Transcript Special Effects Project - University of Virginia School of

Inside the Box – ENGR 162 Section 1
Teaching Engineering Design through
Theatrical Special Effects
Paxton Marshall, Professor
Benjamin W. Kidd, TA
Kristin Wilhelm, TA
William Barnhardt, TA
University of Virginia
Tool List
From http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/photogallery/article/0,20036,1145812_1304110,00.html
Goals of ENGR 162
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Enthusiasm for engineering
Leadership and team skills,
Design skills: creativity and
discipline,
Resourcefulness,
Critical thinking: problem
definition and solution,
Social consciousness of the
impact of engineering
Hands-on skills
Inside The Box Participating Classes
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ENGR 162-12 – Introduction to Engineering
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DRAM 351 – Directing and Stage
Management
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Instructor: Paxton Marshall
TA: Benjamin Kidd, Kristin Wilhelm, William
Barnhardt
Instructor: Robert Chapel
DRAM 372 – Playwriting II
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Instructor: Doug Grissom
Instructional Personnel
Paxton Marshall
[email protected]
ENGR 162, Section 1
Introduction to Engineering
“A very cool guy”
Instructional Personnel
Robert Chapel
[email protected]
DRAM 351
Directing and Stage Management
Doug Grissom
[email protected]
DRAM 372
Playwriting II
Instructional Personnel
R. Lee Kennedy
[email protected]
Stage Lighting Instructor
ITB Production Manager
Instructional Personnel
Benjamin Kidd
[email protected]
ENGR 162-1 TA
ITB Project Coordinator
Instructional Personnel
Kristin Wilhelm
[email protected]
ITB Project TA
Instructional Personnel
William Barnhardt
[email protected]
ITB Project TA
Instructional Personnel
Deborah Park
[email protected]
Special Project Advisor
Instructional Personnel
Bessy
ITB Transportation
Specialist
Structuring the Teams
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9-10 teams
 Four to five engineering students (40
students total), playwright, director and
stage manager.
 Engineering teams formed using a selfevaluation of leadership, technical, and
theater experiences. The Goal is to create
teams with strengths in all three areas.
Basic Project Rules:
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Playwriting students will choose three (4)
effects to be written into their scripts
Directors will choose two (1) effects
Engineer teams will design and build all five
(5) special effects
5 minute setup and strike time
10 minute performance
15’ control distance from edge of the acting
space
Communication Required
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Engineer/Client Relationship
Designer/User
Engineer/
Effects
Technician
Client
Playwright &
Director
Important Dates
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Sunday, September ???: Play Readings
and Pizza Party, Location in Darden Courtyard
(Thornton Hall)
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Monday & Tuesday, December 3th & 4th,
6-10 PM: Final Project Performances in the
Helms Theater at the Drama Building
Last Year’s Effects & Examples
1) A Balloon Popping
Gun shots,
2) Falling Objects
Goose feathers after its unseen (and unfortunate)
demise, and a 4’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich
3) Explosion,
An electric shock, a baby being born
4) Flame Effect
A bed on fire,
5) Blinking Light
A car being locked, disco party
This Year’s Effects
1)
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Balloon Popping
Object Changing Color
Sound Effect*
Slight of Hand/Illusion Effect
Object rising and turning
This effect is an exception to the 15’ control rule. The sound effect must trigged
activated by an actors action, but not by direct control from the actor, nor may it
be remotely controlled by the engineer. Examples of suitable means of a
trigger mechanism include pressure switches, bream-break detectors, trip
wires, etc. The actor is not permitted allowed to simply press the “play” button
on a portable audio device or create the sound effect him/herself.
Control Systems
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Need to develop
some means of
controlling effects
remotely
 Provide simple user
interface for mistake
free operation
The “Grid”
Provides “Theatrical
Rigging” for engineers:
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Structural support of
effects
 Safe and convenient
electrical hookups
 Confines theatrical action
to manageable area
 Portability and fast setup
Grid Components
1” Conduit
Clamps
(Back-to-back)
1” EMT
Conduit
Electrical
Connections
(120 VAC &
12 VDC)
Standard PA
Speaker Stand
The Grid in the Helms Theater
Kristin
Electrical Subsystem
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120 VAC @ 15A
 12 VDC @ 20A
Grid Power Supply
Front Panel
Rear Panel
The “Acting Space”
5’ Margin around
all sides of the Grid
 Effects shall
originate from
within this space
 Control shall be
from 15’ from the
acting space
boundary
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The Acting Space in Action
Photographs from Inside the Box
“Weather or Not” (left) and “We
are Both Hypnotized” (below)
Financial & Materials
$50 allotted for design and build
materials per group
 $50 of personal funds allowed in addition
to the provided $50
 A large amount of scrap materials and
supplies are available
 Teams are required to keep detailed
records of their expenditures
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Technical Topics
Basic Electricity
 Circuit Protection
 Electromagnetism (Solenoids, Motors,
Relays, Transformers)
 Mechanics (Torque, Gears, Belt Drives,
Pulleys)
 Pneumatics
 Lighting and Optics
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Structured Design Methodology
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problem definition
establishing objectives and
user-requirements
identifying constraints
establishing design functions
and specifications
generating design alternatives
preliminary design and test
Course Text:
Engineering Design:
final design, documentation A Project Based Introduction
by Dym and Little
design presentation
Class discussion
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Adjusting to college,
the engineering profession
and disciplines,
team dynamics and
communication,
case studies in engineering
ethics,
time-value of money,
safety and environmental
considerations in design,
customer relations.
Some Required Assignments
Proof of Concept Demonstrations
 “Interviews” of both assigned
playwright and (later on) director and
subsequent documentation of the
interview
 Design Options Report
 Final Report
 Final Presentation
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2004 Group 4 Final Report Cover (Right)
Proof of Concept Demonstrations
Preventing last-minute projects
 Allows us keep track of group progress
 Provided opportunities of idea sharing
and peer review
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Acknowledgments
Doug Grissom, Department of Drama
 Bob Chapel, Department of Drama
 R. Lee Kennedy, Department of Drama
 Deborah Park, SEAS Graduate Student
 The Actors, Directors, Stage Managers,
Playwrights, and Engineering Students
who participated in Inside the Box
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Questions?