DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Description:
Special Topics courses are studio-based courses that explore specific topics that can be related to a subject matter, skill, process, material, or theme. These project-based courses provide additional knowledge or skill sets to the student’s capabilities. See department for specific course offerings each semester.

Course Overview:
The Prop Design Special Topics course is a hands-on, project based workshop studio. Prop Design is the creation of handheld or movable objects and the items used on stage or film by actors, an object that is important to the overall production or scene. This also includes wearable, non-garment items, incl. stunt props, that are vital to a character and/or the story. Students will learn the creative process of Prop Design, incl. examining script or story, incorporating story telling, researching and developing a design strategy, creating ideation sketches, illustrations and concept drawings. Students will also learn a variety of fabrication skills related to Prop Design and will be creating their own prototype models (miniatures). Emphasis is also placed on the integration of the scene, design, aesthetics, functionality, and technology. Prop Design represents a vast range of objects; Replicas of objects made for what the scene needs, and other specialized items.

The students will create six primary projects that will be completed and delivered at the end of the semester. For each project the student will be required to keep a notebook of their design inspiration, research, ideations, sketches, development, sample swatches, photos of prototypes, and any other pertinent notes or information. This evidence will be needed for the students PD portfolio. In this course students will learn the basics to prop design and the individual skills needed to complete production ready projects. A presentation of the individual projects will be assigned.

Please review the whole syllabus below:

Prop_Design_Syllabus_spring_20.pages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_designer

Picking the theme, script or story:

Students will have to choose a main theme, script or story: It can be an existing book, script, movie, theatre play, but it also can be an invented or altered story. Genres can be anything from Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Period, Contemporary, History etc. In these projects the students’ will be analyzing and researching various aspects of their stories, ideation of their different objects, explore different materials and processes, and complete objects ready for showing and portfolio ready. Students will have to design according to their story and the authenticity of characters/theme.

There are 6 items due for this class:
2 props
2 furniture set pieces
2 accessory pieces made from customized fabric/material
Project 1: 2 props: mask, armor, hand held piece - e.g. weapon, electronics (any material): (30 points)
A mask and a hand held object are expected for this project. These objects are to be designed as vital part of this story. Students will research, analyze, and explore various materials to complete this story in the most authentic way possible.
Project 2: 2 furniture set pieces, home good and/or decorative set pieces (any material): (30 points)
This project utilizes all the student’s skills taught in Product Design. The items made include hard goods, rendering skills, and model making skills. These objects are based on the story, how they are seen within the project theme and how they interact with the characters and story.
Project 3: 2 props: wearable prop, fashion accessory, made of soft materials (eg. Fabrics, leather, vinyl etc.) (30 points)
Students will design and use customized fabric and other materials of their own design to create fashion accessories and/or home goods within the theme of their stories. These items can be printed or produced using Spoonflower, silk screening, alternative materials, recyclables etc. These items are to be made for the general consumer, memorabilia, collectibles, toys or specialty stores.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_breakdown

Script breakdown

A script breakdown is an intermediate step in the production of a play, film, comic book, or any other work that is originally planned using a script.

Film and television

In film and television, a script breakdown is an analysis of a screenplay in which all of the production elements are reduced into lists. Within these lists, are in essence the foundation of creating a production board, which is fundamental in creating a production schedule and production budget of an entire production of any film or television program in pre production. This process is a very tedious and complex task, and is usually the responsibility of the Assistant Director or first or 1AD within the production staff of any given production company. However, many film directors, film producers have knowledge of breaking down a script.

In particular, literally breaking down the script is a very a thorough and detailed creative analysis of dramatic action in filmmaking, highlighting the reciprocal struggle, theme, and design elements of a screenplay. Which is to code the entire cast, extras, props, special effects, stunts, wranglers, picture cars,[1] wardrobe, make-up and hair stylists, special equipment and or cameras, ADR, Foley, film scores and soundtracks etc., which are all broken-down with different colored marker highlights within a shooting script.

After which, these highlights are then organized and broken-down into strips to organize the production schedule within the actual physical production board. This process is more easily done nowadays utilizing a computer than done manually, with features inside Final Draft called tagger, or utilizing tagging mode inside Movie Magic Screenwriter, another effective computer program.[2] This information can easily be imported over to Movie Magic Scheduling to create a digital production board, and then easily imported over to Movie Magic Budgeting to create the entire production budget. Most of the script and production computer software out there comes in both Microsoft and MacOS versions, and even though there is competing software on the market, these which are listed are considered to be an entertainment industry standard. This whole process of the script breakdown[3] however is not to be confused with character breakdowns utilized with casting calls, this is an entire different process with similar names, however administered by two entirely separate departments.[4]

Comics

In comic books, it is the process of determining how each action, character, and piece of dialogue described in the script will be placed visually on a page. In the studio system that dominated mass-market comic-book production from the 1940s through the 1970s, breakdowns were done by the penciller or by a separate breakdown artist, rarely by the scriptwriter; in some cases, breakdowns were done from a rough story outline before the dialogue was written (the "Marvel method"). Later comics writers such as Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, influenced by cinematic technique, began to include more layout details within their scripts. Cartoonists who both write and draw their own work sometimes begin with a script and do their own breakdowns, and sometimes work through drawings without a separate script.

References

"Picture Car at Mathews Studio Equipment - Cine Gear Expo 2015". Instagram. June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 19,2017.
"How to Use EP Scheduling : How to Use Movie Magic Screenwriter in EP Scheduling". YouTube. Feb 10, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
"Script breakdown, scheduling and budgeting -- Tutorial". YouTube. Nov 21, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
"Casting Director's Checklist". New York Film Academy. Feb 10, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2017.

External links

Glossary for Introduction to Screenwriting

Rosi

www.rosigabl.com

Armor: BSD

In class/homework: Due for week 2:

Picking the theme, script or story:
Students will have to choose a main theme, script or story: It can be an existing book, script, movie, theater play, video game, but it also can be an invented or altered story. (The story has become yours;) Genres can be anything from Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Period, Contemporary, History etc.

Due week 2: Find/create your Story: Be ready to talk about your initial story concept! After a group presentation, we will have individual concept meetings.

Eventually we do need your story/concept/script (or favorite scene(s), and/or create a short version of) - printed out - to be able to break it down into characters, costumes/props, and other objects.