He wants an "orgasm of color"
June 16, 2010 8:47 AM Subscribe
I'm working on some of the set pieces for the musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona and the director says he wants an "orgasm of color" for the Milan portions. What rain-proof, lightweight, quickly executable ideas do you have?
So far, I have some general ideas involving paper mache (painted to make them water resistant) covered in silk flowers and heavily colored/painted-by-highschoolers canvases. What else have you seen, done, or imagine would work?
So far, I have some general ideas involving paper mache (painted to make them water resistant) covered in silk flowers and heavily colored/painted-by-highschoolers canvases. What else have you seen, done, or imagine would work?
hang lots and lots of fat fabric-made streamers of different widths from tall bars, the kind used for seamless backgrounds. Hang pieces of yardage first for background color, and then add long tails of different widths and colors. Standard bearer-inspired, but much more lush and colorful. Add pailettes or small round mirrors along some of the strips. Would look great outside in a breeze.
OR:
Hang rope or ribbon lights like these, behind a sheer white drop or (super cool but more time consuming) encased, one apiece, within foot-diameter columns of sheer white fabric. Sew two-foot strips of fabric together lengthwise; add weights to one end to keep them straight. Hang from stakes or an upper bar. Best if you could get lights that change color slowly.
posted by peachfuzz at 9:04 AM on June 16, 2010
OR:
Hang rope or ribbon lights like these, behind a sheer white drop or (super cool but more time consuming) encased, one apiece, within foot-diameter columns of sheer white fabric. Sew two-foot strips of fabric together lengthwise; add weights to one end to keep them straight. Hang from stakes or an upper bar. Best if you could get lights that change color slowly.
posted by peachfuzz at 9:04 AM on June 16, 2010
What's going to give you an orgasm of color is lights. Do you have an experienced lighting designer working on your show?
posted by ocherdraco at 9:10 AM on June 16, 2010
posted by ocherdraco at 9:10 AM on June 16, 2010
Best answer: Do you need to do flats or just soft dressing? From "rain proof" I gather this is outside, so nylon/parachute materials for soft dressing would be ideal.
For flats - this year it was a literal epiphany for my outdoor company (and wtf is it about Two Gents this year - we're doing that in the fall) to use *single ply luan* for flats. Paint them however you like, and then use a clear, matte sealant (we used a spray on from Krylon). Then - this is the fun/key/awesome part - you can attach to the bones of your set using French cleats. REVELATION, I tell you.
Flats like this can be made into anything you want - painted any kind of way at all, attach flowers, whatever - and are the lightest pieces of set I've ever handled.
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:28 AM on June 16, 2010
For flats - this year it was a literal epiphany for my outdoor company (and wtf is it about Two Gents this year - we're doing that in the fall) to use *single ply luan* for flats. Paint them however you like, and then use a clear, matte sealant (we used a spray on from Krylon). Then - this is the fun/key/awesome part - you can attach to the bones of your set using French cleats. REVELATION, I tell you.
Flats like this can be made into anything you want - painted any kind of way at all, attach flowers, whatever - and are the lightest pieces of set I've ever handled.
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:28 AM on June 16, 2010
What about making set pieces based on any of these basic shapes :
Umbrellas
Flags
Sails
Japanese fans
Pinwheels
Wings
Streamers
Kites
Lanterns
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:32 AM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Umbrellas
Flags
Sails
Japanese fans
Pinwheels
Wings
Streamers
Kites
Lanterns
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:32 AM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
What is the budget? I would recommend a combination of flats and streamers...You might also want to work together with the lighting people as color is often something that needs to be achieved with the lighting scheme. Maybe you could create some sort of screen of a semi-sheer fabric and light it with some uplights or LED colorblasts... Also up-lighting the entire backdrop and back wall of the stage with gobos and alternating gels will give you a nice color explosion!
posted by allfortheBoss at 9:42 AM on June 16, 2010
posted by allfortheBoss at 9:42 AM on June 16, 2010
Contrast light and darkness. Dim the lights and then a BLASTOFLIGHT and then darkness again and little stars moving and then BLASTOFLIGHT and so on. White surfaces on which you can shine (and through which you can glow) bright colored lights. Hippy psychedelic colors. Big city colors.
posted by pracowity at 10:43 AM on June 16, 2010
posted by pracowity at 10:43 AM on June 16, 2010
I was thinking of flags, too. It makes quite an impression in a place like Malta, which is pretty Veronesque in its own right. I'm having trouble finding good photos of it, but I remember feeling like there were flags (huge ones) on every tower, peak, post and pole.
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 11:35 AM on June 16, 2010
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 11:35 AM on June 16, 2010
Response by poster: All awesome ideas. Thanks. More are welcome!
posted by madred at 3:09 PM on June 16, 2010
posted by madred at 3:09 PM on June 16, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:53 AM on June 16, 2010