Designed and painted by Brian Willis. Sets constructed by Sean Magee
Will be performed by Coleraine Provincial Players, (2010)
POSSIBLE ELEMENTS which could go into
this scene.
| Ships wheel | Practical |
| Apple Barrel (To hide behind) | Hardboard painted trompe l'oeil |
| This is a short scene | |
Jib |
|
| Coils of rope | |
| Guns | No - don't think so |
| Bell | |
| Barrels | |
| Wooden cases | |
| Deck Chair | |
BACKCLOTH (See previous scene - "Going on
Board")
Backcloth 17 feet wide.
Eyeline is three feet above the floor. So that I can show decking and
hatches etc.
More or less a single point perspective, which can easily be seen- just
follow the lines of the decking.
UPDATE 14 AUGUST.... This scene OK'd by the Producer.
NOTES ON THE ABOVE PAINTING
Cloth is 16.5 feet wide and 11.5 feet high.
This is a single point perspective, see the decking., but I have
also put in some aerial perspective too by putting a layer of
white "mist" over the back Poop Deck. Also to make the barrel
stand out I have put a mist around the outline. This did not work very
well and makes the barrel look as if it is floating or has some magical
properties. If I have time I shall change that - although you can fiddling
about with a painting for ever. "A painting is never finished - just
abandoned" Basically a brown scene, I have tried to introduce little
splashes of colour here and there ... the red "rust" below the
collar on the foreground mast, the green hatch, the yellow ropes, the
green sea through the gunwales. . Note I have also put in white splurges
where sea gulls have been sitting!
We are using this backcloth for two separate scenes... "Going on Board" and "On Board" which has left me with a dilemma re what to do about the sails. I have decided we will have the sails furled even when at sea, because the sails further up the mast (which you can't see) are all in use and opened out when sailing!!
Ideally, if we were only using this cloth for one scene, I would have allowed myself some dramatic clouds but they would have been too obvious when used twice. However I have put in some mauve clouds bottom left to add some colour.
Shadows help the impression of depth - especially on the masts. Overlaps help the impression of depth. Every element in this scene overlaps another. Contrast help the sense of depth - the white edge of the furthest mast standing in front of the poop deck.
I have had to be reasonably accurate with the ropes as the "Tall Ships" visited Belfast a couple of months ago and literally half the population of Northern Ireland visited them so there's a lot of knowledgeable people out there!
This cloth took longer to paint that anticipated... about 25 hours in total. Including many hours painting the ropes.
Note the hoops on the foreground barrel are in perspective.
