Set Design and Construction: Large Flat Wall

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Large Flat Wall

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=4638
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 3:08am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Large Flat Wall

Posted By: jeffspec
Subject: Large Flat Wall
Date Posted: 5/24/10 at 3:28pm

hi.

my name is jeff. i direct plays in unusual places. i live in new york.

my current project is unusual for me because it demands a large set piece. to be exact, i have to create a life-like drive-in movie screen.

it wouldnt be such a huge deal if i could build it like a real screen. unfortunately i can not anchor into anything, which means i need to build a 40-foot wall with a lot of sandbags.

does anyone have any suggestions off the bat? the dimensions are 28 tall by 40 wide. i can make the supporting truss at the back at any angle. also, i can not guy line it from the top: the screen has to be freestanding.

could i get away with building dozens of flats and zipping them together, then propping them up with oversized jackstands? seems crazy to me.

any pointers greatly appreciated. i guess what i'm asking for more than anything is: can anyone point me to a guide for making a 30 x 40 foot wall?

thanks!

j

Replies:

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 5/24/10 at 9:57pm

I don't know that I would want to go with wood for a wall that big. It might be better to build it a steel structure and stretch fabric on it. I would need a lot of help. If you are outside that thing will be a huge sail no matter what you build it out of. Lots of bags would be a start, but you might also design a way to strike the fabric quickly in case the wind comes up.

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David M

Posted By: gelcat
Date Posted: 5/25/10 at 9:37am

do you have access to scaffolding? This would create a much more stable backing for 'free standing' items, as well as a safer place to work off of. You could then stretch fabric to create your screen.

Depending on your budget, you should be able to rent that easily in NYC, and even be able to get the ventilated fabric that is LESS of a sail.

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www.actorsguildonline.org
Actors Guild of Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV

Posted By: bmiller025
Date Posted: 5/27/10 at 11:33am

I think a custom-built steel frame is required for that dimension. I also think gelcat's suggestion of scaffolding would be the cheapest solution for supporting the device, along with heavy-duty guy wires. Perforated fabric is also a must at that size. Any wind at all will generate astounding and very dangerous shearing forces, even with the perforated fabric.

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http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm

Posted By: musicdebbie
Date Posted: 9/06/10 at 12:43pm

I am talking about a flat that is wooden but having a castor base so I turn it around

Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 9/06/10 at 1:42pm

The wall you imagine would be frought with so many dangers and mechanical disasters, given the SIZE and overall MASS of such a construction. To keep it stable the base would have to be almost as large as the wall itself, and the casters you imagine would have to be something resembling small truck tires to support all that weight. I'm assuming a wall 40 feet wide and 28 feet tall (not 30' because the 4' X 8' sheets come out even and uncut at that size), estimating 70 sheets of plywood - 35 per side - with a steel framework between them. LOTS of weight there. Think about turning a three story building in high wind. How much trouble would that be? The problems you would encounter doing that would be very similar, only the BUILDING would be a whole lot more stable, with its wider base and higher mass.

This would be an engineering nightmare, and probably not a good idea from the perspective of your audience's safety, but I wish you all the luck in finding a solution. Personally, I'd come up with another concept and try to avoid the potential disaster and all the lawsuits that may involve.

P.S. I see now (AFTER posting this) that we have two DIFFERENT threads going with this discussion and I've responded to MIXED information (thanks, musicdebbie). Oh well. Some of this still applies to the original question. Sorry for the confusion.

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Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 9/06/10 at 5:02pm

Originally posted by musicdebbie

I am talking about a flat that is wooden but having a castor base so I turn it around

I'm not sure how this response got into this thread, but I do have story about flats with wheels in the bottom rail. These flats were in the scene dock of the Tibbits Opera House (1889?). I don't remember exactly how tall they were, but they were probably 10'-12' high and 6'-8' wide. The top rail was only about 1/2" thick. The bottom was ~1 1/2" with 2 wheels mortised into into it. The craftsmanship was beautiful. The balance was so good that I could easily roll that flat across the stage by myself. A picture of the 2 flats can be found http://techshop.net/Theater/Venues/tibbits/index.html - HERE

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David M