Life as a Stage Carpenter

Video from the Halloween party. Was a fun night. skip forward a...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:05:00 -0500

Video from the Halloween party. Was a fun night.

skip forward a bit if you want to see the pyramid in its full glory

The set during the party with the projection mapping on. It...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:03:16 -0500

The set during the party with the projection mapping on. It looked so good and there wasn’t a bad word to be said about any of it.

Construction and install of the Halloween Set. It was all put on...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:01:53 -0500

Construction and install of the Halloween Set.

It was all put on and organised by the students. I didnt build it all but i did parts and helped a lot with the install and strike. it was good fun being on something different from my own show.

Advanced Stagecraft. One of my classes and we have to build an...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:57:34 -0500

Advanced Stagecraft.

One of my classes and we have to build an 8ft tall rocket that will stand on its own and be safe to touch. We also plan to make a rig for it so it can be put on display and flown in the air.

For the project we are mostly using the cnc router. Well to cut the peices. Everything else will be hand built including the metal fixings and tip for the rocket.

Its a fun project

Half Done. The Tempest set half way through the build. Most of...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:50:29 -0500

Half Done.

The Tempest set half way through the build. Most of the big pieces are in place and the decking is beginning to go down. Had a bit of bother with the sizing of the deck we used but quickly found a solution to it. Basically next time we have to know what not to cheap out on and have to suck up the cost.

After building the pieces for the main deck. We had them all...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:46:27 -0500

After building the pieces for the main deck. We had them all lined out just to check that there was a continuous curve over the whole set.

Should have mentioned that the set has a rake towards upstage and a compound curve over the whole thing. It is supposed to have an industrial look and kind of look like the inside of a ship.

The beginning of the Tempest. Delivery and then the start of...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:29:00 -0500

The beginning of the Tempest. Delivery and then the start of construction.

We made a make shift workshop in the theatre. Its handy when you have a ton of pieces to make and the space allows you to.

The space is dived up into 4x4 sections that can be individually raised by up to 10ft. so you can create really interesting shapes and with our set make it much easier to build

One big difference in our courses is the inclusion of masters students as well as bachelors....

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:52:49 -0400

One big difference in our courses is the inclusion of masters students as well as bachelors. Basically meaning that all productions are designed, planned and produced by the students. With minimal input from the faculty members.

Another difference is the work study system. where students can get a job within the school to help pay fot tuition. One of the jobs they can have is in the workshop and so be taken to work on a production. It works pretty well and there is a big mix of abilities so there are jobs everyone can do.

I like having the option to take loads of classes as well as being on production.

California

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:44:41 -0400

So I am lucky enough to be doing a semester abroad at The California Institute of the arts. A pretty good trade from Scotland.

Feels really odd being here. I feel I fit right in and have had no problems adjusting to the different culture.

So far I have had an amazing time met tons of new people and got stuck straight into production.

I have been put on the production of the Tempest and am assistant master carpenter for the build. (Pictures of the set to follow).

A bench I made for the Fringe show. Some more metal work and...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:27:59 -0400

A bench I made for the Fringe show. Some more metal work and welding. Its good fun and I’m starting to get the hang of it. Quite like how you can make wee mistakes and cover your tracks. A bit more forgiving than working with wood. Fairly messy though. I am happy with the way the legs turned out and glad I got to do some more welding before we break up just a shame that the bench is kinda ugly.

First time welding something that wasn’t just a bead on a...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:21:14 -0400

First time welding something that wasn’t just a bead on a bit of steel. I put new casters on a bed that was forever breaking. You would never know there was a weld there after it was ground.

Was a bit unsure of myself since the last time i did any welding i was crap so I didn’t do it again for ages. Pleased with myself.

A few pics of a job I did with NTS. The set is MacBeth and we...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:13:51 -0400

A few pics of a job I did with NTS. The set is MacBeth and we put it up to check it went together before being shipped to New York.

Its pretty cool, heavy though. Meant to look like an old mental asylum. The bricks are sheets of mdf put through a cnc machine and then handed to the scenic department who did a great job in finishing it.

Good fun and a good chance to see someone else’s set as well as getting to know some people in the industry.

Just a few of some of the other bits of set.

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:26:44 -0400

Just a few of some of the other bits of set.

The doors and the rake. The doors (pain in the ass) not quite...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:12:00 -0400

The doors and the rake. The doors (pain in the ass) not quite finished here, still missing some bits, were finished today not the best timing since the show already opened but supply problems and all that. It is worth it now its done but just seemed to be one thing after another during the build. Like badly marked drawings so we made the wrong number and running out of mouldings to finish the doors. Also just not enough time to do a show of this size in the time we were given. Having said that, as always now its done and up it does look pretty good.

The rake has worked well. I got a good workout installing the traps from underneath not something i want to do again too soon. Having seen them in action I was quite impressed how well they work and how hidden they are, but i spose its down to the awesome craftsmanship involved.

The back of the set of The Magic Flute. Hard to see from these...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:01:27 -0400

The back of the set of The Magic Flute. Hard to see from these pics but the big flats shown and the others too have warped massively. Its down to the wood that was used, the heat and dryness of the workshop. So particularly helpful. There was nothing we could have done to stop it we just had to try and minimize it. After the build started we sent back a whole heap of the wood for being shite. I don’t want to think what it would have been like if we had used the other wood. Still looks good though as you can see fro the other pictures.

A chair that i fixed at my girlfriends flat. was fairly smashed...

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:05:52 -0400

A chair that i fixed at my girlfriends flat. was fairly smashed up and had been bodged back together with glue and tacks So I drilled out the dowels cleaned up the joins and but new dowels in. And now its fine.

The stairs for the Magic Flute. Turned out well in the end even...

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:13:00 -0400

The stairs for the Magic Flute. Turned out well in the end even if I did fall out with the spindles when I was glueing it up. Learnt a few new tricks for marking out and measuring too. Was nice getting to build something that isn’t flat.

Fit up I did for Vanishing Point. Terrible picture but was quite...

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:08:45 -0400

Fit up I did for Vanishing Point. Terrible picture but was quite a cool set. The big window in the middle is off axis and spins in the middle so looks really odd from the front.

Been a while and im a bit behind but here is some of the Magic...

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:06:33 -0400

Been a while and im a bit behind but here is some of the Magic Flute set during construction. Been a mad rush to get it done and we are still miles behind, not our fault just the way it ended up.

Grad Show It was a big success, and well done to everyone...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:15:56 -0400

Grad Show

It was a big success, and well done to everyone involved. I wasn’t a part of it, just taking pictures.