DRAMA
3315
Theatrical
Scene Painting
SPRING 2010
Steve Gilliam, Professor &
Scenic Designer
RTT 118 (by the scene shop)
Office: 999-8587 Design Studio: 494-7373
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday &
Thursday 3:30-5:30 & by appointment. To schedule a meeting outside office
hours, please contact Professor Gilliam by e-mail or in person to arrange for a
time. MWF, 9:00-Noon, he may be reached by calling his studio.
CLASS MEETING: T-R, 2:10
– 3:25, RTT 108: Painting Studio
PAINTING STUDIO: The Scene
Painting Studio is both our classroom laboratory space and the paint studio for
the departmentÕs production program.
It is going to be a challenge to keep this area organized. Your cooperation in keeping this a
clean and safe workspace will be expected. Each student will be assigned a week of cleanup and studio
maintenance with specific guidelines to be distributed in the near future.
STUDIO HOURS: The Ruth Taylor Theater is open M-F,
7am – 10pm; SA, 9am – 6 pm; and SU, Noon – 10pm. The Paint Studio will be available
during these times provided use does not interfere with ongoing Stieren Theatre
events. If the theatre is in use,
keep the doors to the Paint Studio closed and be quiet. Students enrolled in Drama 3315 will be
permitted to use the Paint Studio after hours by respecting and observing the
following policies:
á There
must always be a companion with you during after hours use.
á You
must have a cell phone to call out in the event of an emergency.
á You
must be in the building and in the space before the building is secured for the
evening.
á You
will need proper Trinity University identification.
á Unless
you are working with a drama faculty or staff member, you must let Lupita
Puente know during university working hours of your desire to be in the
building, date and times, for communication with Security.
COURSE OVERVIEW: Scenic artists
create illusions of reality; environments designed to enhance moods; and
worlds, which render meaning and provide context to stories, events, products
and the like. The scenic artist is in the business of creating make-believe
worlds come alive, of enhancing a product, or underscoring reality in the
theatre, motion pictures, television, interior design, theme parks,
restaurants, toy fairs, street fairs, industrial conventions, parties and many
others. To be a successful scenic artist is to understand the art, science and
business of scene painting. This course serves as an overview, a taste, an
introduction to theatrical scene painting.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance in this
class is required. You are allowed a total of two cuts before it will have a
measurable impact on your progress and ability to keep-up in this course.
Experience has proven that those who miss class, miss instruction, feedback and
the benefit of our class collaborative discovery process. Missing a class or
classes diminishes understanding and progress. Should you miss a class for
whatever reason, it is your responsibility to cover the missed material and be
prepared for the next class meeting. The instructor will not repeat class
demonstrations.
ART SUPPLIES and SCENE PAINTING
SUPPLIES:
Text: SCENE PAINTING PROJECTS FOR THEATRE by
Stephen Sherwin. Focal Press. Available at the Trinity Bookstore.
Supplies: To understand and appreciate this art
form requires active participation in a series of guided projects. Students
will be required to purchase art supplies and scene painting supplies to
complete assignments. Order your supplies immediately.
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE: Specifics regarding TrinityÕs Academic Honor Code
should be well understood by this point in your academic journey. To refresh your appreciation of this
commitment, log onto the following:
http://faculty.trinity.edu/departments/academic_affairs/honor_code/
Whereas this course is a
mixture of individual and collaborative creativity, it is assumed that each
student can distinguish when it is proper to use and incorporate ideas and
thoughts of others and when it would be ethically improper. Drama 3315 follows
the guideline set forth by the University regarding the Academic Code.
UNITS & PROJECTS: Scenic
artists have been making a living for centuries. It demands the abilities of a
creative artist, the skill of a specialized technician, and the savvy of a
business manager. Successful completion of the units and projects cannot
guarantee a career in scene painting. However, skills learned in this course will
be life skills. Upon completion of this course, all students should be able to
paint their own apartments; appreciate color mixing, combinations and color
taste; and/or be able to communicate with individuals who might paint your set,
color your office or finish your house interior. To facilitate these
objectives, this course will explore units and projects to assist in
understanding theatrical scene painting.
This course will focus on
artistic understandings important to the scenic artist and painting techniques. Most ÒScenicsÓ, as painters are called
in the business, possess strong graphic communication skills: value, sketching,
enlarging and duplicating painter elevations, color mixing and reproduction. These artistic skills need to merge
with the scenic art process, which includes distinct aspects: paint preparation
and interpretation of designs or elevations leading to specific step-by-step
painting procedures to execute and refine a finished product.
Each unit and assigned project
builds on a previous assignment. As a record of these projects, students
will maintain a journal or Scenic Artist Notebook throughout the semester,
which is due on the Final Exam date.
Projects throughout the
semesters vary in length, complexity and degree of completeness. Each
project serves to illuminate a portion of the scenic art process. In most
cases, the projects are sequential and essential for future assignments.
Consequently, projects are due on the due date. Late assignments will be downgraded
one grade (from B to C) and will receive a partial critique. Projects
submitted later than two weeks of the deadline will receive an automatic
"D". Projects not submitted will receive an "F"
grade.
SCENE PAINTING EXHIBIT: To
recognize the collaborative significance of the scenic artist in a theatrical
production, members of Drama 3315 will produce a scenic art exhibit during the
second week of THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS. The class will present scenic art
samples and projects in a lobby display.
The entire class will participate in preparing for this event with
submissions and the execution of the exhibit (set-up and strike).
CREW ASSIGNMENT: To better
appreciate the business, working conditions and deadlines of the scenic
artists, each student is required to work 20 hours on the semesterÕs main stage
productions. Dates and crew hours
will be posted in advance and will take into consideration how busy everyone
is. A number of you are employees
of the drama program with work assignments in the scene painting studio. Clearly, working in the paint studio
fulfills an appreciate of what a scenic artist does. Crew Assignment responsibilities will vary from student to
student. We will determine this
aspect of the course at the outset of the semester.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: A
large portion of the communications for this course will be conducted via
e-mail (sgilliam@trinity.edu)
and the web page (http://faculty.trinity.edu/sgilliam).
The University assumes that students will check their emails each day. Failure
to read posted announcements is not acceptable. Make it a practice to check
your e-mail daily. And, READ THEM.
EVALUATIONS: Artistic
interpretation allows for a wide degree of interpretation. However, in most
cases, the scenic artist is not an interpreter rather a conduit from a designer
to the final product. Thus, a scenic artist is hired to execute a design from a
scaled designer's paint elevation and line drawing. These skills take practice.
Evaluations will focus on skills and an understanding of the process. Feedback
will be based on several considerations not necessarily limited to the
following:
¥ Overall
understanding to the project
¥ Demonstrated
attention to the scenic art process (research, drawing preparation, clarity of
procedure, samples and execution)
¥ Technical
painting skills
¥ Color
understanding
¥ Individual
progress
Professor Gilliam will
digitally reproduce student work for evaluation and publication on the course
web site as outlined in the syllabus. Late projects may not be posted and will
be evaluated when possible. Late projects will not receive the benefit of a
class-wide overview. Students are encouraged to meet their deadlines.
GRADES:
Assignments will be given an assessment to determine an overall score. Below note the total point score
conversion. Please understand that
there may be adjustments to the below listed projects depending on the needs of
the class. If you have questions,
please ask.
Texture Techniques 10 points
Sculptural Samples 5
Spattered and Sponged Wall 10
Wood Grain 10
Brick 10
Stone 10
Marble 10
Ornamental Painting 10
Blood Wedding Project 15
Servant of Two Masters Project 25
Scenic Exhibit 5
Midterm Scenic Notebook 5
Final Scenic Notebook 10
Studio Participation 10
Post Card Final 15
Total Points 160
A 160 -152
A- 151-147
B+ 146 -140
B 139-134
B- 133-128
C+ 127-121
C 120-115
THERE ARE NO INCOMPLETE GRADES GRANTED IN DRAMA 3315.
