Fin.

now my set was finally finished, over all i am really pleased with the outcome. I feel that i have achieved in changing the genre of my Brother Grimms tale Ashputtel to Film Noir. I really enjoyed the research side to the project and found it fascinating looking at all the old films and even the contemporary ones. I did struggle with the Technical drawings and have discovered that mathematics is not my strong point but now i have developed a skill that i can use in the future if i do need to scale something down or up. I adored making my lamp post and i feel that it has turned out really well and is very effective. With my model box it was the first time i have ever made anything like this so i know that maybe some of my edges are slightly wonky and i could have made the whole thing a little neater but overall i feel this project has been a learning curbs as i have been totally taken out of my depths and i have struggled with some aspects but i did get there in the end and i feel proud with what i have achieved.

the end is near.

All that was left to complete now was my background. In my design i wanted brick work as my bottom section, which i could have drawn out and painted but this would have looked to 2 dimensional and boring really. When looking at the Dolls house accessories i found small wallpaper that was a red brick that could of work but then i found the perfect solution, i found brick work that was plastic and 3 dimensional and i felt it would look very interesting and different as it looked like it had been cut out a section of wall. It was the colour of red brick but was a flat colour and had no tone whats so ever so using darker and lighter colours i added depth and tone. Now my set was altogether i just felt that using the fire escape in the background and windows would still make the stage look over crowded, so i deiced to make a drastic change last minute change and have a black background with just New York style windows cut out with an glow of a light behind, just i feel this would create a more dramatic effect with still looking like a street. This also fits in with my genre with the Film Noir lighting .

My set was now coming together i had my bins, i had made and paint my lamp post and my concrete flooring and my model box was constructed and dried. And now all that was left to complete was the finishing columns of the model box and then to cover all the joins and messy sections on the model so it looks very neat. So going back to my technical drawing i began to make my columns. to create the curve the foam board wont bend so i would have to make an even incisions just through to the card to that its able to bend round, then i pinned in place and glued. As the curve looked messy with all the incisions i covered like the rest of my model in black card just to finish it off.

The flooring.

Next was to create the concrete effect pavement, as i had used Dolls house furniture and accessories before i found these perfect rectangle wood blocks that were the exact size and shape that i wanted for my floor they are seen above. Now i just had to paint the tiles, i looked at photography i had looked at in my research for what shades the concrete was. I started off painting every tile a pale gray colour once dried i went round the edges and tops dry brushing with a darker grey, when that had dried i went over the top with a lighter grey to give the concrete tone and depth. Now that was dried the tiles look to neat to be a pavement so using slightly watered down black paint and a small brush i flick specks of paint over the tiles to create a used and dirty appearance. The lamp post i had previously wouldn't of been able to stand up by it self so working out the position i glue it to one of the tile to create a base so it would stand up. The tiles where paint and ready but i felt it would have looked messy if they were places freely and would not be practical when used in the theatre for a set change, so i decided to mount the tiles to a piece of black foam board so the hole floor could be moved in one piece. using the tacky glue i have previously used i equally spaced the tiles and glued them in place. The flooring was finished and my set was now coming together.

The next step would be to make my lamp post, first of all i didn't really know where to start in making my lamp post it was going to be very detailed and had to still fit the scale. My first ideas was maybe to use a tube and build up around it and shape and sculpt the detail maybe using something like Milliput as it would be strong and would take paint well, but when i found my bins i can across different pieces of turned wood that would be use as banisters in dolls house and decorative features seen above and that when i had the idea of playing around with all the different piece sawing section of different parts and hot gluing it all together to build up my lamp post it was perfect, so i started to saw of different sections and play around with it all until i came up with my final structure and i hot glued it all together. Next tho i faced a problem i didn't really know how i was going to be able to create the curved top where the light hangs from, so i had to experiment with different materials as seen above which where a piece of wire twisted round and bent, which would of worked as it was to heavy compare to the wood, then a arm of a candle stick from a previous project but again as it was metal it was to heavy and i was unable to glue it to the wood and to be honest it was out of proportion to the rest of the lamp post. I had to turn back to my research to see if there was any lamp posts that where up right but there wasn't but there was ones that instead of curved it came straight out at an right angle. so using left over piece from what i had used before i just created a different shaped lamp post and this really worked its seen in picture 5. Now i just left the lamp post to fully dry and then i could paint it, using Acrylic paint i mixed up black and a midnight blue to create the of black colour i wanted and then evenly painted the lamp post. When painting the light i felt it would look better with a glow as if it was on at night so referring back to my research i mixed together a mustard yellow and white to create a glowing light, i made the bottom of the light darker to create a age to the lamp as there would of been dirt gathering up at the bottom which would cause the glow to be darker in this area. Now my lamp post was finished i went on to making my signs. Using a strong white card i measured out the sign in proportion to the lamp and then painted. for the fine detail and metal trimming i used a fine liner black pen and a silver gel pen, which was very effective. I wrapped the card signs around the lamp and glued using the glue i had previously glued my box with and that was it my lamp post was complete.

In my design i have my bins and the lampost that i would have to make, i have made things like the bins before but i just dont feel that i wouldnt know where to start with making them luckily i stumbked across dolls house furniture, it is at 1:25 scale and i found the peferct bins that i need as seen in the picture above. They were exactly what i wanted and even had little rubbish inside obviously i would have to remove the black plasic as the black bin bags wasnt around in the 1950's. The only thing it that the bins looked to new and pristine so i would have to scruff them up and maybe add a little black paintt randomly to make the bin look slightly battered and old.

The next step .

Now all the section where cut out and my stage was made I could start to glue it all together I was going to use a normal P.VA glue but I came across a glue called Tacky glue which was similar time P.V.A except it dried a lot quicker which was perfect as I need the glue to be strong and not take hours to dry. I then carefully glued all the pieces together around the stage and pinned in place and left to dry.

The making begins.

Now i had my measurements i could start to make my black model box. As I had taken a large amount of time on my Technical drawings I was now behind so I didn't have time to physically to make a white card model so i made the decision to take a huge risk and went straight into the black foam card model. before I started I did have a practice of the joins, scraping the foam away down to the card to create a neat join. Now I could start to measure out the base of my box from my technical drawing i had the measurements but at 1:50 scale so all I had to do was multiply the measurement by to 2 to get the create measurement for the box. Using a metal ruler and a Sharpe pencil and started to measure out, when i had my first piece I used a scalpel and a cutting mat and carefully sliced down the lines i had marked out. I carried out this process for all the pieces until i had all the basic sections. The first part I started gluing together was the stage, when I had the top section cut out I need to channel line out along the piece so I would be able to slide in structural pieces in tightly all along the bottom of the stage for support this is seen above.

lets get technical.

Now my designs are finished and worked out i need to work out the measurements of the theatres technical drawings that we have been given and change it to the scale we have been given to work from and the size of what my model box should be as we are working from a 1:25 scale. The first step was to measure the main stuctual lines starting with a middle point. To convert the measurements from the technical drawing that we have been given to my technical drawing i will need to work out the scale factor. To do this i have to divide an actual measurement of the theatre by a meausrement from the drawing and this equals the scale factor for exapmle mine was for plan A (8235 mm / 70 mm = 1:117.64286) now i had this could start my drawing. To be honest i did really struggle with the drawings and i had to start over a couple of times but i managed to get there in the end, above are to scans of the drawings of the theatre with my measurements and a few of my workings out. As the scale was 1:25 this would have not fitted on a A2 piece of paper so i had to half the scale again and make it into a 1:50 scale just for my drawing to do this i would have to do this sum for each measurement from the drawing for example ( measurement from drawing x 117.64286 / it by 25 then by 2 = scale measurement for my drawing.) overall i found this very complicated and i did struggle but i did get there in there end and i now know how to use scale and create a technical drawing in the future as i have learnt different techniques for example when drawing a curve its easier to create and equal graph over the curve and then plot crosses where the curve meets the lines, once i got the hang of this i found it easy to draw a neat curve this is seen in the drawings above.

Composition

Here as i said before I am working out composition, just to find out the right position of the lamp post and where it looks best. Now looking at all three images it has become clear which composition i feel personally works best and that is image two. I feel that the shape it creates frames the scene perfectly, it will create room for the main character to move about and be able to create an interesting performance. It will also be able to help create the appearance of walking down a street as the character can walk along to the lamp post. Overall I'm really pleased with composition and design , i feel it will work well in my model box.

4.

This is my last design as i feel this one works the best. I think the composition looks neat and it all seems to fit into place, the bottom section of the set is not crowded and i don't think it will take away or take over what is happening it this scene, also i don't think the dress will look swamped.I have my main objects that create the appearance of New York city and I will also be having my lamp post I have previously design but this is what I'm going to do next is work composition with the acetate I have photocopied. Now I have added colour think with the light grey pavements and the mahogany brick mixed with the darkness of the fire escape it creates an interesting contrast between colours.

From my previous research i have taken it in to consideration and come up with my own interpretation of a old New York lamp post. I really like this design i feel that it achieves the overall style and appearance i wanted for my set, i think the signs work really well and this also fits into my scene as i feel that the dress will look interesting hanging from on of the signs. With the colours i do like the blue but i think that its to light, i feel that a black with a hint of dark blue would work better as with Film Noir lighting it would look better as a darker silhouette.I am now going to photocopy my drawing onto acetate so that when i have decided my final set design i can play around with composition.

lamp posts .

From my last design i found that a lamp post in my final set would be very effective but i hadn't really research what they looked like or the style of them. Here are a few images of some slightly different styles of lamp posts, what i have found is that they were very decorative. I really like these styles particularly the first image, i love the combination of the stylish lamp post and the bold, block colour metal street signs i just think that the contrast between the two is interesting and it achieve the New York appearance I'm looking for. Now I'm going to design a lamp post for my set using this research.

3.

I liked the idea of the shop front so here i was exploring with a shop window and maybe neon lighting, but i really don't think that this works very well, it doesn't have the New york appearance I'm aiming for it looks as if it could be any city. The only thing that i personally think works is the lamp post i really think that it gives the impression of New York and i think that i will defiantly use one in my final design and i will need to create though a further understanding of what lamp posts looked like in the 1950's.

2.

This is my second design, and i have played around with stairs, similar to before when i first started playing around with set ideas with Ashputtel. i think this is quite effective i like the dimensions it creates and plays around with the eye as it gives the illusion of space, but like before i feel it could maybe take away from what is taking place in the scene and i feel that the dress hanging up could get lost in a busy set like this. I do really like the art deco style windows though, it gives an age to the set and creates a convincing 1950's.

and the design process begins..

Here is my first design. from my research i have used different objects that i have discovered such as the fire escape and lamp posts. in this design i have used a news stand as the focal point which i really like and could be potentially very effective, yet it just doesn't feel right and i don't think it is sleek enough to fit the Film Noir genre. i do like the basic structure tho like the pavement and brick work and i really do think that the lamp post works it just gives the impression of a city.

Fire escapes seem to be popping up quite a bit in photography and if i am going to set my location on the street then i am going to have to use a fire escape i think as i feel it would not look right without one as they are seen everywhere in the city. I also really like the structural aspect of the fire escape i think its interesting and could be really effective in my set, if i did use one i think that i would make it black as it would be really striking if i had some kind of brick work against it.

signs

The next object that i am interested in incorporating into my final design are signs. These style of signs are seen everywhere and i believe if i didn't have them in my set it would not look complete or authentic. Like with the bins there are different styles and colours but the font stays the same no matter what. There never is just one sign on it own it is always just two or up to five even to six, as well they come in different lengths. Also there are a range of colours from green, red, black and blue but overall i think that the green is recognisable and this will be the colour that i will use if i decide that signposts is what i want in my set. In my chosen scene Ashputtel plants a tree in memory of her mother and when shes invited to the ball she prays to her mothers tree for a gown to wear and one appears hanging from a branch of the tree, if i decided to use the signs this could be what the gown could hang from and would fit into my Film Nior genre. Also from looking at the signs it reminded me off a children's show that is based in New York city which i could research as it would be helpful to see how other people interpret the city, this program is Sesame street.

its all Trash..

Bins was one of the main items that has popped up during my research into N.Y and i think it is a simple and effective image but the question is which type, style and colour? Here are a few photos of different bins in N.Y, the traditional silver standard bin with a lid and handles, there is an emerald green colour that is seen on the second image and few different items throughout the streets on lampposts, doors and railings it seem to be this colour, it is used allot in the city and then there are the bins that are silver and mesh metal but overall i just think that the first and last images are just classics and would have most defiantly been around in the 1950's and i just think that audiences would recognise and associate this style of bin with this city. When it comes to making i will have to research model making books to explore different ways to make the bin but an idea i could consider is to look into dolls house accessories as they are the same scale as the model 1:25.

In my previous research new york signs and typography are crucial, I've decided that i will need some sort of signs in my set to give a authentic new york city appearance. I found a book called 'Graphiscape, New York' by Vartanian, Ivan. This book was full of different aspects that makes new york, new york and a few pages that showed many different styles and types the signs come in but many of these signs seen above are to modern for the look and period I'm trying to achieve.I really do see potential in the first image tho as they are very Art Deco 1920's.