New Set Design Unit

We got our project brief for Set build last week, I was going to post this up here when we got it, but i was still in the midst of our puppetry project.

So we have been split into 2 groups; I am in group one and am going to be building a set based on Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'

THE TASK

"The over-arching theme to which you will be working is one of ‘psychological terror’. The set you will design and build will need to express ways in which disturbances in the emotional field and crises within characters manifest in the physical environment through incongruity, juxtaposition, intensification, distortion and discord. The environment thus becomes a metaphorical extension of the psyche.

You are required to develop a conceptual response to a given text. The two texts are:

Franz Kafka ‘Metamorphosis’ (1915)

Set requirement: the living room of the household and the bedroom of Gregor Samsa – for this set, the stylistic brief is constructivism and expressionism. http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/stories/kafka-e.htm 

The psychological disquiet of the second room (the bedroom) must be clearly evident in the design and furnishing of the room itself. Elements in each bedroom must convey something of the horror being experienced by the room’s occupant – to this end, you are required to depart from realism whilst maintaining a suitably high degree of finish to the room and its components. In other words, whilst departing from realism, the effect still needs to be real. It might be useful to imagine that the room is to be made as if seen through the lens of the main character.

Each set must contain appropriate props – it will be necessary to decide what it is possible to make and/or source as props in the timeframe given. The sets must be documented when completed – details to be confirmed. You are also required to complete an essay – see below for details.

I am just about to start reading our text, people have told me though its about a man and his slow transformation into a bug.... We shall see. 

the theme for our sets is 'psychological terror'. I am not really a fan of this theme. The most scary I can do is probably along the lines of the sixth sense; watching the shining already creeped me out, so it will be interesting to see what other films we will be watching, I don't think I'm going to enjoy it, but OH WELL. All in the name of research!

We have to use this blog as our research Journal... I'm not really sure about the best way of setting it out, a logical manner would probably be useful.

perhaps like this?

1. Analysis of the Kafka Text
2. Research (including photos of primary and secondary resources, and scans of my sketchbook)
3. Supporting analysis (set designers, films painting installations that we can draw some inspiration from. 
4. Design ideas lifted from sketchbook (annotations)
5. Technical drawings and sketch models (annotations)
6. Technical processes - photos to support this and show development of the set
7. Research for the Film reviews - screen shots, poster art and reviews etc
8. The written film reviews (500-1200 words)
9. Final photo's of the finished Set.

the hand in for this project is the 27th May, i think i will make a time plan for myself so that i can be organised and make sure this project runs smoothly for me and doesnt cause as much last minute stress as a lot of the past projects.

our timetable for the project is:

8/3/10 - project briefing

15/3/10 - Group Tutorials

17/3/10 - Presentation (need to have some ideas ready about what our plans are)

28/3/10 - Construction begins (TBC)

20/5/10 - Filming (so set needs to be finished by then)