The aim of the next 2 lessons is to:

• Understand the principles of lighting design
• Know what lights create what effects
• Build subject specific vocabulary
• Give opportunities to be creative / experiment using a light simulator

Task 1a: In Pairs, discuss for 5 mins ‘why lights are needed in theatre?‘ (Shakespeare didn’t use them!)

Task 1b: Define what each term means and provide an example from the play.

• Functional lighting
• Emotive lighting (effects designed to cause/reflect an emotion)

Look at the 2 photos and explain WHAT they are and HOW they are created.

Task 2: (20 minutes) Finding out what lights do (basic)

Create a Word Doc and print off by the end of the lesson.

*Take screen shots of each TYPE OF LIGHT to help YOU remember the effects created.

Log in to the website BELOW.

WEBSITE for lighting simulator

https://scenicandlighting.com/lightlab/

Set every light to zero (slide to the left).

Using 1 slider / light at a time, see what effects are created by using:

1. A cyclorama light
2. Side lights
3. Top lighting
4. Foot lights
5. High Side Gobos
6. Specials (spot lights)

Task 3: (20 minutes) Create a ‘lighting state’ for 2 chosen scenes in the play (using this website.)

CHOOSE A NON-NATURALISTIC SCENE /MOMENT AND A MORE NATURALISTIC SCENE / MOMENT.

In your Journal, you need to be able to:

1. State the scene – location – time of day.
2. Explain where lights are positioned, angled, focused and any colour choices, special effects (gobos?)
3. Justify why you used these (in terms of the effects you wish to create eg: time / place / mood.)

Other set designs –

Original Production – Berkoff

Homework: After looking in detail at these set designs (below), Explain and Justify them in words (about 200 words per set design)- use all the specific vocab you can = see last post]

Look for other set design ideas on the Internet

1 Philip Engleheart.com

2 –Icelandic Production – Lyric Hammersmith 20

3- Dance Production – Royal Opera House – UK

Berkoff’s acting style and his design of sets has often been described as “Expressionistic”.

Watch this (above) – German Expressionism in cinema (take some notes in your Journal) – what can be translated into a theater style?

Look at the 3 pictures and identify the ‘expressionistic’ elements of the set.

Pick 2 moments EACH where these ‘expressionistic elements’ could be used in the play ‘METAMORPHOSIS’ (e.g. Shadows can be used effectively in Scene A -describe HOW and Scene B – describe HOW)

How can symbols and emotions be represented on a set ?

Think Gregor’s Room – The Samsa’s living room – what do these places symbolise – how do you show that in materials, colours, set dressing and props?

1. Shadows

1. Canted angles

1. Silhouette

In Journals

Divide up a page into quarters.

Identify the 4 different design jobs that could come up in the exam.

E.g: Costume / Props design…

Why is EACH aspect of design necessary? [What does it do for the audience or production?]

A FEW BULLET POINTS FOR EACH.

WHAT DO THE TWO WORDS BELOW MEAN IN RELATION TO DESIGN?

FUNCTIONAL design – ?

EXPRESSIVE design – ?

What is the difference?

List as many specialist words (vocabulary) as you can to help when discussing EACH design area. (E.g: spotlights, cue, instrumental sound, backdrops, etc)

Where/How could it be used in the play?

[Find 3 moments in the play where a design element would really help the story telling – eg: when Gregor finally opens the door a shaft of light can pour into the living room.]

Read P 99 & P100 of the Introduction and Stage Setting (at the beginning of the play) to discover ideas for Set, Music, Lighting, total theatre – Record quotes in Berkoff’s own words

Explain the original set design

(Explain it) Draw the set and label it on plain A4 paper and stick in.

Justify it (using Berkoff’s own words and yours)

Specialist words

Set location (upstage etc)

Style: Expressionistic / Naturalistic / Non-naturalistic

Set construction:

• Raised platform – 2 storey set
• Box set
• Scaffold structure

Set dressing (things you add to the basic structure (shelves, pictures etc)

Cyclorama (white cloth across back of stage – for lights to be projected against.

Shadow screen

Gauze (material that is transparent if a light is shone from behind but which is opaque if light is shone from in front (can be painted or projected upon)

As a designer, outline your ideas for costume, props and accessories for this extract. Explain and justify how these would help to create your preferred effects at this point in the play.

THIS IS YOUR INCLASS QUESTION;

BE CAREFUL: Just because it says props and accessories doesn’t mean you need to be tempted to make this into a naturalistic style production. Think about how Berkoff does it. Do you want to modify that? Could costume and props be used symbolically? Think colour of costume.

Don’t be afraid to say that you’d do it differently from how Berkoff does it.

Answer these questions in your Journal

Costume

#1 Why have costumes?

Why not just have actors in ‘rehearsal blacks’? (Berkoff did in 1969)

#2 Identify / discuss why this costume {above} for Gregor would be inappropriate.

#3 Draw and Identify the elements (through notes) of this costume.

#4 Discuss what this costume tells the audience.

#5 Why is it a more appropriate costume for Berkoff’s production of ‘Metamorphosis’?

#6 What period would the costume be if your production stayed faithful to the period when Kafka wrote this?

#7 Look up some costumes for this period on line.

Copy and paste some for Gregor.

Make-up (include in costume)

#8 Why use the white face that Berkoff seems to like?

#9 What are the issues around props and accessories in ‘Metamorphosis’?