had wanted to write a play to follow his previous play, Dolls House.

Who was ghosts preformed by?

Ghosts was first preformed by a Danish touring company in the Chicago theatre in Chicago, Illinois in 1882. This was just one year after it was written and published.

What style was Ghost's written in?

Ibsen subtitled Ghosts as a "family friendly" "Realism" and "Tragedy". The fact that it was subtitled as "family friendly" is ironic considering the play is all about death and tragedy.

What is the theatre style and how is it portrayed?

Ghosts is preformed in a theatre style of "Realism". This is portrayed by the realistic set and how the actors are close to real life when preforming.

[cerys098blogbook]

This is the Chicago theatre in Chicago. This is where the play Ghosts was first preformed

[cerys098blogbook]

these are some of the clothes that people would have worn in the 1800's.

The top two photos are of clothes an upper class women would have worn. These are the clothes at Mrs. Alving would have worn during the play. They are very elaborate and stand out. The material they would have been made of would have been either silk or other very expensive materials

The middle photos are of clothes that a upper class man would have worn. In the play Oswald and Mr. Alving would have worn these. The clothes are also made of very expensive materials that are very likely to have been imported from countries like China or India

the final set of photos are of maid clothing. These are the clothes at Regina the maid would be wear. They are very basic and would be made very cheaply as maids were normally of lower or lower middle class.