Edexcel GCSE Drama: Designing Drama

Cardboard sheets and boxes Large pieces of sturdy cloth such as canvas Plywood sheets Timber strips Staple gun Glue gun Heavy-duty gaffer tape Metal brackets and hinges Cable ties Drill Screwdriver Flooring offcuts Water-based paint, brushes Marker pens PVA glue UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESOURCES Materials, tools and equipment At an early stage of the design process, you should make yourself aware of the materials available for creating the set. TASK 1.9 Select from the following list the items you would like to use for your set. Then highlight which are available in your school or college. This will give you a good starting point, but if you think you need further items, add them to the list and begin to think where you could source them. ASSESSMENT CHECK Being aware of the possibilities and limits to your design means that you can: • ‘make appropriate judgements during the development process’ • ‘create a clear and practical design with consideration of practical application of materials and production elements.’ FOCUS Practical aspects you need to know about before you create your design. Human resources The exam board states that you need to ‘be involved in the execution of the design’, but ‘the ability to manufacture the set is not a specification requirement’. This means that you can get help with the construction of your set. The most likely source of support is your technology department, especially if topics such as construction and working with resistant materials are on the curriculum. Remember that you need to be closely involved in what is made and how it is constructed. Perhaps a technology teacher or student could construct the set or scenery item while you assist, for you to paint afterwards. Discuss this with your Drama teacher. You might not even need to build a set. You can hire or borrow items, but you need to be involved with the process, and the design of the set must be yours. TASK 1.10 Arrange to visit the construction rooms of the technology department. Discuss with a teacher: How might they set about constructing a scenery item such as a flat? What materials would they suggest using for your design? What tools and equipment would you need? DESIGN TIP Ask around! There might be a family friend who has a workshop, for example, and a trailer to transport the set to school. Building MaTErIaLS and ToOLS A Drama student mixes and choose paint for her set. Chapter 1 Practical Guide to Set Design 25