Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1981 - 52

(. .. continued from p. 25)

These three design tasks don't always mesh conveniently,
and we have to know the peculiar requirements of the medium
before we can make the production elements work with and
for each other.
Even the design of a simple two-person interview may run
into difficulties. For example, the floorplan of an interview set
fit comfortably into one of the corners of the studio, yet the
studio itself seemed to have shrunk considerably when the set
was finally put up--very much in the manner of the torture
chamber in Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. The
floor crew moved the set, since I had inadvertently blocked
the camera and microphone cable outlets at the studio wall,
and placed the set too closely to the wall for the backlights to
be functional. Also, my box set with 90° angles and deep
wings prevented the cameras from customary cross-shooting.
In the first tentative shots I discovered that the host and
guest seemed to drown in the large, and ever so stylish, cushioned chairs. Worse, we seemed to look down on the host and
the guest. Apparently, the soft chairs, which I put on the carpeted studio floor, placed the heads of the people so low that
the cameras could not bring their lenses at eye level with the
seated performers. This was rather unfortunate, since the
from-above-point-of-view was especially unflattering to the
guest, who was bald.
The impressive Van Gogh print, which hung so prominently
between host and guest, appeared on the television screen
only during the brief opening and closing shots. And even
then only the lower portion of the painting was seen since the
cameras were looking down rather than straight on the set.
For the bulk of the show, there was blank space behind the
two people and, for all the audience knew, they might as well
have been sitting in the middle of nowhere.
The nice fireplace with the fake fire, the bookcase filled
with impressive volumes, and the rubber plants that made up
the rest of the set, were never seen. The experienced television director was sensitive enough to ignore this dysfunctional
decor and to concentrate on the people. He saved the day by
shooting the interview rather tightly with a series of closeups.
What should I have done?
I should not have presumed the camera to be merely a medium of transmission, a technical means of projecting a
theatre set from the stage, or rather studio, on the home
screen. I should have realized that the camera is an extremely
strong formative element, a production element with its very
own operational and esthetic characteristics and demands. I
should have realized that the lenses have their own space-manipulative powers, that the closeup requires certain attention
to detail, and that the z-axes of the cameras need articulation
in order to create convincing continuous screen space. And
more.

Time and Motion
A design for a live, or real-time videotaped, television
drama may have entirely different scenic requirements compared to the same show when designed for post production. In
the real-time production, the logical continuity of action needs
organic life-space for the actors, and functional operating
space for the equipment, especially the multiple camera
setup. The scenic environment must accommodate the
scripted continuity of events.
When shot for post production in film style, the dramatic
continuity of the scripted play can be temporarily violated in
favor of production economy. As in film, I may shoot all scenes
that happen in the same living room first, regardless of their
dramaturgical order, then move on to the office scenes, and
so on. I can then easily restore dramatic continuity in the postproduction process. The modern, portable cameras and timecode editing make on-location shooting more and more attractive, thus reducing the need for elaborate studio settings.

Light and Color
Unfortunately, the color camera is much less sensitive to
high and low light levels than the human eye. The television

Instructor/Costumer
Instructor, costumer with other technical experience
to handle costuming and technical direction for 3-5
productions. Principal teaching responsibilities in
technical theatre area. Other teaching assignments
according to the department's needs and the candidate's background and interests. MFA or Ph.D. in
Theatre preferred; MA with extensive experience
considered.
Nine-month salary. Summer School teaching may
be available. Appointment to be effective Sept. 15,
19B1. Closing date for applications: March 15, 19B1.
Send letter of application with vita, transcripts, and
three letters of recommendation to:

Dr. Daniel J. O'Neill, Chairman
Department of Speech Communication and
Theatre
Youngstown State University
410 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44555

camera squints more readily if there is too much light, and
goes blind even if there is still plenty of light for us to see.
Shadow manipulation and control are essential functions of
creating a three-dimensional image on the two-dimensional
screen. If we are oblivious to the lighting requirements, by
blocking, for example, much of the overhead lighting with a
hallway ceiling, we will invite neither praise nor admiration
from the lighting personnel. Worse, we will inhibit, rather than
facilitate, the metamorphosis from real space to screen image.
In television, color is truly relative. A carefully worked out
color scheme may appear extremely pleasing to the eye when
seen in its entirety, but may take on an entirely different dimension when seen in isolated closeups. Then there is the unpredictable factor of color control by the audience. After all,
the television viewer holds the tools for the final and ultimate
color balance.

Sound
As scenographers, we should certainly be absolved from all
audio responsibilities. Far from it. A low-hanging chandelier,
which may provide your set with the unique stylistic touch,
can be formidable obstacle to the boom operator who tries to
follow the actors with the microphone. Or, the wooden staircase, cleverly camouflaged by realistic plastic bricks, may
prove less than convincing when the amplified footsteps of the
actor reveal that this masonary masterpiece is, after all, a
wooden box.
Such a simple design mistake may have dire consequences. The audience, who now feels utterly cheated,
might readily dismiss the entire production effort as a cheap
hoax.
In summary, I would like to emphasize again that in my
opinion, one of the most important requisites for the television
scenographer is a thorough knowledge of the operational and
esthetic characteristics and requirements of each medium element and how these elements interact in various production
processes. 0
Herbert Zettl is Professor of Broadcast Communication Arts at San
Francisco State University and author of Television Production Handbook and Sight Sound Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1981