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SHOW-1:
*You could see the black line above on the flats a lot in this show
*their seemed to be a lot of blank space on the walls, maybe the posters were too high, I still maintain that the colours of the flats were hideous and came out very boring on screen. The blue also came out too dark on screen.
*The lighting was pretty disappointing, its amazing how much lighting effects the set, in this case the dull lights accentuate the dull walls. The lighting behind the bar was good however seemed too dark at times.
*I liked the angles used in many of the shots. The set really gave off a 'used bar' feel. I also liked the TV in the background.
SHOW-2:
*There was a lot more colour in this show which gives off a much more happy, brighter vibe. The lighting was also a disappointment being too dark at times and the distraction of the contrasting lights above the bar. At one point the glasses cast some interesting shadows on the table which i liked.
SHOW-3
*I like the hand held used in this show it gave a more lively feel and with practice i think it could look very effective
*From an acting perspective I thought it was a bit flat, i remember on the day the actors were having trouble. I liked that the actors were not slumped on a couch though, they sat up better on the floor.
*The fairy lights twinkling in the background look very pleasing
*The set was a lot fuller then the 1st show which works better on screen adding more visual interest. this show just seemed more realistic
SHOW-4:
*The random posters on the walls as well as the fridge, suitcases, and bar shelf add a lot of interest to this show.
*This show really shows how lighting can effect depth (one actor appeared to be sitting directly against the wall however in actuality she was sitting quite a distance form it)
*I thought that you could not really see much of the set at any one time due to the use of very closed in tights shots which is disappointing.
SHOW-5
*The opening scene to this show is amazing, being shot through the shelves and bottles panning to the bar. Having the bar at the front enables the audience to see more of the set and created more depth of field. There were a lot more areas for scenes to be shot in this set ie the back two couches, the bar and the stools.
*The candles in the background are a nice subtle shine and interest for the shot at the bar.
*One major issue I thought was the scene where Miranda fights about her being cheated on. It is more of a blocking issue, where there was a shot that showed majority of the set and pretty fairy lights and then the next shot showed a plain wall with the toilet sign.
SHOW-6
*This is by far the best show of the series. There is a lot more movement and interest in the set which seams to have rubbed off onto the actors as they did an amazing job in this show.
*It is great to see the progression of the 6 shows, they seam to become more realistic and have more set dressing items which definitly adds interest. The subtle details are so important.
I have learned so much during this whole process not only from a design perspective, but also an Actor and Tv Production perspective. There is so much I will take with me to future productions and am excited to have a go at other roles with more responsibility such as SET DESIGNER. I also would love to get more involved in STAGE MANAGER in future theater productions just because they have more responsibility.
On Tuesday I re-upholstered a couch!!!! The things you do as a designer... it was interesting. Went through a lot of staples, it looks good however there was not much fabric left so we will need to cover the corners with cushions and a blanket over the top.
Just a little annoyance thing.... there hasn't been much communication between designer and I. Set dressing should be the biggest job now that the basic set is already designed even with the alterations. However I feel that I haven’t been allowed to do anything for it. I have constantly asked for where we are up to design whys for a couple of weeks now, and don’t seem to get much feed back. I feel the Proddies knew more about the set then I did at the demo and production meeting (it was only after the production meeting that Bel sat Laura and I down and showed us sketches and her ideas). I have spoken to Bel who seems to think she has tried to let me know what has been happening, however I don’t believe this is so, she seems to want to do it herself.
I’m not having a go at the work Bel is putting in, because she is dong a lot, I’m more saying that she is doing too much and not letting anyone else have a go or help her. Which makes it look like the others are no doing anything. This show is my chance to do the most work for one show yet everything seems to be done. Bel was in the warehouse Wednesday night sourcing set dressing things without notifying anyone… this is supposed to be my job… I had already gone through the warehouse with Laura after the production meeting and collected anything I thought was suitable, and we are using a lot of items from previous shows.
I was asked to research some images for the posters on the walls and postcards. I have the postcards coming on Sunday night with my family (and grass skirts) and had done the research, however after talking to Bel again today to see where she is at and found out she had done the set dressing sourcing… I found out she has also done the image research and has most of the posters she wants already ready to print… I feel any input I have had has been a total waste of time.
So this is my bitchy email but I really felt I needed to explain why I have not been able to do as much as I would have liked for this last show. And I will end with saying Bel has done a good job as designer I really like that she has changed the set around and am excited about our last show, I would just like to have been more involved and been allowed to do my job.
As I have said previously there have been a few communication problems during this show. One major issue is the amount of money spent on printing pictures for the corkboards... $70... was spent without notifying the team first who are essentially the people who will be paying for it...
Hopefully we will get funding from TV club for such things.
UNFORTUNALTY, after a week of trying to not accept that I was getting sick, I woke the morning of record feeling terrible. I had a few things that were needed in the show so dropped them off in the morning:
*make up brush
*candle lighter
*grass skirts (were wanted for the front of the plimphs however after some discussion with Bel we thought they looked too tacky and messy as the bar was quite full already)
*some other ornaments/postcards
*corkboard
I left to spend the day in bed and see the doctor…
I was so disappointed to not be at our last show and feel like I have let the team down by not being able to help out with bump out. Hopefully I will be able to help out in the other teams bump out.
:-(
SUNDAY 24th: We met at the studio at 830 ready to dress the set... by now we all pretty much know what needs to be done to get the set ready without too much discussion ie putting the string on the items to be hung etc so everything went pretty smoothly. I had to go back over the hill to get a few things with Michaela at one point; it is good to have our own cars over the hill for such reasons.The set was pretty well dressed before 5pm when we had to leave to see a film, and we organised to meet Monday morning at 10am.
I really like the way Bel has moved the bar to the front of the set, allowing the camera to capture the set in one shot rather then just wall, which has been the case in the other shows. It has been a shame not being able to see much of the set in the other shows. However I think moving the arch and the angled doorway made the set a little too box like… The angled corner broke up the wall a bit, it would have been nice to have more extra fake rooms going off from the set ie the arch way however due to lack of flats this was not possible. The state of the flats are absolutely pathetic unfortunately but I think we did really well working with what we had and the bubbles in the flats etc are not that visible on screen. I still don’t like the colour of the walls.
So we met in the studio tonight at 5pm to get the flats up before tomorrows actual official bump in. We put in the furniture ie tables/plimphs/barrel and bar and masking taped where they will be ready for the lighting designer Tom to bump in his lights early tomorrow morning. He is wanting to aim spot lights on each table etc
We were all a bit tired so worked pretty efficiently trying to get it done so we could get a good nights rest for bump in and got out of the studio at 8pm even though we had booked it until 9pm. Belinda was pretty organized with the order of how bump in would run writen on a poster and also the order of flats and the floor plans stuck up for us to see. It was very much left to Belinda to decide where things would go, however we had a few changes to the floor plan, ie removing the little table from in front of one of the roisterers as it cluttered the space and moving the bar out a tad.
We are meeting tomorrow at 830am ready to paint over the masked edges between flats/move all the furniture etc in position/start some dress setting/cover the front of the bar with fabric... We are way ahead of schedual and have plenty of time for any hick ups
My parents are bringing grass skirts, postcards and cocktail glasses tomorrow night. If the grass skirts are not suitable we have Monday morning to quickly buy something to replace it or we can use fabrics to cover the plimphs... hopefully it wont be a tiring long day...
We had our production meeting today, which was good to see the proddies who are working on this show. I would have liked to have been in the design demo to get Bel's ideas for the set a little clearer, however I was needed for the 3rd show, so Bel gave us a more detailed description of her ideas and had some sketches that were useful.
Up until now i havnt fully understood the concept, hence i havnt started set dressing sourceing. After the production meeteing we scavanged throught the warehouse for 'stuff' suitable for the show. It will be as though two gay guys own the pub with a travel; vibe, with objects and posters that would have come from their travels. I am going to do a bit of google image searching for posters and art works that we can get blown up at officeworks and then framed to be our expensive 'artworks'. We need posters such safey signs and underage 18+ signs.
While Laura and Bel were painting our extra flat I ripped off the fabric on the couch (a bigger job then first anticipated) we want to use and gave it two coats of paint. I have shotgunned reappulstering it ;-)
Checked out the 4th show of team Alpha...... AWESOME!!!! Absolutly love how it has changed/evolved. The brick wall does wonders and the posters make it feel more lived in and used. Attention to detail such as laminating a cocktaill menu is amazing and has definatly raised the bar for poor old team Beta...
We plan to meet in the warehouse after class Wednesday to apoulster the couch and get more organised with set dressing 'stuff' we dont want to have to buy anythiing more as we have already gone over budget and are now digging deep in our own pockets.
SHOW #5: Our next show will be designed by Belinda, dressed by me, costumes by Michaela, props by Laura and Liam will be our stand by. Originally Belinda didn’t want to have couches in the set and just have stools and tables rather then a main sitting area, unfortunately this idea was not passed at design demo and we have been told to keep the couches. I believe we need some kind of main sitting area rather then couches as the actors always seem to look very slouched and uncomfortable.
I am waiting to see Belinda’s floor plans, with the new set out of flats, tables and bar before I can start searching for set dressing items. After a few conversations with Belinda the set seams to be a mix of styles from many countries. It will have a travel vibe to it with ‘stuff’ on the walls such as postcards etc think Greece, Italy, France mixed with Australia. We defiantly need to have a group meeting early next week to put together some ideas and see who owns what that will work with this theme. I would also like to discuss further will Belinda to finalise and fully understand her idea and vibe for the set.
Bel's Floor plan
FRIDAY: Met at 6:30pm at Crowbar to pick up stools and tables, stored them in the warehouse
We couldn’t start bumping in on Saturday due to Ryan having booked the studio to film his music video, which was a bummer for me as I had a 21st in Griffith Saturday night and wanted to help out bumping in the flats before Sunday, as I wan going to be late getting back to Wagga.
SUNDAY: I was able to get back to Wagga at about 2pm, however most of the set was already up, just needed to be dressed. Fortunately I was very organized before I left for Griffith and had my car packed with everything I needed for the show so I could go straight to the studio ie cushions, beanbags, wall hangings and fabrics and candles. Sunday night I went to town to buy peanuts for the bar and a gas lighter for quick lighting of the candles. We needed a long lighter to reach the candles in the deep glasses and lanterns.
MONDAY: A nice early start for designers, 7am, to get the set dressing underway. A lot of the fabrics were quit crushed so I went back home to get the iron, might be a good idea to have the iron there for the next show as it comes in handy for costume as well. Another idea is to have a hair dryer in the studio during record as one of the actors spilled water on her costume and the wet stain is not very appealing not to mention for continuity sake.
At 9am I went into town to purchase a sample pot of APPLEWOOD paint (and coffee), as our spare paint disappeared, might be an idea to have our own locked cupboard for our paint etc in the warehouse with a clear label of what its for. A few of my own belongings have been kept in the warehouse as we are using them for every show, which I am happy to do as I have written up on th white board everything I have in there.
We had to see a movie at 10:15am for Screen Studies so we left the set to dry after painting the stencil and masking tape between the flat joins. On return we had a few last minute touch ups, extra posters to put up etc. I attached some of my scarves to the cushions as some were too bright or didn’t match the décor or were just plain ugly. I think we had the perfect amount of cushions in the end after scavenging from many people.
Belinda had a design demo for our next show #5, just before record was to begin. So I stepped in for costume as she had filled me in earlier for this exact reason. Belinda was pretty organized before hand, having given the actors slips of paper with exactly what she was envisaging for them to wear. The actors did well following her instructions and also brought extra shits etc just in case.
It was difficult trying to collect actors to foresee their costumes as they were quite late and wanted to have cigarettes etc before coming to the studio, just making life harder for the designers. In the future we should designate a time and place that actors HAVE to meet up with the costume designer an hour or 30 minutes before record.
Belinda wanted the tarot card reader to wear a flowing white skirt, however the actor’s green skirt looked better and she seemed more comfortable in her own skirt. All the actors wore quite blocked colours with no patterns which was really good as it worked with the set which was quite busy.
Once the lighting was finalized and the candles were lit, the atmosphere of the set really came to life, feeling like a lived in and used bar. The cushion sitting area fixed the problem of the actors looking slumped on the couches. Actors seemed more relaxed and comfortable. 
30th march- Record day. Dressed the set with posters, signs, numbers plates and the black board/specials board. I brought I needle and thread to stitch the couch covering, as the staple gun was not very functional. With help from Laura it ended up looking passable, despite the time it took to complete. Bottles were in place, as well as the little extras such as the ashtrays complete with cigarettes and ash (or dirt), serviettes, bar nuts (which everyone enjoyed eating, next time I will buy two packets). The set looked amazing and we had many great reviews and comments.
Issues during the shoot:
*Had to move the ghost in behind the arch as the black curtain made the wall look like a black hole. Then we had to move the it over a little later during the record as there was a gap.
*Needed to be very fast refilling bottles, for continuity, to keep with the schedule: Belinda. We needed a funnel to speed up the process, so I went on a hike up to the Nosh and borrowed one.
* We had major problems with the posters falling off the walls- masking tape is not all that great.
*The blue paint came out quite dark on camera almost black.
*Heels could be heard as actors came down the stairs… felt on their shoes would have helped.
* For the opening shot we needed to move the bar back out of the way to allow the camera to get a better angle, was easy enough with an army of strong Proddies (not that designers are not capable)
COSTUME ISSUES and COMMENTS- (don’t know actual actors names so will refer to them as the character they played)
* Jason (lawyer) turned up in a shiny bright red tie NO NO!! Got one from Scott (thanks Scott). He also did not own a pair of black slacks and wore black jeans. I thought this was great in the end as it gave him more of a relaxed, lawyer type look, with more personality. It also gave a 90’s feel, which is when the play was originally set.
*The waiter did not own a pair of denim jeans, however the bar tender brought a spare for him… phew! I decided against having aprons as the bar tender looked a little ‘butcher’.
*I was worried about the full black skirt Gabrielle wore, her legs were never in shot. Her shirt colour was a perfect off white.
*Will the construction worker wore very a obvious, staple almost cliché costume, however this was my fault as I told him to wear a flanny and boots. Not a major issue though.
*Alex (doctor) wore gym clothing as she had just been swimming even though her scene was meant to be quite late in the night.
*Kelly and Sam (uni Students) wore casual clothing and I was happy with their choices. I believe the casting was very well done for this show.
*I asked Jeff to bring over some cardigans and shirts for Evan, just because I really wanted him to be excentric. He wore one of Jeff’s vests over his own red t-shirt and jeans.
* There was one point where Evan and the extra in the background (Liam) were wearing similar coloured tops (ie red and salmon), I could not do much about it though.
*I had told the extras NO white, black, shiny etc so what does one of the extras wear… a shiny white top… could not do anything about it. Another extra that had to stand right next to her was also wearing a white top but had brought another brown shirt, so I got her to change and it, which made the world of difference.
So glad this one is over. I am looking forward to the next show as Michaela is designing and seems to be so organized already and raring to produce something awesome. I am on stand by for this one so am ready to take any task.
29th March- Bump In has finally arrived. Started the day an hour early at 9am, which was a very wise decision, as putting in A-Frames is a lengthy process. I got to know the drill quite well and enjoyed screwing on the hinges and flats together with help from Liam. Meanwhile Laura painted and Bel and Michaela were busy bees making sure everything was getting organized, very team effort type of day, despite the slight amounts of tension and stress. BUT all the flats were up, bar, couches, tables and barrel were in place. All that was left to do is dress the set which was left to do in the morning.
I also had a chance to meet the actors. I did not have and still do not have any of their contact details so no one even looked at my costume breakdown, however I had a discussion with each of them on what I thought they should wear and put my faith in them. I told each actor to bring a couple of extra changes or clothes just in case. Basically I said NO white, black, shiny, fully saturated clothing, and gave them a rough idea on specific items.
The extras were told to wear clothing they personally would wear in a bar, and to also bring a spare change just in case. The bar tender I believe was cast perfectly, he was such a great character. I told the bar tender and waiter to try to wear the same coloured shirts, blue jeans and runners.
Oky doky this will be a HUGE catch up blog…
24th March- Production meet, for which I turned up late to, my apologies got the times mixed up. Was told there will be 4-6 extras in the show needing costumes, however I did not have anyones contact details. I hope to talk to them at rehearsals.
25th March- We met in the design studio at 8:30 on Liam’s order to discuss our progress before class at 9 (was canceled in the end, but at least we were up and being productive). Flats and painting as well as props and set dressing were discussed. I had finished my costume breakdown, refining it a little and double-checking some details with Bel, and sent it using the computer over the hill, (apparently my computer has a virus…) to Laura Murrell.
After a double shot flat white, I got the key to the costume shop, Belinda, Laura, Michaela and Myself lost ourselves amongst the racks of costumes. Unfortunately I did not think anything was appropriate, much of the clothes are quite old and run down OR white/black/patterned or shiny. I was going to get a few things on a rack to just ‘have’ in the studio just in case however decided to put my faith into the actors. An amazing budget and time would be great to make fabulous costumes but that day will come.
We met in the warehouse at 3pm ready and raring to begin painting the undercoat. We have fourteen flats in total, and managed to get them painted quite efficiently.
26th March- Second day of painting beginning at 10am a nice sleep in. Our tallest flat is 240cm, so we marked out a line at that height on each flat, any extra length will be painted black. This allows for an even line if the camera happens to go above the intended height. The top half of the flats is Applewood reaching 132 cm and the bottom is Cypress Blue at 100cm. Lesson for today was not to paint using WET ROLLERS… After the first coat we took a break and, all bar bel and I who had class, returned to do a second coat. The paint went on a little streaky which is a worry under the lights etc however the posters on the walls will hopefully mask this.
27thMarch- I had appointments and work to attend to this morning so did not get to help out with the rest of the painting. The team painted the door, barrel and stairs brown and the shelves black. I went down to help out after work, got to varnish the bamboo blinds with help from Liam, which I was happy with, as I was really pushy with getting something in front of the bar in the first place.
Later that night Bel, Liam and Michaela collected the bar stools, tables and glasses, an awesome effort.
28th March- Tired day… Belinda and Laura started the stencilling using the made up off white paint. I went up to the warehouse to see what they were up to and helped out finishing the last few flats also helped put up the shelves mostly took photos. Laura and I picked out our favourite bottles and I put them in order, looks awesome on the shelves. That night I made up some recipes for the alcohol in the bottles…
Fake Johnny walker- Soy sauce and water… yum!
Fake red wine- water, balsamic vinegar and red cordial
Fake gin- obviously just water
Bump in is on this Sunday 10am-1pm.
I went home on the weekend and scavenged anything I thought was Mexican or bar like. I got some American number plates, some ponchos that are actually from Mexico that could be used to cover the couches or as wall hangings or floor mat, some old war time helmets that can be used to cover the walls and some chillies and peppers that I have varnished with PVA glue so they don’t go off on the outside keeping their shinny fresh appearance.
Belinda and Michaela have received the paint.
THINGS TO DO:
* Paint undercoat on flats (wednesday 25th)
*Paint the flats our yellow and blue colours
* Paint on stencil, add picture rail
* Cut blinds to size and lacquer with Scots black lacquer (Sam’s tools at Gareth’s house with Laura)
* Bump in and set dress
I also have sent an email to Laura Murrel with my ideas for the costumes. They can be altered by the actors, most of the costumes will be the actors own clothes I am essentially there just to make sure there is some unity in the costumes and no WHITE SHIRTS. I also need to get into the costume shed and collect a few items just in case. There will be 4-6 extras in the show, needing black clothing ie for the bar tender and waitress. I will collect a few costumes and put them on a rack ready for Sunday.
I am still a little skeptical about our theme and am not sure how the set dressing will work out. It will be good to see it realized on Sunday.
The next few days are going to be hectic, a lot of painting needs to be done. However we are a talented bunch and I know we will be awesome.
Ok, so things are starting to get underway. We got out the flats today and lay them out in order to get an idea of the size with the bar. After some discussion we have moved the bar forwards a bit, even though some of it may be out of shot. This gave us a lot more space at the back of the room for the angled doorway and the archway, it just freed up the space a little. We have knocked out the archway that would have been on the sidewall, as it was behind the bar and did not make sense being there.
We have decided to use the ‘robot’ flat and build shelves into it for behind the bar. Just need to get our paint and get started on the painting.
I am not getting too involved in the design and drawing of the set as I am on costume. I think the sports theme will come together ok. There will be a TV in the corner on top of the wine barrel that is in the warehouse. A plant or something ‘big’ at the end of the bar would fill up that space a little.
I am going home on Wednesday purely to get anything and everything I think is Mexican or bar like as I only live 1.5 hours away. I have some American number plates, Mexican hat, clock, pictures, posters etc etc
These are just guides for the costumes that I can mention to the actors.
Will - Construction worker. Tries to move conversation along uncomfortable in the situation. Has a small opinion on the welfare argument. Leaves the bar when the conversation becomes heated. Kind, gentle.
Old shirt with stains, dark blue, shabby denim jeans and heavy boots. Messy hair, greasy workers hands. He is shabby but also approachable.
Jason Lawyer. Tired. Drinks beer (manly man), frustrated, defensive, turns nasty, easily provoked, mid life crisis (get the impression he had an affair with Alex).
Respectable ‘lawyer’ clothing ie suit and tie although also shabby tired… messy hair undone tie untucked shirt
Kelly Student. Uncomfortable in the situation, doesn’t full understand the welfare argument and GST, drinks beer, young… ditsy. Got the impression of a spoilt rich girl.
Girly colours: pink blouse, shirt skirt, stockings and heels. Jewelery such as a heart necklace. ‘blond’
Evan Writer. Uncomfortable with the fight between Jason and Gabrielle, sensitive. Only character to actually say something about the fighting. Helpful and friendly.
Brown baggy pants, not jeans, maybe fisherman pants and a band t-shirt. Glasses.
Miranda Actor. Offers Gabrielle a drink to shut her up. Tries to help.
Eclectic, fisherman pants, knitted cardigan.
Alex Doctor. Impatient, busy schedule, snappy, emotional, may have had an affair with Jason. Swimmer/fit.
White shirt and vest, black skirt, minimal jewelery, pony tail.
Gabrielle Government. Uptight, stressed, oblivious to others, pushy, defensive, swears, upset. Swimmer/fit. Has been hurt by J
Jason, angry then mean. Opinionated about her work.
Pants suit.
Sam Uni Student. Jeans and a band shirt
