S E T D E S I G N F O R T H E B U D D I N G S C E N I C D E S I G N E RE R I K C H O C I A N O W S K I

MY NOW, SOMEWHAT FEASIBLE IDEA

WHAT IS THEATRICAL SET DESIGN?

• It is the creation of scenery and pieces that tell a story in a theatrical production.• As any aspect of a production, the quality of the

set design could be helpful or harmful to the overall success.

CHALLENGESTATEMENT

• Designing a set can be difficult for high school students and higher level skills such as modeling may not come so easily to these budding artists.

• How else can students get practical experience in designing a set?

• Can a technologically mediated environment offer benefits not present in traditional techniques?

“I don’t know why but my set design turned into math equations!” -confused

OBJECTIVES

• At the completion of this, students should be able to:• Explore set design to try coming up with

solutions to design challenges.• Logically evaluate their work as well as the work

of other students within the environment.

SOLUTION: SECOND LIFE

• Second life offers an active and practical approach to learning set design.

• Students can work inexpensively and relatively easily in designing and modeling.

• Students can bring skills they use in Second Life into the first world.

WHY SECOND LIFE THOUGH?

• Second Life is an immersive environment, social, and is fairly easy to learn how to use. Besides some shortcomings between it and reality (gravity), there is an obvious bridge that exists between the two

• Some programs (3d Studio Max, AutoCAD, CAD) are used for some complex projects, with all that potential, the robust programs have a slightly steeper learning curve.

You can literally do ANYTHING…

MY P.O.A.(PLAN OF ACTION)

• Step One: The environment• The visual

spaces I’d like to make is a large, proscenium theater with a small thrust. This is the most common type of stage for high schools.

STEP TWO: THE PIECESWHAT GOES ON THE STAGE?

• Here I am a little conflicted and I have two possible outcomes.

• I could have students create set pieces for a show and manipulate them and lay them out the way they see fit…OR

• I can have a stock supply of set pieces that I share with students and they pick and choose and manipulate them to come up with a design plan.

STEP THREE: WHAT WOULD STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW

• Students would need to have a basic understanding of design principles, as learned in my Edmodo learning environment, TheatreTEK.• If students make everything, they would need to

learn how to construct objects in Second Life or bring objects in from other programs.• Either way, students would then need to learn

how to move, scale, and alter the properties of objects. • Using the camera and snapshots would allow

students to get screen shots of their design.

WHAT WOULD MOTIVATE STUDENTS?

• Given the fact that students understand the importance of planning, students would see the benefit of making set design models in a virtual space. • Students will also have the chance to socialize.

The design field is a social one! If students were all skilled at modelling, getting together, sharing input with their peers may still be a little difficult. Now it can happen easier and instantaneously.

WHAT I HOPE TO COME AWAY WITH

• I’d like to make an immersive environment where students can play with designs and be informal; let their creative ideas run wild. • At the end of the day, students can create a set

design and use their plan in their creation of an actual theatrical set. • And if I can throw a racecar in there for students

to test drive…all the better!