Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: General Set Construction

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mary051756
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Posted: 2/01/08 at 8:55am

Thanks, Marty - you're advice was exactly what I was looking for.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” EMERSON

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dboris
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Posted: 2/04/08 at 12:30pm

My theater used to use muslin flats but we use luan now. One of the biggest problems I ran into with muslin is that it's easy to damage and once damaged, hard to repair. The luan flats are much more durable, and holes can easily be patched up.

Dan

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dboris
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Posted: 2/04/08 at 12:38pm

Originally posted by MartyW

With that being said, you have another decision to make before you can start building you flats do you want “Flat” flats or what some call “Hollywood” or “TV” flats.

This is another interesting discussion. I have done both at my theatre and there are definitly pluses and minus to both. As you said the Hollywood flats are thicker so they do take up more storage space, but the wide frame does make attachment easier. The one area where they can be a little tricky is when you are doing a outside corner that is not 90 degrees. This is a little easier to do with 'flat' flats.

Dan

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JoeMc
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Posted: 2/05/08 at 12:03am

I agree soft flats are easy to damage the skin, however I have found the hard flats become damaged more frequently. Which usualy occurs during striking & bump outs. With the soft after unlash or whatever, they can be just allowed to fall on to the stage. The air is compressed under the skin & forms a cushion for the last foot or so, so the flat gently settles onto the deck. Making it easier to strike. While the hard flats tend to get damaged thru handling or being droped.

I actualy find it esier to patch a soft flat, using a strip of calico & virtualy invisable mending. With the board damage on hard ones, to me no matter how they are repaired, it always catches my eye, as being repaired.

Years ago at little country town, in the bush, about 200KM from Perth. I reskinned a few canvas flats. Orginal they were built by the Fuller Theatre & last used on 'No No Nannette' in 1926. This was the last national tour of the Fuller Theatre, which closed altogether in 1930. The flats were flogged off at the end of the tour in Perth, to various other theatres, finaly winding up in a country town.

Upon removing the canvas & skins of poster paint. Which was virtualy a board made of paint & size glue. The canvas was still in tact & undamaged.

I used calico [muslin] & they are still being used, after 20 years.

I think because most bods handling soft flats tend to be more cafefull, than when handling hard flats, may be the reason for the damage to the hard flats.

Calico once painted, using acrilic paint, builds up a tough skin.

I have never worked Luan or even spoken to her! I'm sure she is easy to work with & a lot prefer this method. But in our gaff world, ease of handling creates less problems all round - but thay is just my experiance!

I used to buy 100 Weight bales of end of loom runs & off cuts, which was cheap, from upholstry suppliers. Unfortunatly they have stopped suppling them like this these days & prefer to flog it off the rolls.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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MartyW
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Posted: 2/05/08 at 9:46am

Originally posted by dboris

The one area where they can be a little tricky is when you are doing a outside corner that is not 90 degrees. This is a little easier to do with 'flat' flats.

Not an overly elegant fix, but what I usually do when I have an "off angle" is to use an appropriate sized board (1x4's usually work) to run up the outer seam and create a flat edge...

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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JoeMc
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Posted: 2/05/08 at 2:18pm

Here is something that is creaping in from TV these days.

Scene or stageboard;-

http://www.theatricalsupplies.com.au/sceneboard.html

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Aimee
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Posted: 2/06/08 at 12:31am

I have used muslin for my flats partly because it is what I have always used, but have been debating switching over. I like the lightness of the muslin, but like many I do not care for the "wiggle" you sometimes get with doors closing. Pros and cons to both I suppose....

Aimee

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JoeMc
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Posted: 2/06/08 at 6:41am

The wiggle or flap, is easy fixed, by setting door flats independant of the other wall flats. This done by placing the door flat by an overlapping minimal gap, either up or down stage of the adjacent flat. The punters can't see the gap & the door can be banged shut as much as they can. To me this is normal practice, even with hard flats being used, rather than door or wodow flats being connected & attached to the other flats in planning the set out.

Even if headers & tail flats are used, with two jopgger flats as a casement framing the door or window.

Therefore the door or window are a stand alone flat within a set.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Topic: General Set Construction( Topic Closed)
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