Wizards Vs Aliens CBBC

Wizards Vs Aliens is about the Nekross (the aliens) invading the earth for magic. The show is created by Russel T Davies and Phil Ford Davies is the writer from Doctor Who and Ford joined him on Sarah Jane Adventures also shown on the CBBC. 

I came across this children's TV show when my brothers were watching it, the first thing I noticed was the amazing sets and costumes! There was an amazing magical basement with an elf/goblin creature and after some research found out he's a hobgoblin... Anyway he had great prosthetics. I immediately wanted to be part of the creativeness behind the show!

                                             

Fco Javier Coronilla is the puppet maker from Millennium FX. Richard Martin is the prosthetic artist also from Millennium FX, he worked on a few Doctor Who episodes too. Think I may of found my way in to working on one of the best British shows ever!! (Dr Who) Researching into other CBBC shows I've seen links to people working in the BBC as well as CBBC. 

American Horror Story- Coven. Costume Designers.

American Horror Story, Coven was aired in the UK in late October 2013. There's only a year between each series. In the quotes below the costume designer states that she was only given 6 weeks and 4 days to complete and ready the costumes. They found a lot of the garments from vintage stores and online. I would love to work in the costume department for American Horror Story because it would be new every series, the era's change during episodes so it would be impossible to get bored! 

Entertainment Weekly asked, "What is it like designing for an entirely new time and place each season?"“It’s like doing a movie every week,” Eyrich told EW, adding that she only had six weeks to ready the wardrobe for Coven and about four days to prep each episode. “Ryan Murphy has a vision before we even get started. He shares his ideas with me and then I do mood boards and we go over each character and decide what their look would be. This [past] season he wanted each character to have an iconic look. It’s both fun and quite intimidating.”

How does AHS differ from any other show you’ve worked on?
The big difference is, with all the other shows I’ve done, you get to build closets from season to season, you have a stash of wardrobe, like your own closet. You get to run in and [pull anything you need]. But because every AHS season is new, you’re starting over fresh with new characters. You don’t have that stash. Because we shot [this season] in New Orleans… I had not done a television series on location before, so [I had to] get to know a new city and where to find the things I’d need for an 1830s flashback or a Salem witch hunt. 

My favourite characters costume is Zoe Benson's played by Taissa Farmiga, her clothes are long and boho chic but every thing is darkly coloured or black! 

I love that every series is completely different, they don't carry on from the last but have the same actors. The actors are very good at their job, you can forget they were a mass murderer in the last series within 1 new episode. The costume department helped along with the transitions between all 3 series by sitting down and totally re-designing every characters wardrobe. 

Lord Of The Rings Theatre Production, Toronto

 This is the construction of the Lord of the Rings stage set. The different sections elevate to different levels and produce a totally different scene. The production reportedly cost £12 million, so the set better be great!

This is the stage in action, it makes the scene so much more powerful... it may of been a little too powerful, one of the cast members legs got caught in the moving stage and the performance was suspended!

The costume designs for the tree's are lovely, you can tell what they are but aren't too obvious and trying too hard. It is always great to see something different to the norm.

This photo shows the stage in a different position and some of the great costumes. 

 These are the Nazgul also known as the dark riders, the puppets are so clever and yet so scary!

The Eye of Sauron as a flat back drop. Simple but effective.

In my research I also found out The National Geographic Channel produced a 50-minute television program as part of their INSIDE series that followed the London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. 

I would really love to see the theatre production and see if the acting is as good as the set and costume.

 The production will be revived for a 2015 world tour, yey!

Matilda The Musical

Matilda the Musical

Matilda the Musical is showing at The Cambridge Theatre at the moment and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). I found out the set and costume designer, Rob Howell, is the same man that designed the sets for Lord of the Rings musical in America. I really enjoy all of Tolkien's books and feel the films have done them justice so I would like to see if the musical has worked out as well! But that is for another time and blog post... Back to the wonderfully designed set of Matilda.

This is a set scale model of the stage- scale models are great to help you visualise the space better. 

The whole concept of the wooden letter boxes is great, very eye catching and they can be transformed easily just by the lighting. Cheerful and playful one minute then, they look as if they were reflecting upon the past happy times the next.

The New York State Theatre Institute's production of A Tale of Cinderella. The Design is by Richard Finkelstein. I love all the different levels it keeps it very interesting and useful as entrances for the performers. 

Wicked The Theatre Production

I saw this amazing production 5 years ago and still remember the set, it was great even before the musical started!

This man's paper model of the stage is so detailed, I came across it when trying to find the design process, I like to see the initial ideas not just the final piece.

Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark Theatre Production

My friend told me to check out this stage set from the new Spider-man production running in New York that she got the chance to see. She didn't reckon much to the play but the sets were amazing and I have to agree! They are so dynamic, it's hard to imagine they're all used the same space. They had 58 scenic set ups, world record? I wasn't expecting so much variety; most of the productions I've seen have had a key piece of scenery and added or taken away bits which is also pretty impressive to do but they have gone all out for this, (they spent 6 weeks digging a seven foot deep hole in the cock pit for 3 elevators) no expense spared! All the colours are so eye catching and fit the scenes perfectly although I do believe more than 1,800 focusable fixtures, 157 automated fixtures, 554 LED fixtures and over ¼ mile of linear LEDs had something to do with this.

The Chrysler Building reaches out from the stage and unfolds into the audience it is first stored in the hanging position where it is pointing vertically down and folded in half. As it flies in, it actuates and opens to a total length of 50’ in a horizontal position and it extends over the fourth row of the audience. Adding to the effect of the web-slinger’s bird’s-eye view, the stage floor rises up on an angle, revealing lightboxes built-in to the ramps that are digitally printed with stylized Art Deco building elements. Associate Scenic Designer Rob Bissinger explained, “That particular scene shifts the audience’s perspective so they view the stage as if they are standing on top of the Chrysler Building looking down onto the street, it is absolutely breathtaking.”

  Even though I've not seen the play I feel I know the production after researching just the sets, they really do everything for the audience to feel part of the action which I feel is very important!