The Art of Theatrical Design: Elements of Visual Composition, Methods, and Practice

Description

The Art of Theatrical Design: Elements of Visual Composition, Methods, and Practice addresses the core principles that develop the student designer into a true artist, providing a foundation that ensures success with each production design. This text concentrates on the skills necessary to create effective, evocative, and engaging theatrical designs that support the play contextually, thematically, and visually. It gives students the grounding in core design principles they need to approach design challenges and make design decisions in both assigned class projects and realized productions. This book features: In-depth discussions of design elements and principles for costume, set, lighting, sound, and projection designs Coverage of key concepts such as content, context, genre, style, play structure and format, and the demands and limitations of various theatrical spaces Essential principles, including collaboration, inspiration, conceptualization, script analysis, conducting effective research, building a visual library, developing an individual design process, and the role of the critique in collaboration Information on recent digital drawing tool technology, such as the Wacom® Inkling pen, Wacom® Intuos digitizing tablets and digital sketching, and rendering programs such as Autodesk® Sketchbook Pro and Adobe® Photoshop® Chapter exercises and key terms designed to provide an engaging experience with the material and to facilitate student understanding Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Part One Beginnings Chapter 1 What is Theatrical Design? What is Theatrical Design? What Do Designers Do? The Design Areas Theatrical Spaces and Their Impact on Design Proscenium Theatre Arena Theatre Thrust Theatre End Stage Black Box Theatre Courtyard Theatre Found Space Environmental Theatre Chapter 2 Form, Content, and Context What is Form? Content Chapter 3 Genre What is Genre? Tragedy Drama Comedy Farce Satire Tragicomedy Melodrama Musical Theatre Opera and Operetta Children’s Theatre Chapter 4 Style What is Style? Realism Naturalism Classicism Romanticism Stylization Expressionism Symbolism Futurism Theatre of the Absurd Epic Theatre: Didacticism and Brechtian Theatre Postmodernism The Influence of Style on Design Chapter 5 Dramatic Structure What is Dramatic Structure? The Elements of Dramatic Structure Story Plot Dramatic Action Conflict Character Theme and Meaning Balance Nontraditional Structure Part Two Elements of Design Chapter 6 Line What is a Line? Line Qualities Types of Line The Functions of Line Lines Define Shape Line Creates Value and Emphasis Line Can Communicate Feelings and Mood Line Can Create Direction and Movement Line Exercises Exercise #1: Exploring Expressive Line Exercise #2: Telling a Story with Line Chapter 7 Shape, Form, Mass, Volume, and Space What is Shape? Types of Shapes Composition Mass, Volume, and Space Positive and Negative Space Shape Exercise Positive and Negative Space Chapter 8 Value What is Value? The Value Scale Value and Color Ways That Value Can Be Created Value Exercise Value in Color Chapter 9 Color What is Color? The Physics of Color The Color Wheel and Color Theory Color Properties Color Schemes and Harmonies Color Symbolism Color Exercise Color Copy/Enlargement Chapter 10 Texture What is Texture? Types of Texture Texture Exercises Chapter 11 Creating the Illusion of Depth on a Flat Surface Why is It Important to Create the Illusion of Depth on a Flat Surface? Implied Space Format and Depth Creating the Illusion of Depth in a Two-Dimensional Composition The Renaissance System for Creating the Illusion of Depth Linear Perspective Perspective Exercise Creating a Perspective Grid Quickly with Photoshop Modeling Exercises Part Three Principles of Design Chapter 12 Unity and Variety What are Unity and Variety? Visual Unity Versus Conceptual Unity How Unity is Created Similarity Uniform Connectedness Proximity Alignment Continuation Closure The Law of Prägnanz Figure and Ground Chapter 13 Balance What is Balance? Symmetrical Balance Asymmetrical Balance General Principles of Informal Balance Radial Symmetry Occult Balance Crystallographic Balance Chapter 14 Repetition, Rhythm, and Pattern What is Repetition? Types of Repetition Rhythm Types of Rhythm Pattern Types of Pattern Lattices Spherical Spirals—Helices and Volutes Meanders Waves Branching and Circulation Polyhedron Tessellation and Symmetry Fractals Chapter 15 Scale and Proportion What are Scale and Proportion? The Human Body as Reference Internal Scale and Proportion The Hierarchy of Scale In Search of Ideal Proportions Scale in Theatrical Design Chapter 16 Emphasis and Subordination What are Emphasis and Subordination? Creating Emphasis Placement Contrast Isolation Part Four Core Principles for the Theatrical Designer Chapter 17 Collaboration What is Collaboration? Important Concepts—What Makes for a Successful Collaboration? Learn How to Listen Bring Your Own Ideas to the Table Do Your Homework Be Flexible and Adaptable Chapter 18 Analysis What is Analysis? Reading the Play General Questions to Ask of the Play Chapter 19 Conceptualization What is Conceptualization? The Design Concept Preliminary Work: What to Do before Coming Up with a Design Concept Inspiration Where Does Inspiration Come From? Creating a Personal Resource of Inspiration Cultivating the Creative Process and Generating Ideas Chapter 20 The Design Process What is the Design Process? Step One: The Script Step Two: The First Design Meeting Step Three: Going Back to the Script and Beginning Work Step Four: Preliminary Research Primary versus Secondary Research Presentation of Research Materials Step Five: Additional Design Meetings Step Six: Preliminary Sketches Step Seven: Final Drawings, Renderings, Projection Files, and Sound Cues The Design Process in the Classroom Chapter 21 The Role of the Critique What is a Critique? The Critique Process Description Analysis Interpretation Evaluation and Judgment Guidelines for a Successful Critique Chapter 22 Drawing as Our Common Language What is Drawing? How Drawing Can Be Used by a Designer Personal Notation Preliminary Sketches or Rough Drawings Detail Drawings Final Drawings The Mechanics of Drawing Learning to See Translating a Three-Dimensional Object to a Flat Surface The Anatomy of Light The Four Basic Shapes Spheres Cubes Cylinders Cones Drawing Media Dry Media Liquid Media Mixed Media Chapter 23 Rendering What is a Rendering? Surfaces Color Media Colored Pencils Tools and Supplies Techniques Acrylics Types of Acrylics Important Things to Remember about Acrylics Mixing Colors Brushstrokes Paint in Sections Working in Layers Mixed Media Digital Demonstration: Digital Painting with Adobe Photoshop Some Tips for Working with Layers Part Five Individual Design Areas Chapter 24 Costume Design What is Costume Design? A Brief History The Functions of Costume Creating and Defining the Character Information Communicated by Costume Gender Age Health Personality and Mood Culture Time Period Time of Year Location Social Status Occupation Character Changes and Development Questions to Ask/Where to Start Character Analysis Basic Costume Elements The Art of the Costume Designer Costume Exercises Project #1: Research Project Project #2: Art as Inspiration Chapter 25 Scene Design What is Scene Design? A Brief History The Functions of Scenery Basic Scenery Elements Three-Dimensional Scenery Soft Units Set Decoration and Properties Questions to Ask/Where to Start The Scene Designer’s Art Scene Design Exercises Developing a Central Image Chapter 26 Lighting Design What is Lighting Design? A Brief History The Controllable Qualities of Light Intensity and Brightness Color Distribution Movement The Functions of Light Visibility Setting the Scene Creating Focus Establishing Mood and Atmosphere Modeling Form Creating Visual Compositions Staging the Story Creating Rhythm Supporting the Visual Style of the Production The Art of the Lighting Designer Lighting the Actor versus Lighting the Stage Types of Light Script Analysis—General Questions to Ask of the Play Additional Concerns for the Lighting Designer Lighting Design Exercise Observing Light in Compositions or Spaces Chapter 27 Sound Design What is Sound Design? A Brief History The Controllable Qualities of Sound The Functions of Sound Script Analysis—General Questions to Ask of the Play Other Things to Consider Function Intent Onstage Action Emotion and Contrast Style Appropriateness The Art of the Sound Designer Sound Design Exercises Exercise #1: Noticing Sounds in an Environment Exercise #2: Visualizing Individual Sounds Chapter 28 Projection Design What is Projection Design? A Brief History The Five Main Components of Projections The Controllable Qualities of Projections Relating to the Image Relating to the Projection Method The Function of Projections Types of Projections and Common Projectors Projection Types Projectors Content Generation Finding Images versus Creating Images The Art of the Projection Designer Script Analysis—General Questions to Ask of the Play Additional Concerns for the Projection Designer Projection Design Exercise Glossary Bibliography Index