The Key Elements of a Drama Production : Characterisation, Lighting, Sound and Set Design

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Drama GCSE Research-Half term

Set Design

In a drama piece the design of the set is very important. It can distinguish the places in which different scenes are set and create mood or atmosphere.

When designing a set for a piece various things must be taken into consideration: the plot, the places that scenes are set, the lighting, along with the money that can be used for it.

The set (as mentioned above) is the biggest hint to the audience as to where each scene is taking place and the era that the piece is set in. Using different height levels in the set helps to keep the audience interested. The colours, artwork and materials used to make the set are the biggest giveaway to the audience as to what time and place the piece is set. In the piece that I have just finished (Trojans-set in ancient Greece, on ramparts, the ground and palace steps) the set production team used all of the above factors to create the right effect. They used paintings of old Greek ruins as a background (to show era), blocks of various heights to show the ramparts, and blocks with grand looking seats upon them to show the palace steps.
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The set used must also work with the lighting to create the right moods and shadows. The set production team has to be careful when designing the set because of the lighting. If the set was too dark/light the lights may make it look bad or unreal in some way.

The plot is the main factor in the creation of the set. The plot tells the designers what will happen so that they know what areas of set need to be created. For instance a piece set in an office would not have deckchairs in it or ...

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