Set Design and Construction: how do I make a wall disappear?

how do I make a wall disappear?

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3277
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 9:11am
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Topic: how do I make a wall disappear?

Posted By: Sweeney
Subject: how do I make a wall disappear?
Date Posted: 7/05/08 at 10:38am

Hi everyone-

A few months back I asked if anyone knew how to create a self starting fireplace for our set for I HATE HAMLET. Thanks for all the ideas, but sadly we got a new fire marshall in our city and he shut us down on even using a lighted cig. So that sucks.

Now I am trying to build the set, and one of the things the director has asked is that he wants the walls of the entire set(which is 18ft high) to look like white walls and then change to look like castle brick for the big change-over. I have asked 3 lighting designers and they are clueless.

Any suggestions or creative ideas on how to pull this off?

Sweeney

Replies:

Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 7/05/08 at 11:21pm

Use a scrim, I'm sure Vicki Franks [member here] will help you out.

Especially with her Cameleon panel fabric scrim.

Then it is only a transposition of the Lighting.

is it a box set? If it is, it can be achieved just as easily, in same manner.

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com/set_home.html - http://www.studio-productions-inc.com/set_home.html

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

Posted By: DFTDONNA
Date Posted: 7/07/08 at 4:06pm

Get a gobo of a castle or of brick and shine it on your white walls. It totally changes the look. Good luck

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 7/21/08 at 1:44pm

Hi Sweeney,

There are really a few things you can do with a scrim to get white walls to change into brick walls.

The first is front or rear projection. You can project just brick with a gobo or two like http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/member_profile.asp?PF=1171&FID=1 - DFTDONNA suggests...or you can project the entire brick castle.

The second way is a shadow projection of a built castle wall behind the scrim. You will see the shadow of turrets or a castle outline. A variation of this allows the castle outline to look like its on fire. The 'built castle' can be a cutout of luan to scale or a small miniture--depending on whether you project the shadow or show it in silhouette.

The third way is to paint the castle on a cutout and reveal the cutout behind the scrim. This 'reveal effect' means you light the cutout behind the scrim causing it to appear suddenly. Prior to reveling the cutout you light the scrim which causes the white scrim (your white walls) to appear.

Keep in mind that white walls need not be boring--with our scrim they can be curved walls, or can have windows projected on them, or even be printed (cheaper than people think).

Let me know if this helps!

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http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: Sweeney
Date Posted: 7/22/08 at 2:35pm

Wow, thanks. i'm working with the lighting designer to work with the scrim idea. That would work the best to create a nice 'reveal' from modern to stone. We start buidling next week, so I'm excited to get started. When we have our I HATE HAMLET set built, I'll post some pics.