AQA GCSE Drama Student Book: Revised Edition

SET PLAY 3: Things I Know to be True by Andrew Bovell 3 Design choices If you choose to answer Question 5, you will be thinking as a designer and commenting on one aspect of design. For example: You are a designer working on one aspect of design for this extract. Describe how you would use your design skills to create effects which support the action . Explain why your ideas are appropriate for: • this extract • your chosen design skill in the play as a whole. You may choose to focus on set, costume, lighting or sound design. Whichever you choose, you must explain why your ideas are appropriate for the whole play. You might describe how: your design helps to show the action of the play and the nature of the characters your design for the extract is consistent with design requirements for the rest of the play (for example, in style, tone or conventions) the technical aspects of your specialism support your design ideas. Question 1 of the exam will focus on the contemporary period and the Australian suburban location. For Question 5, you may explore this context in naturalistic detail or you may develop a more abstract or symbolic design. Whatever choices you make, you need to demonstrate an understanding of the play and its requirements. Costume design For costume design, you might consider: style, cut and t colour, fabric, decorative features whether realistic or stylised condition (worn or new, neat or wrinkled, clean or stained) footwear and headwear accessories status or social role of the character make-up and hairstyle. As costume designer, you will also be responsible for practical choices about fabrics and t. You could: highlight differences between older and younger characters associate out ts with particular jobs or locations establish the characters’ personalities and how they might change during the play consider practically how costume changes can be made. If you concentrate on the Australian setting, you could research the types of clothing worn, such as typical out ts for nurses or young professionals and how choices of colour, accessories, fabric and t will convey messages about the characters. On the other hand, you may make less naturalistic choices, such as using colours to represent certain characters. Make sure, however, that you still consider how the characters and their positions in the world of your production are shown by their costumes. TASK 25 a Sketch costume designs for three characters. b Choose one of the characters in one scene. Write about their costume for that scene and ideas for the rest of the play. c Check that you have: referred to fabric, colours, shape/silhouette, t, condition included headwear and/or footwear, as appropriate considered make-up and hairstyle, if appropriate explained how the costume helps the action of the extract related your design to the whole play. 91 SECTION B STUDY OF A SET PLAY