Just a quick one for now.

Just finished my postmodernity essay, so shall get back to blogging properly soon. Haven't posted in a while now. Just came across this video on YouTube of the current (well, it ended like two days ago) UK tour of Rocky. It's the Floor Show, demonstrating the use of the ladders, which work similarly to how my pipes will work.

Proper posts will be back soon.

The Paint and the Pendulum

It's eight in the evening, I've been doing some drawing and painting, and I am ready to talk to Miss Heather Small...

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY TO MAKE YOU FEEEEL PROOOOUD?"

Well, Heather, I've been taking a closer look at the pendulum for my floor show

design,and going through some redesigns for it. The pendulum and the bronze pipes are the two concepts that I want to keep in my final design, and I want to somehow incorporate Honour and Glory Crowning Time to add a Neoclassical element. Since the scene is open and doesn't require any amount of realism, as the scene is meant to be Frank's fantasy brought to life. I decided to look at the pendulum, and somehow use the clock as part of it. I started by looking at the clock, and kind-of extracting the clock itself from the rest of the image. As seen on the left, the clock without the figures around it and the wooden border is an elaborately carved Neoclassical clock, one that might stand on a mantlepiece or at the top of the stairs, like on the RMS Titanic. Since the clock exists only in the woodcarving, and not as a physical, fully three-dimensional object, I took some liberties with it, such as making the clock face more proportional to the pillar-stand, so that it would look less like a work of art and more like a clock. I also made the stand slightly longer, again to make it proportional.

Below is a similar stage design to the previous one, with the clock integrated into the pendulum.

Although a bit messy (due to me forgetting that watercolours are actually wet), and the colour was a bit lost in translation upon being scanned in, my new design shows the basic form of the clock attached as part of the pendulum's "stem", or whatever that bit's called. Before settling on this, I experimented with having the clock integrated below the pendulum, to work as an extended stem, as seen below.

The initial problem I had with this is that it looked very clunky, and the entire thing no longer looked like a pendulum, as the clock's part of the stem was getting to be almost as long as the piece connecting the main body to the rafters. It also posed the question of how Frank was supposed to dismount from the pendulum after his "Don't Dream It" solo. I thought of turning the clock into a ladder by adding elements similar to the bronze pipes, but I felt that this would make the pendulum over-designed and unfocused.

I did some research on more elaborately decorated pendulums (they're rarer than you'd think)

and managed to find something similar. The clock on the left features a more elaborate pendulum than usual, with the bottom of the "stem" decorated with a carved lyre and a string-like protusion. The added bits are not intended to make the clock any more efficient, but are purely for decoration, much like the Honour and Glory clock, and my pendulum, aside from acting as a seat for Frank. The way that the clock is positioned nearby the bronze pipes would mean that two of the dancers would be able to act as the Honour and Glory figures, crowning the clock.

The colours I used for my painting are vaguely representative of the colours I'd want to use in my final design. I find it difficult to get the colour right with watercolours, as it always looks so different as paint than it does on paper. The curtain I want to be a rich, earthy red, evoking

the traditional image of red velvet theatrical curtains. The gears in the background are black on the outer edges and a steel grey on the inside. The bronze pipes are obviously bronze, but with a more yellowish tint than a red one. The pendulum itself I want to be a dull red-orange, but I want it to have the effect of rough polished iron, like the bottles on the right here. I want it to reflect this texture because it would evoke the images of factories and industrialisation, key elements of the steampunk genre.

Maths is a terrible, terrible thing.

Got the specifications of the theatre we're using as a basis for the project today, and that theatre is Margate Theatre Royal. Because the website is so dedicated to advertising shows and generally making as much money as possible, it does not really feature any actual photographs of the stage. Kind of a major thing there that they've missed out on. So I had to hunt around on Google Images to find a picture of the stage. Well, I assume it's the one. There's no guarantee with Google. We were also given the technical floorplans of the stalls and circle, as well as an elevation view of the stage. Using the measurements as drawn on the paper in some way I don't think I'll ever be able to remember, we were able to work out nearly exact measurements of the stage, which we were then able to divide by 25 to find the 1:25 scale that we needed. That was a long sentence. The theatre itself is pretty standard fare, and fits with the designs I've already produced. Obviously I'll have to modify them slightly and work out the exact measurements that I need everything to be at, but that's easily done. Maths has never really been my strong point (my strong point is apparently blogs. Funny, that.), but the equations used to work out the dimensions of the theatre and the appropriate 1:25 scale weren't that difficult. I just don't remember the process...

"Time reigns over all"

I know, I know. I post videos like a bitch. But they're all relevant, I promise. This is a music video for 'Quietus (Silent Reverie)', a song by my favourite band, Epica. While the song in itself isn't relevant to much, the video is distinctly steampunk. Just ignore the weird and blatantly sexual facial expressions Simone makes when she's singing.

Oh, I suppose it's also relevant that I've chosen to go with steampunk as my final genre. That's pretty important.

One of the interesting things about the video is that it is far more dirty and gritty than other steampunk works. The video is set in an underground mine in the middle of the ocean, far away from the upper-class world of corsets and tailcoats, in the underworld as opposed to the overworld. Steampunk has long been considered a classy yet unpolished genre, whereas this video showcases the dirtier, 'hidden' side of it. Since Rocky Horror is known as being intentionally schlocky and gritty, this could be applied to the floor show somehow. For instance, the floating clockwork platform that the band are seen performing on could form the basis for the performance area seeing as it is already akin to a stage. This would make the space more interesting, and less bare, as it is in my previous design. I know I definitely want spinning cogs in there somewhere.

Another interesting aspect of the song is the artwork for the two versions of the CD single, as seen below.

It is interesting that both use a stylised clock as the focus of the cover. The upper artwork features a clock that looks to be designed like a fairground or church organ, or an imagined steampunk-age jukebox. The lower is a simpler design, but appears to be influenced by the Italian Renaissance era of paintings. Using these as a basis, I would like to experiment with having a huge working clock as the backdrop of my design, which could assist with the narrative, such as striking midnight when Riff Raff and Magenta make their entrance, signalling the end for Frank and his fantasies.

Just had another idea. Although not really related to steampunk, this makes me think of one of the most famous clocks in the world, the twin ones that were installed on RMS Titanic and Olympic, known as Honour and Glory Crowning Time.

Don't want to go too far into this, as it's not really steampunk, but I thought it could be interesting to have a steampunk version of that clock, with Columbia and Janet crowning it, somehow, as 'Honour' and 'Glory' are doing on the actual clock. Something to think about...

"Here in the heart of Hell to work in Fire..."

Another rough, basic set idea for a Luciferian-themed Floor Show. With added colour. I spoil you.

Obviously not to scale, and rather poor in quality, this design shows Frank as a Lucifer-figure, descending down on a set of light and dark wings, clothed in a waist-cloth, fishnets, and a feather headdress. The red lightning bolt in the background is a traditional symbol of the Transylvanians for the Rocky Horror community, appearing mostly in the film adaptation. Frank's wings would be attached to the lightning bolt, and he would separate

from them once finishing his "Don't Dream It" solo. Since a harness would not work, as there is no upper clothing to hide this, I had the idea to make it like the "cherrypicker" lift used in Wicked for Defying Gravity.

Now, just imagine that, but in reverse. And without any witches.

I'm not really a Wicked fan. Seriously. I've only seen it five times in two different countries. *cough*.

Anyway, I think the wings could work in that Frank could be standing on a small platform, which locks around his waist, and descending (rather than Wicked's ascent). This would make it easier to stage, and less obvious to the audience than a massive great harness. Although I think I'm going too far away from set design here...

The dead branches at the upper section of the stage are primarily framing devices, but are frequent themes in Doré's illustrations for Paradise Lost. Doré's work always makes me feel very odd, as if I'm looking at something human eyes aren't meant to look at. This is always most obvious with the illustration accompanying the line "dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before" from Poe's The Raven (my all-time favourite poem, along with Carroll's Jabberwocky, but that has nothing to do with anything.)

The image is very ethereal and otherworldly, seeming to show something that has never been and should never be seen before, which is pertinent to the line. It is possible that I could attempt to incorporate some of this into a future design.

The Corinthian pillars are another form of framing, something that is key to the scene for a dramatic entrance. This type of pillar is common in many Biblical epic, as well as high fantasy. One particular book that sticks out in mind concerning this is Wendy Alec's The Fall of Lucifer.

I decided to leave the backdrop very bare for several reasons. One reason is that a backdrop could detract from the impact of Frank's magnificent wings, which would not be the effect I want. Another reason is that there is very little in the way of backdrop that this scene requires. The scene is Frank's flight of fantasy, so very little in the way of reality is needed.

"I beheld Satan, as lightning fell from Heaven..."

..I swear that's from the Catholic rite of exorcism...or from something used in exorcism. Well, whatever.

The third genre I'm going to be looking at is Luciferian Biblical epics, in the vein of, and centering on, Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. In the 2006 U.K. tour souvenir programme of The Rocky Horror Show, creator Richard O'Brien states "I think that Fran

k is more of a Lucifer ... it can be argued that Lucifer was wronged by God. Lucifer said to Go - I'll bow down to you but not to any of your creations - and for showing such defiance, he was sent down below. You could see Lucifer as the original Prodigal Son". This made me think of Frank as a Luciferian (incorrect adjective but it's as close as I can get) figure. I could picture an entrance with Frank dressed only in a glittery, angelic loincloth, with huge feathered wings, descending from above. The fanfare that signals his entrance is grand and verging on epic, and as such, the entrance he makes must match the music. A visual aid of what I mean can be seen in the character Kefka Palazzo, the antagonist from Final Fantasy VI, who appears initially as a clown-like figure, but slowly becomes a Lucifer-like god towards the end of the story. At the beginning of the final battle, he appears dramatically to the group of heroes (set to the piece of music called 'Dancing Mad', which is probably the most epic piece of game music ever. No arguing).

Kefka appears draped with an angelic, purple loincloth, and huge golden wings. If I could combine this with Gustave Doré's original illustrations for Paradise Lost, I could

create an interesting entrance for Frank, as if he were 'lowered from the heavens' by a huge set of wings.

Earlier in the year, we were shown a video from the Royal Shakespeare Company of the development of a set for The Tempest in which Ariel descends from above on a set of huge wings which were actually part of the wall which was being lowered down, with the actor playing Ariel in an attached harness. This is something I could consider when creating my designs.

Paradise Lost is one of my favourite poems. It combines grandeur with mortal sin and betrayal. Rocky Horror is full of religious imagery and allegories, such as the Narrator referring to Brad and Janet as having "tasted forbidden fruit". The Floor Show features Frank as a deity-like figure, being worshipped by the 'mortals', Brad, Janet, Columbia and Rocky, as well as the audience watching the show, who go wild at Frank's entrance. As such, Biblical themes in the Floor Show may work very well, if I can come up with some decent designs. I have some drafted designs in my sketchbook but nothing solid yet.

OH WAIT, ONE MORE THING....

A bootlegged performance of the Floor Show from the 2001 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show. Terrence Mann starring as Frank.

Don't tell me that isn't awesome.

The key thing about this particular production is that it was the

first to have radically different staging and costumes than any of the previous productions. It is also the first major production to be performed on a thrust stage. The extended part of the stage here takes the form of a kind of catwalk, with lights running along the edge. The proscenium and curtain are used as part of the scene, as if they exist both in the real world and the world of the show. The intriguing thing about the 'catwalk' is that the very end of it turns over on itself to be used as a fake seating area for the ensemble (referred to as the Phantoms). This is to give the impression that the Phantoms are watching the play as a film, in a cinema. The fact that they then get up and get involved with the show itself mirrors the audience participation aspect of the show (as heard in the video).

The costumes are particularly interesting in this version

of the show. The costumes worn by the four "lesser" characters are virtually the same, and are as depicted in this picture of Alice Ripley as Janet. The colours are quite radically different from those seen in past productions, as typically the costumes are toned-down replicas of Frank-N-Furter's regular costume. Here, the bodices are brightly and intricately coloured with reds, golds, and purples. This makes the scene feel more glitzy and 'high-class' than other productions.

"But first, for those of you whose taste is a little more earthbound..."

An embarassing song from a piece of legitimate theatre bad fanfiction, but at least slightly relevant nonetheless. The next genre I'm going to look at for the project is the Edwardian 'bathing beauty' subculture. The Edwardian era is a nine-year English period beginning with the death of Victoria I and the coronation of Edward VII in 1901, and ending with Edward's death in 1910, although it is often extended to include the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, and ending at the beginning of World War I. The period has come to symbolise long, golden afternoons at the beach, garden parties, and

other fun activities that would be missed upon the beginning of the war.

One of the key aspects of the period was the "bathing beauty" subculture that emerged. Although mixed bathing was frowned upon or banned at most beaches, postcards featuring pictures such as the one on the right were sold frequently, possibly as a precursor to the swimsuit models of modern culture.

The bathing suits are very conservative by today's standards, but for the period would have been considered skimpy.

Another aspect of Edwardian bathing is the bathing machine, seen on the left. This was a privacy/dignity device which a woman would enter and change into her bathing costume. The machine would then be brought into the water so she could climb in without showing too much skin.

Thinking about how these ideas could be applied to the Floor Show, I had the idea that Frank could make his entrance in a bathing machine. It could be wheeled in by one of the dancers, and could be a plain bathing machine on one side, but the other side would be open, and covered in modern-day swimsuit model pictures. I feel that this would show irony, as a device meant for dignity and conservation would be covered in soft porn. It would also show the gratuitous nature of Frank's personality, and would probably make for a good comedy moment. I'd probably make the entire set themed as an Edwardian beach, but far less conservative. The colours could probably be monochrome, to match the old postcards, photographs and illustrations, but might make the scene less exciting and upbeat.

Steampunking it up

The other day, I sketched out a (very rough and undeveloped) idea of how I might conceive the Floor Show as a steampunk production. Since the scene is very un-detailed in terms of stage directions, etc., artistic freedom is granted. In the many stage productions, and the film version, the scene tends to become intentionally unrealistic, with elements of magic realism.

Although it is very rough, uncoloured and undeveloped, the steampunk influence is noti

ceable. The set is clockwork-themed, featuring cog and gear motifs. The centerpiece is a large pendulum with a velvet seat inside, decorated with gears and alchemical symbols. This would be the way that Frank-N-Furter enters, sitting inside the pendulum. This is inspired by the current U.K. tour of the show, which has been going on-and-off since 2006, in which Frank sits on a moon which is revealed as his entrance. I felt

that a pendulum was more appropriate for a steampunk production, as clockwork, as well as time in general, are important signifiers of the genre, as

The ladder-like set pieces are meant to be bronze pipes with bolted protusions, which the actors playing Columbia, Rocky, Brad and Janet would

climb as their verses end,

remaining there until "Wild and Untamed Thing". If I was to actually go ahead and use this as my final design (which I won't), the pipes would probably have to be painted a particularly bright bronze colour, as I would want to really show the colour, as colour seems to be key in conveying the notion of steampunk.

The curtain which would be draped at the top of the stage would be dark red, almost brown, with dull gold trim. These are, again, two of the key steampunk colours. The curtain would be false, and would serve no purpose other than decoration. The symbols running along th

e edge of the curtain next to the trim are alchemical symbols,

which would be a recurring, prevalent theme if I was designing this as a full production. The elemental symbols used are, as left, copper, iron, air, water, steel, sulphur ('sulfur') and gold. I feel that the symbols would be an effective presence, as the show is, at least in part, a science fiction film. In the film version The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Frank's equations and mathematical workings were seen in several scenes, a result of his work in creating Rocky. The alchemical symbols in my design would serve this same purpose. The symmetrical gears in the background are, again, for decoration only. They would not be flat, but would protude slightly from the wall, perhaps four or five inches. They, like the bronze pipe-ladders, would act as a kind of framing device for Frank and his pendulum, as the pendulum is in centre st

age, while the gears would be on the left and right.

One thing I don't really like about this design is that it isn't very concrete. The film version has the scene set in Frank's great hall, as a play-within-a-film. Other productions take after this idea, such as the current U.K. tour

again, which features some location-based scenery, such as the door in the

background that can be seen in this picture. However, this is something I could easily change upon developing the idea further. Overall, I like this first design, even though it is basic and was drawn very early on in the stages of the project, and thus does not take into account some of the knowledge I've gained since.

Steampunk - 'The love child of Hot Topic and a BBC costume drama'

The quotation in the title is from author Gail Carriger.

Steampunk can also be defined as a sub-genre of science fiction that is usually set in an anachronistic alternate 19th century. Its focus is most often on a world where steam is the primary source of power, where Victorian society, ideas and fashion are highly prominent. Some examples of famous steampunk works include:

Steamboy (2004, Katsuhiro Otomo)

Final Fantasy VI (1994, Square)

Boneshaker (2009, Cherie Priest)

amongst many others. Continuing on the colour theme from The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, steampunk works typically involve earthy and metallic colours. These include leathery browns, dull greys, and bronze. Such colours often add to the dystopic theme of many steampunk works. I have created a spider-chart of the key ideas, terms and themes involved with steampunk.

A full-sized version can be found here.

"Try the cock. It's a delicacy."

'The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover'. One of the most brilliantly disturbing films I've ever seen. I don't know whether to say I enjoyed it or not.

The film takes place wholly within the Le Hollandais Restaurant, owned by the English gangster and abusive husband Albert Spica. Over a series of nights at the restaurant, Spica's wife, Georgina, begins an affair with Michael, a regular at the restaurant. Spica eventually discovers this, and murders Michael at the lovers' refuge. Georgina, overcome with rage and grief, convinces the cook, Richard, to cook Michael's body and force Spica to eat it, as he declared he would in a fit of rage. The film ends with Spica taking one bite of the dish before being shot in the head by Georgina.

The purpose of watching the film in the context of Narrative & Genre was to observe how colour was used. The three central areas of Le Hollandais (the dining room, the kitchen, and the bathroom) all had very different colour schemes, and as such, each conveyed a different mood.

The dining room, as shown above, is primarily a deep red colour. Red is usually considered the colour that represents anger, and as such, this is the area where most of the film's conflicts took place, as well as most of Spica's scenes.

The kitchen is shown as dark, dingy, and is primarily dark green in colour. Considered a calming colour, the green helped to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the kitchen, as well as the male soprano's constant singing. Although peaceful, the green colour and eerie chanting made the kitchen seem rather unsettling.

The final area, the bathroom, is white, and brightly lit. The brightness of the room could possibly suggest security, as Georgina believes she is safe from Spica in the ladies' bathroom. It is also the only room that could be considered mostly free of Spica's anger, hence the white colour. White is often considered to be "good", opposing the "evil" black. This also brings into question the idea of Yin and Yang - natural dualities, for example, light and darkness, hot and cold - in that one thing cannot exist without the other.

Initial Thoughts

After two practice runs with Narrative & Genre (The Virtuous Burglar and Rumpelstiltskin), we were set the initial stages of the final task. These were to select a scene from a play of our choice, and begin to develop ideas for the scenic design of that scene in three different genres. We discussed how there are broad, wide-reaching genres, such as horror, sci-fi, romance, comedy, among others, and how sub-genres branch off from there. For instance, sub-genres of horror could include psychological horror, slasher, ghost stories, etc.

The scene I chose to look at is the Floor Show from the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show. The show is about a straight-laced, uptight American couple, Brad and Janet, who get a flat tire while out in the woods, and go to a nearby castle to ask for help. The castle is home to the transvestite mad scientist from outer space, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and his servants, who insist they stay the night and become prey to Frank's depraved mind. The show was written by Richard O'Brien, and first performed in 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. The cast included Tim Curry as Frank, Christopher Malcolm and Julie Covington as Brad and Janet respectively, and O'Brien himself played the role of the butler Riff Raff.

The Floor Show scene comes at the climax of the show, after Brad and Janet have been drugged. Frank arranges a burlesque floor show to be performed ("in an empty house, in the middle of the night"), as a way of satisfying his desires. The floor show is performed by Frank, Brad, Janet, the groupie Columbia, and Frank's experiment Rocky. It begins with the song 'Rose Tint My World', as the four "lesser" performers speak their minds in song. Frank then makes a dramatic entrance in the song "Fanfare/Don't Dream It", as well as the character of Dr. Scott in his wheelchair, clad in suspenders. Finally an upbeat kickline is formed in "Wild And Untamed Thing". The floor show is then interrupted by the servants Riff Raff and Magenta, who dramatically announce that they intend to kill Frank and return to their home planet. The song can be heard below.

The scene from the film can be seen here.

At the very least, the scene requires room for five actors, an actor in a wheelchair, and a way for two others to enter later on. The script for the scene reads "Each enters singly - wearing black stockings and suspenders and black underwear and finally they become a slow motion chorus line". As such, it mentions very little in terms of location, props, set, or lighting. The various productions throughout the years have developed the scene independently, and most hold some common similarity to each other. Usually this involves Frank being framed in the center by the other four performers, and remaining in the center of the kickline throughout the entire scene. The only other details that are specified is that Riff Raff and Magenta are wearing "extraterrestrial national costume" when they crash the floor show. Apart from that, artistic freedom seems to be the general idea that O'Brien wanted when writing the script.