Going into this project I was very excited, it’s kind of the
project that all the designers look forward to the most because it’s actually
going to be created, and we nag the tutors basically every day with the
question ‘when do we get out shows?!’ and then as soon as we found out time
started flying! Running out of time for most things meaning blogging has come
at the very end of this experience. Something very different about this module
in comparison to the other is obviously the fact that you are working with a director,
who has his opinions and his visions of how he sees things and you just have to
hope that the both of you are sitting on the same ground. I had heard of other
designers from the course talking about their first meetings with their
directors and how they lasted hours so as I travelled through to Edinburgh to
meet mine at the Traverse I was expecting to be sitting in that café for a
while (not that I would be complaining, I’ve always wanted to look important
sitting in that café!). the meeting did last a while but we only discussed the
show for about 20 minutes, the rest was spent in general chat which I suppose
is a good thing to do with any director you work with so you can get to know
them, but it shows me that my director had very set clear ideas of what he
wanted to see and how he wanted it done so I knew from the start that I would
have a challenge changing things and putting my own stuff in, but I was up for
that part of the journey.
Having created the concept in the first meeting I knew that
what we wanted was going to be over budget, so I went to my production manager
and explained what the concept was so that I could cut things before our actual
concept. This was my time to get rid of some of the things that I didn’t like
that was costing far too much, and surprisingly it was rather easy to say, we
can’t afford this I think it should go, here’s a compromise that’s cheaper. So already
things has started to move closer to what the final design would be like.
I had heard that my director isn’t very good at imagining
things and as part of my research I was going to go to a Georgian house that
was in Edinburgh to get inspiration and find out information about the Georgian
era and the fashion that they wore. So I asked my director if he would like to
come with me, and I’m very glad that he said yes, is gave the both of us an
idea of what kind of things we would like to see, finding out new things about
the era that we would like to incorporate and put us both on track for the kind
of things that were around for wealthy families much like the family in the
play.
Eventually having the real concept meeting where I was
expecting it to be 4 people myself including turned out to be more because the
show is so big, already I know I don’t like presentations so when more people
come along that what I expected, it wasn’t too fun, but we laughed throughout
the presentation and they laughed at my jokes, which not many people do. We discussed
things that would need to happen with the set build and we discussed the costumes
and the fact that because they are regency they can’t be altered easily meaning
everything will need to be a stock. Luckily because my director works at the
lyceum we had contact with their wardrobe so we felt like this wouldn’t be too
big an issue.
From this point on is usually my favourite part, getting
ready for the white card, making the model and technical drawings and slowly piecing
everything together and going into the fine details. For the first part of this
I moved through to Edinburgh as I had other commitments over Easter and so I
set up camp in my mums design studio, this also meant that I could easily meet
up with my director who is based in Edinburgh. I made a meeting with him for a
time I knew my model would be finished to a good enough standard for him to
easily imagine what this would look like and the meeting went well until he
decided he wanted to add in an extra metre into the side flats, meaning I would
need to remake the model, slightly annoyed but I didn’t mind, these things
happen. I then moved back to Glasgow where I started remaking the model and doing
everything I had done the week before again.
The process taking me up to the white card was quite a long
period of time but I’m grateful of that because I had to remake my model and
redo some technical drawings all of which took up quite a bit of time. I never
got panicky about anything, if any disasters came up I dealt with it, my only
problem I had was when I was needed to make a decision where I wanted to get
the director involved, it wasn’t always the easiest thing getting in touch with
him. I eventually would and then everything would get back on track again. My timing
of my final had changed to being the week before which means I would have less
time between my white card presentation and my final so I was making sure that I
had as much work done for my final in order for me not to have to do too much
work before the final.
The day of the white card presentation I am very happy with
everything that I have and completely prepared! Until my director comes along
and adds things in, and changes things all at the last minute leaving me
unprepared for certain parts of my presentation, it was not a good feeling. The
presentation itself was okay, but it could have been a lot better, I was very
flustered and even though I had notes in front of me with the order of my
presentation it still didn’t run smoothly. Another downside to my presentation
was the fact that my director added things in half way through presentation
making me look like I didn’t know what was going on, not a good look in my
opinion, but you know what they say, grin and bare it, which I hope I did!
As the size of my show was so big obviously things had to be
cut back and throughout the time between the white card and the final a lot of
things went away, including the bed which I had been wanting to get rid of for
a while, so the day that bed got taken away was a very good day! The sizes of
flats were cut down as well and became a size that was suitable for stock which
did mean re-doing my technical drawings and making my model, again! But I wasn’t
fussed, I think one thing that I have definitely learnt is that these things
happen, to be patient and not let everything get on top of you so that you’re
buried underneath all your work. Remain on top of everything and you’re more
likely to succeed.
the 23rd of may, the day of my final, I had
planned everything that still needed to be done the night before and in all
honesty I never thought I would get it all done, I had asked for a time
constraints as a challenge and well I felt like it had one. Arriving in uni at
8.30 and going straight to work without a cup of tea to kick start my day was
quite possibly one of the worst things about this project but I got everything
done and in record time too, done by 11 which meant I could get a tea and a
roll from Scottish opera and then I still had 3 hours to double check things,
meet up with my director and set everything up in the room my presentation
would be in.
The presentation unlike the white card felt like it went a
lot smoother, I had created a PowerPoint to aid the presentation and I think
that definitely helped me keep on track, and if anyone missed something I said,
it was there on the screen. It also meant my costume drawings and any other
references were on the screen which meant people couldn’t see my hands shake
unlike the white card. Overall I think the presentation went well and I brought
the design across to the best of my abilities. I had stated last year that I wanted
to work on my presentation skills and my confidence levels by the time of my
realised final and I feel as though I actually achieved that! The questions at
the end were filing down to the details and some of the questions I have to say
I was stumped, only because I didn’t understand what something would look like,
but I feel we came to a reasonable conclusion. Of course the question part of
the presentation is when I get to see the bits that I missed and I think I definitely
should have taken a closer look at my scenic pack, my list of jobs that needed
to be done were slightly wrong, but it was cleared up, everything else seemed
fine. The end of the presentation gave me a weird feeling, something I had
spent so many hours on was now handed over to this group of people to realise,
and my model box is now sitting in construction waiting to be build, it’s a
strange feeling but I kind of like it, this project has definitely made me
realise I have chosen the right career.
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