Lecture 23 - The Visual Designers

Today, the subject is visual designers. When I speak of a visual designer, I am primarily referring to three individuals: the scenic designer, the costume designer, and the lighting designer. There is a fourth person, the properties master, that I should mention as well. "Properties" in this context refers to two different things. Firstly, it refers to any furniture or decorative pieces that appear on the set, which are called set props. Props is the shortened form of properties. Secondly, it refers to props that are handled by the actors, which are called hand props. The properties master is responsible for hand props as well. In some cases, the property master may work with the set designer to find furniture and decorative pieces, and in other cases, they may work with the costume person, or they may work independently. For example, if a character needs to fire a gun during the play, the character needs to have a hand prop gun, which is appropriate for the time and period of the play. The property master is responsible for finding the correct gun in this case. However, they will collaborate with the other three designers, primarily the scenic and costume designers. In essence, we are discussing anything that appears on the stage and provides a visual dimension. From the moment the curtain goes up or the lights turn on, visual signals are being sent to the audience. This includes everything we see, including the set, the lights that make everything visible, and the artistic decisions made by the designers. The script guides these decisions, as designers aim to choose elements that are appropriate for the production and convey a message or signal about the play and its characters. These principles apply to theater, film, and television, as visual designers work across these mediums. Now, I will present you with 12 objectives and discuss each one. These objectives act as guides for the designers when making artistic decisions. They help answer questions like: What signals or information do I want to give the audience? What do I want them to understand or perceive? Let's explore each objective. Objective 1: Help establish the historical period and geographic location. This objective mainly applies to scenery and costumes. Not all plays take place in the present time or in our local region or country. Therefore, for a play set in another time period, the characters need to be dressed in a manner that reflects that particular era. Similarly, for plays set in different geographic locations, the scenery and costumes should accurately represent those places. (Note: The paragraphing has been adjusted for better readability, and [Music] has been deleted as per the instructions.) Anywhere in the world, or in some cases, out of this world, there will have to be decisions made about what these people wear and what the environment looks like in which these characters inhabit. Therefore, scenery and costumes begin to tell us something about the historical period in which this particular play is set. The historical period could even be the 1980s, for example, because what people wore in the 1980s is not necessarily the same as what they are wearing in the 21st century. If it's a set, maybe the colors chosen reflect the 1980s and may not be the same colors that are popular in the present day. So, the first objective is to help set the historical period and geographic location. The second objective is to help establish the place as interior or exterior. This seems fairly obvious, but it is usually an objective that scenery and lights, and in some cases, costumes, attempt to achieve. When you see the set visibly lit, you will know whether you are inside or outside. Lights can begin to convey this by showing how they come through windows or trees, indicating whether it's an interior or exterior setting. Tied into this objective is setting the time of day, whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening. Primarily, lights accomplish this, but costumes may also contribute to establishing the time of day. We know that what we wear in the morning may not be the same thing we wear in the evening if we're going somewhere. Therefore, costumes can help differentiate between different times of day. However, lights play a major role here because morning light looks different from afternoon light, which, in turn, looks different from evening or night light. The fourth objective is to help set the mood, tone, and style of the production. This is true for all three elements: scenery, costumes, and lights. As soon as the play begins, visually, these elements will tell the audience what kind of play it is, what kind of world the characters are in, and what style the production is taking. The tone and mood can be conveyed through the colors chosen for the sets, costumes, and lights. A light and funny play will have different colors than a serious and dark one. Therefore, color choices immediately indicate the mood, tone, and style of the production. The fifth objective is to indicate the nature of the individual character or group. This includes giving some idea of their status in society, whether they are rich or poor, and perhaps their occupation. It also helps in portraying their personality. When a character appears on stage, their dress reflects the designer's or designer and director's intention to convey certain aspects of the character's nature. Consultation with the director has made certain very specific decisions about who this character is, what kind of person this character is. And at this point, then, in some way or the other, the designer will begin to convey this information to you, begin to give you some idea about who this particular person is. This is something that certainly, in many ways, carries over into everyday life. And maybe we don't often realize, but of course, we choose our own personal clothing frequently by the kind of person we are, by the personality that we have. And so, without our even realizing it, we then choose certain clothes to wear, some certain colors to wear, certain styles to wear, because we want to convey by our visual look. We want to convey to other people who we are. Well, we may not necessarily always be aware that we're even doing this in our everyday lives, but a costume designer is very much aware of this. And the costume designer will indeed make those choices based on what kind of information that the designer wishes to give the audience, to give the audience the clues about the individual, about the personality, about who this individual is, in some way or the other. Also, the set will begin to convey some idea about the story, of the individuals. So, here we begin immediately to begin to get information about the world in which this particular play is going to take place. Number six: Show relationships among the characters. This is going to be true usually of scenery and costumes. It is going to be especially true frequently among costumes. And that is that in some way or the other, the costume designer will begin to show you that the characters are going to be aligned by using the same color range or the same color of some kind, so as to begin to tell you these particular characters belong together in some way or the other. Or the set, perhaps, will be painted in certain kinds of colors to indicate that certain characters belong in certain places on the set and other characters belong other places or whatever. So that what we have here, then, is through then especially color and perhaps line or in some cases maybe even texture, we will find then that characters begin to align themselves in some way or the other. And that these relationships are being shown to us so it to help us keep straight who they are and what their various relationships are. Number seven: Create an environment for the characters that is remember, of course, this is the fictive world. Now, within this fictive world, these characters live. So, therefore, now we have to create an environment. And this is going to be done mainly by scenery and by lights. But create an environment which is going to be appropriate for these particular characters to live in. This may be something which is very close to reality, and that is, we look at it and we, as in almost the same way as we do a photograph, and we immediately recognize it, and someway the other, and so, that tells us one thing. Or maybe it's something, or maybe it's a piece of fantasy, or maybe it's a piece of science fiction in some way or the other. In this particular case, then, the environment may not look like anything that belongs in our reality. But whatever it is, the world that is being created here, through the colors, the line, the mass, whatever the color, the world that is being created here is appropriate for those particular characters to inhabit. So, create an environment for the characters to live. Number eight: Indicate the degree of realism. Now, I'm using the word realism here. I suppose to mean sort of the degree of photographic reality. And that is, we look at something and we, we are, let's go back, we look at a painting and we look at a painting of, let's say it's called Still Fruit. And if at that point, there are immediately recognizable apples, oranges, bananas, whatever, then that begins to be fairly close to perhaps the photographic realism. It's something that we immediately begin to recognize. But let's say, in some way or another... The other day, I noticed that the artist has begun to move away from realism in their still-life paintings. The oranges and apples still resemble their real-life counterparts, but they no longer have the same degree of photographic realism as the artist's other works. As I started to recognize this, I realized that maybe the artist is moving towards a more abstract style. This concept applies to the stage world as well. When creating the stage, designers can choose to lean towards a more realistic representation or move towards abstraction. The scenery, costumes, and lighting all contribute to shaping the fictive world we will be watching in a particular production. Will the world created be closely aligned with reality, where we expect the characters to behave believably? Or will it diverge in some way? Similarly, the language and dialogue used in the production can be familiar and ordinary or more lyrical and poetical. It could even be stripped down and economical like the works of playwrights Harold Pinter and Dave Namit. If the language leans towards the latter, the visual designers must also adapt their set and costume designs accordingly. Realism is most often associated with film and television. If a movie is set in the Grand Canyon, they can easily film on location to provide a realistic environment. Television shows often take place indoors, as interior scenes are relatively straightforward to create in a realistic manner. In both cases, the sets, costumes, and makeup are carefully designed to create a sense of reality, even if it is a different reality from our own. However, even in genres like science fiction and fantasy, the goal is still to create a sense of realism for the specific world and characters being portrayed. Visual designers play a crucial role in indicating the level of realism to the audience. Attempting to be achieved in this particular production is to provide visibility. Now, in this particular case, visibility is going to be the first and foremost concern. Of course, this belongs to lights, which becomes the first thing that any lighting designer has to decide before they begin to think in terms of mood. The lighting designer is very much aware of mood because it depends on how bright or dim the lights are, as well as the color of the lights. All of these factors contribute to the mood and tone of the piece. The lighting designer is an integral part of creating this mood. However, the primary objective for the lighting designer is to light the scene in a way that allows us to see the characters clearly. This is true in theater, film, and television. Therefore, a great deal of time is spent before production begins to ensure that the lighting is set correctly. For example, right now, the lights are set in such a way that enhances visibility for you to see me. We know that when you can see me, you can hear me better. This is especially true in theater because if you can't see the character, you usually can't hear them either. Costumes can also contribute to visibility. In some cases, you may notice that the costume designer has strategically chosen a lighter color around the neck or upper part of the costume. This is done to draw attention to the face and enhance it. The lighter color reflects more light on the face. Without you necessarily being conscious of it, costumes can also help achieve visibility. Another objective is to provide focus. This is true for scenery, costumes, and lights. All of these elements work together to guide our focus. This is especially true in theater. In film and television, the camera itself helps with achieving focus. It determines where the audience is supposed to look and blocks out anything that is not within its frame. However, lights still play a role in enhancing what the camera is focusing on. In theater, where we have the broad, wide view, the director works with scenery, costumes, and lights to guide our attention to certain characters or aspects of the production. Groups of characters. Then, at that point, the director is going to put those characters in such a location or in such a way that your gaze is drawn to that particular location. Lights are perhaps lights can also very much help here, and that is the lights condemn maybe slightly or maybe even more than slightly for around the rest of the stage. And then the lights are going to be brighter in this particular location, so in that particular time, then without our even knowing it, our eyes are brought to there, our attention is brought to that location, and we have now focused on it in some way or the other. The characters, which characters that are leading characters usually are going to wear colors. So, far as costumes are concerned, they're going to be wearing costumes which perhaps are predominant in or dominant in color or saturated in color. So that immediately we gaze at them and we look at them, whereas the characters who are of lesser importance will be wearing colors that are not so dominant or not so important in some way or the other. So that immediately we know, as we see that character, we already understand from the color that particular character is wearing, this is a dominant character, this is a leading character in some way or the other. Scenery can help provide focus, especially in terms of elevation of steps or whatever, because immediately usually if a character is higher than other characters, then immediately that character is bound to achieve focus in some way this particular. So that a set designer will provide areas in which then, when we arrive at a moment and a director wants us to focus on these characters at this moment in this location for this particular action, then perhaps in some way or the other, the director will manage to get them to a slightly higher location than some other places on stage or other characters who may be standing around. So that immediately, by the height or, in some cases, a difference, a character who in some way or the other is in a different kind of arrangement or a different kind of posture is going to achieve focus there. Therefore, let's say that there are six characters standing around on stage and one character sitting. Now, we would usually think then, yes, the character standing or higher so therefore those characters because of their height, they're going to achieve more focus. But in this case, there's one character different from the rest. So immediately, that character sitting in that chair is going to have attention drawn to where that character is sitting. So, by the chair being provided by the set designer, by the director then using that particular chair at this particular moment, that is going to give us a focus that we might not otherwise have. There are all kinds of ways here in which the director, working with the visual designers, can manipulate the audience, can guide the audience in such a way so as to say focus here, look here, this is where you are, this is what I want you to see and to hear at this particular moment. Number eleven, provide a central image or metaphor. This isn't always apparent, and it not necessarily is always present, but it is certainly possible that sometimes there can be a certain central image that the director wants to convey in some way or the other, or a metaphor that has been chosen for the particular production. And so, therefore, in working with the set design of the costume designer and the lighting designer, the director will begin to these designers will begin to find some way that they can give a visual enhancement or a very definite visual signal of what this central image or metaphor may be. And then twelve, and last, and that is all of these designers work with each other, they coordinate it, they coordinate with each other and attempt to be consistent that all of the design elements come together in some way to create an artistic whole. Now, most productions that we see usually work along the lines of. Consistency of coordination is possible and there are certain kinds of theater where it is intended that these elements are going to be dysfunctional with each other. But in this case, this is a very deliberate attempt or a very deliberate intention made by the designers and the director. And so, in this case, you will search, you will certainly be aware of this in some way or the other. But most film, television, and theater usually work with the idea that all of the elements are going to be consistent with each other and are going to have some kind of overall coordination. Here, scenery and costumes are usually three-dimensional, although there may indeed be frequently two-dimensional elements present. Frequently, scenery is indeed painted, seniority, and even to the extent that the scenery is going to be to use painting techniques and that is a two-dimensional effect. But frequently, scenery will also use a three-dimensional effect in some way or the other. Or in some cases, scenery may use a two-dimensional effect, paint it to such a degree of realism that from the audience standpoint, you can't tell that that is only a two-dimensional effect that is in front of you instead of a three-dimensional effect in some way or the other. But scenery and costumes (and of course, costumes are nearly always or are certainly always three-dimensional) although again they may use painting techniques of some kind of a two-dimensional nature. Scenery and costumes are usually three-dimensional. Lights then reinforce that dimensionality or even perhaps in some cases help fool us in such a way that we are not aware that a two-dimensional painted effort is in front of us and instead lights reinforce it in such a way that it takes on and looks three-dimensional to us. Light also creates its own particular dimension, and lights in one way do this by strong shafts of light that will come in and at that point, those shafts of light create a three-dimensional effect even though we can see through those shafts of light. Those shafts of light begin to take on their own dimension of dimensionality. Scenery and costumes (and I've mentioned this all the way through what I've been talking about here) scenery and costumes, therefore, use color, line, mass, texture, and form. And all of these particular artistic elements are chosen in such a way (and again, usually are deliberately artistically chosen) so as to convey certain information, to send certain signals to the audience in some way or the other. I've mentioned already, certainly many times, and color is perhaps one of the easiest to understand. And that is that a leading character is usually going to be in somewhat of a dominant color or a saturated color so that immediately we understand this is a leading character of some kind or the other. And then, if characters are of lesser importance, then they are going to perhaps be in colors that are not going to be so dominant or so outstanding here in some way or the other. But also, and we talked a great deal about line, the costume designer will talk about period line. And by that, meaning the period silhouette. And that is that the costume, when one looks at it when one looks at what one wears an Elizabethan costume, the lines and the mass of that particular costume are going to be quite different from the lines and the mass that we wear in our own time. And same way the other, also texture here. Very much set designers use texture in some way or the other. If the particular play is, let's say, that it is an abrasive play in some way or the other, then maybe in that way the set designer will give us a set which begins to have in some way or the other a rougher texture rather than a smooth texture. Maybe you're not even aware of this as you look at it but again, that's one of those signals that's being sent to you, and perhaps you subconsciously. Receive it, but it's one of those signals that is being sent to you. And in one way or the other, I remember a friend of mine at one time talking about having worked with a very famous costume designer. In this particular play, the costume designer took all of the fabrics that the characters were wearing and took a grater, yes, a kitchen grater, to them. They graded the fabric to rough it up in some way. The designer didn't want the fabric to be smooth or convey that kind of texture to the audience. Instead, they chose thicker, rougher fabrics. Think about the difference in texture between silk and burlap fabric. You can see how a costume designer may choose burlap for a character to convey a certain personality or status, while another character wears silk, which flows differently. The lines and flow created by the fabric on stage will be different depending on what fabric is used. The same idea applies to scenery and costumes on set. Creating a sense of reality relies on color, line, mass, texture, and form. These elements convey information to the audience. Lights are used to reveal color, line, mass, texture, and form, and to provide visibility. Visual designers have twelve objectives to fulfill, using color, line, mass, texture, and form to convey messages to the audience. Understanding these aspects of visual design helps us better understand what we are watching, whether it be in theater, film, or television. Even in a 30-minute sitcom, everything visually chosen serves these objectives. Subconsciously, we become aware of these choices even if we don't consciously know about them. Slides will be used to further illustrate these concepts. What I'm going to do is show you a series of slides and talk about them in such a way that you can see how they reflect the objectives we have been discussing. As you look at the slides, you may notice additional elements that I haven't mentioned here, but I will focus on specific points to enhance your understanding of the artistic elements at play. First, let's look at the first four slides from the musical "No, No, Nanette." This musical is set in the 1920s and even when produced today, it maintains the period's aesthetics. Consequently, one of the first things you'll notice is that it is not set in the present day. The costumes and the room depicted clearly indicate a different era. While the geographical location is not crucial, the setting is in New York City. Looking at the colors and intricacy of the design, we can sense that this musical will be a lighthearted and fun experience. The affluent nature of the characters' home suggests their high social status. The environment and costumes give us a glimpse into their personalities and indicate that while issues may arise, they will not be earth-shattering. The overall atmosphere conveys a sense of amusement and shows that the play will be bustling, just like the detailed set. In examining the realism of the scene, we can see that it is fairly realistic but with an abundance of detail. This attention to detail mirrors the busy actions that will take place among the characters. The realism depicted here is not meant to be an exact replica of reality but rather a representation that enhances the perception of a different kind of realism. Taking a step back and looking at the whole picture, we can see how the three elements of scenery, lighting, and costumes have been coordinated to create a cohesive and visually appealing production. And are consistent with each other and give us an overall totality. Next, this is a play. This is from the production of Julius Caesar. First, we're going to look at six slides, and these six slides are going almost immediately. The first thing you're going to see here is the head, the face, the great huge face that dominates this. This is actually a two-sided face, and it was very deliberately chosen because this was indeed an attempt to give you a central image or metaphor for the production, for the set or the scenic elements here. To give you this metaphor, when we first see the face, the face is rather smooth. The face looks like a certain, it's like a statue here. But after, if you remember the play Julius Caesar or know Julius Caesar, you know that he was assassinated by a group of conspirators. And so after the assassination, then this great huge face that you see there flips and you can see there's a slide that shows you this head turning around, and then the other side of the face is revealed. And the face is now quite degenerative decay. The face is very marked and using these lines in this particular case. Then the smoothness of the face on the other side, which begins to indicate to us one tone and one kind of mood. This face, which we see the second time, this now certainly begins to convey to us that there is a great deal of unrest here in some way or the other. So that this metaphor of the set has very much conveyed to us the metaphor. The costumes are Roman, and so immediately we are told about the time and place that we are in. The next two slides are also from Julius Caesar, but in this particular case, they are there because I very much want you to look at the use of light. This is Mark Antony's funeral oration, and that is, it is the "Friends, Romans, countrymen" oration which you may at least remember slightly. And here, look at everything here has been so as to achieve to give Mark Antony a focus. The shaft of light, the very strong shaft of light that comes down upon him. Also, the color he is wearing, white, so that immediately again there is visibility here in some way or the other. Also, notice that he is standing higher so that there is an elevation here. There is also a great shaft that goes up behind or beside Mark Antony, so that all of this is used to convey strength, to convey in some way the power that Mark Antony is going to have from this point then through the rest of the play as Mark Antony now dominates the play following the assassination of Caesar. So that these very definite visual signals were being given. The next slide you're going to see are two slides from Taming of the Shrew. If you remember Taming of the Shrew or even if you don't, the first slide shows you... you look at it and yeah, you could say it, yeah, it's a wedding dress. Yes, it is indeed a wedding dress. And this particular wedding dress, however, if you begin to look closely at it, you will begin to see that it is made up. And while you really can't tell that from the picture, it is made up of many loops of felt. And those loops, there are many, many loops of felt. They go all around that particular dress. And on the underside of those loops of felt are what those of loops were lined in color. And so, this is a very particular wedding dress. Kate is very distraught at this point. Kate does not want to get married. And as you can see in the other slide, what her bridegroom looks like, you can begin to understand why Kate is very distraught. This was a marvelous, wonderful dress because as Kate moved across the stage, then in this case, line and color, all of those loops jiggled. And as they jiggle, they revealed the color that was on the underside of that. And all of this very, very much begins to convey to us the distraughtness, the upsetness she is over this particular marriage. The next four slides are from Romeo and Juliet. And in this particular case, color was used to show us two warring families. If you remember Romeo and Juliet. Juliet's family is in warfare, or is in dispute, that is, a word is in dispute with Romeo's family. And, of course, the two of them fall in love with each other. But in order for the audience to keep straight in some way or the other who these two families were and which people belonged on which side, then in that case, one family (and in this case, Juliet's family) dressed in reds, pinks, and oranges. Romeo's family dressed in blue and greens. So, immediately when you looked as characters came on and those particular characters were in one of those sets or ranges of color, then you could tell which side they belonged. And, if they were colors that did not belong to either one of those, then it indicated those characters were neutral in some way or the other. So, with these particular sets of slides, we have certainly begun to give you some idea [of] how these objectives of the sets and the visual designers could be met and how they used color, line, mass, texture, and form to convey this to you.