Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. What is ‘style’? A reflection of the social and political history of the times that are eventually reflected in the patterns and shifting artistic trends of the period.

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Production Style: A manner of producing a play in which all production elements (costumes, scenery, lights, acting) adhere to a common set of artistic/philosophical characteristics (e.g. Expressionism) What is the pattern of elements in this rendering for The Kitchen?

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. The problem with style…. Periods in art/history are only indicative – not definitive Cannot represent historical periods or styles accurately onstage Designers are from the modern era and reflect their background Audience expectations won’t allow accuracy The Solution: Stylization!!! Use of specific compositional elements characteristic of a particular style or period to create the essence of that style or period.

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. More issues with style…. Acknowledge the literary style of the piece. Verse vs. prose Visual style can reflect the literary style of the drama

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Line Line: A mark that connects two points. Line can have…. Dimension – length & width Quality – shape, value, contrast Character – emotionally evocative characteristics

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Shape Any line that encloses a space creates a shape. Shapes define the outlines of details and silhouettes onstage, giving meaning to what we see!

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Mass MASS Three-dimensional manifestation of shape… …creates an awareness of depth and spatial arrangements Flat mass with no weight Beginnings of mass due to shadow 3D relationship

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Measure The ability to judge the size of objects and the relative distance between them w/out the aid of measuring devices Intuitive skill

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Position Relative location of adjacent shapes or masses What does position indicate in relation to this design?

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Color One of the most complex elements – See Chapter 6 for more information

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Texture The visual tactile surface characteristics or appearance of an object

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Elements of Design: Texture The primary element creating texture is fabric… …texture can be created with light using gobos Gobo: A thin metal template inserted into an ellipsoidal reflector spotlight to project a shadow pattern of light

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Unity The creation of a stylistic plan to which all parts of the design subscribe. Production concept = Conceptual plan

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Harmony Sense of blending and unity that is obtained when all elements of the design fit together to create an orderly whole… Be aware that too much harmony can become monotonous…

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Contrast Juxtaposition of dissimilar design elements Be aware that too much contrast can destroy unity…

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Variation Create visual interest by repeating a simple pattern but changing it occasionally How is variation created in these patterns?

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Balance Arranging design elements to give a sense of restfulness, stability, or equilibrium Symmetrical balance – correspondence in size, form, and relative position of parts on either side of a center dividing line – mirror balance Asymmetrical balance – a sense of equality achieved through dynamic tension created by the juxtaposition of dissimilar design elements

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Proportion Harmonious relationship of the parts of an object to each other or to the whole The idea of beauty is based on ideal proportions

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Principles of Composition: Emphasis Directing the audience’s attention to a specific place… …such areas of focus are also known as acting areas Where is the emphasis in this production image? How is that emphasis created?

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 5: Style, Composition, & Design © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved. Design Analysis of The Kitchen Unity Harmony Contrast Variation Balance Proportion Emphasis Apply the concepts from this lecture to this image.