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Welcome Guide 2014BA (Hons) Creative Arts for Theatre & Film

Contents

A welcome from your Course Leader 3

Summer project 4

Admin & course contacts 13

Pre-arrival 14

Reading list 14

Equipment list 14

Course costs 20

Student checklist 21

Front page image: Katy Glayzer This page: Zippered Reynolds

www.ucreative.ac.uk2

from your Course Leader

Congratulations! We are pleased that you have accepted the place offered to you at the University for the Creative Arts. You will be joining the School of Architecture which consists of the following degree and postgraduate courses:

• BA (Hons) Creative Arts for Theatre & Film

• BA (Hons) Interior Architecture & Design

• BA (Hons) Architecture

• MArch Architecture

• MA Architecture

• MA Interior Design

Whilst the main introduction to the course will take place during the first week of the semester, there are some details you will need in advance. These are provided in this information pack. The date and time of your enrolment is also included in this information pack.

Following enrolment, the first week will consist of induction sessions to the various resources of the University including the studios, Library, computers and workshops. You will also meet fellow students and some of the staff who will be teaching you during your time at UCA. For part of the week we will also talk to you to about the course and your first projects.

It is very important that you do not miss any of the activities during this week.

We wish you a good summer and look forward to meeting you again at 10.00am on Monday 15 September in the Course Base Room. This is located on the Lower 4th Floor. Take the lift down to Floor 4 and follow the signs for BA (Hons) Creative Arts for Theatre & Film.

Warm regards,

Chris HuntCourse Leader Creative Arts for Theatre & FilmUCA Rochester


Summer project

You have been selected to work with a director on an adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short story ‘Why Don’t You Dance’ for the stage. The director is not a very visual person and has just specified that she wants it to have “the feel of…. (see below).

If your surname begins with:

the style you work with is...

A – J…1920s America, the ‘Jazz Age’’.

K - Q…early 70s bubblegum pop. Like The Banana Splits TV programme.”

R – Z...high tech Tokyo or Shanghai.”

It is your job to come up with ideas of how this short story can be visualised for the stage. Your initial ideas do not necessarily need to be produced for a specific type of theatre stage, as the director has not specified a venue yet.

The director is not particularly interested in seeing finished, fully worked and developed ideas at this point, but is keen to see what the possibilities are.


Miriam Abou-Shehada

You need to produce a sketchbook containing sketches and studies of the artist’s work, with:

1) Research and drawings for the props

These drawings and sketches should look at the influence that the artist’s work could have on the props that will be used. The text will hold clues as to what props are required and the sketches you make need to indicate whether the props are ‘practical’ and to what extent. Research is vital, so the sketchbook needs to provide plenty of reference material to justify your design-work.

2) Research and drawings for the costumes

Costumes tell us much about the wearer’s character. Use visual research of both the artist and era to produce designs for the main characters. It is also important to read and understand the text since information about the individuals is contained therein. After all, a story about a homeless woman suggests that she would not be dressed in heels and an evening dress…but it may just be the case...and the story would tell you why.

3) Research and drawings for the set

The spaces utilised in the text need to reflect the usage that the author has suggested; in your designs, they should not be too small or too big. This is a theatrical production, so detail need not overwhelm the audience. Colours, shapes, etc. can be used subtly to enhance the narrative of the production, but too much creates a risk of alienating the audience. Once again, your research will help inform your decisions.

Please note that this project will not necessarily be taken further into the production of sets, costumes and props in the first stage of the course.

www.ucreative.ac.uk5 Summer project

Why Don’t You Dance?by Raymond Carver

In the kitchen, he poured another drink and looked at the bedroom suite in his front yard. The mattress was stripped and the candy-striped sheets lay beside two pillows on the chiffonier. Except for that, things looked much the way they had in the bedroom—nightstand and reading lamp on his side of the bed, nightstand and reading lamp on her side.

His side, her side.

He considered this as he sipped the whiskey.

The chiffonier stood a few feet from the foot of the bed. He had emptied the drawers into cartons that morning, and the cartons were in the living room. A portable heater was next to the chiffonier. A rattan chair with a decorator pillow stood at the foot of the bed. The buffed aluminum kitchen set took up a part of the driveway. A yellow muslin cloth, much too large, a gift, covered the table and hung down over the sides. A potted fern was on the table, and a few feet away from this stood

a sofa and chair and a floor lamp. The desk was pushed against the garage door. A few utensils were on the desk, along with a wall clock and two framed prints. There was also in the driveway a carton with cups, glasses, and plates, each object wrapped in newspaper. That morning he had cleared out the closets, and except for the three cartons in the living room, all the stuff was out of the home. He had run an extension cord on out there and everything was connected. Things worked, no different from how it was when they were inside.

Now and then a car slowed and people stared. But no one stopped. It occurred to him that he wouldn’t, either.

“It must be a yard sale,” the girl said to the boy.

This girl and this boy were furnishing a little apartment.

“Let’s see what they want for the bed,” the girl said.

“And for the TV,” the boy said.


The boy pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of the kitchen table.

They got out of the car and began to examine things, the girl touching the muslin cloth, the boy plugging in the blender and turning the dial to MINCE, the girl picking up a chafing dish, the boy turning on the television set and making little adjustments.

He sat down on the sofa to watch. He lit a cigarette, looked around, flipped the match into the grass.

The girl sat on the bed. She pushed off her shoes and lay back. She thought she could see a star.

“Come here, Jack. Try this bed. Bring one of those pillows,” she said.

“How is it?” he said.

“Try it,” she said.

He looked around. The house was dark.

“I feel funny,” he said. “Better see if anybody’s home.”

She bounced on the bed.

“Try it first,” she said.

He lay down on the bed and put the pillow under his head.

“How does it feel?” she said.

“It feels firm,” he said.

She turned on her side and put her hand to his face.

“Kiss me,” she said.

“Let’s get up,” he said.

“Kiss me,” she said.

She closed her eyes. She held him.

He said, “I’ll see if anybody’s home.”

But he just sat up and stayed where he was, making believe he was watching the television.

Lights came on in the houses up and down the street.


The boy laughed, but for no good reason. For no good reason, he switched the reading lamp on.

The girl brushed away a mosquito, whereupon the boy stood up and tucked in his shirt.

“I’ll see if anybody’s home,” he said. “I don’t think anybody’s home. But if anybody is, I’ll see what things are going for.”

“Whatever they ask, offer ten dollars less. It’s always a good idea,” she said.

“And, besides, they must be desperate or something.”

“It’s a pretty good TV,” the boy said.

“Ask them how much,” the girl said.

The man came down the sidewalk with a sack from the market. He had sandwiches, beer, whiskey. He saw the car in the driveway and the girl on the bed. He saw the television set going and the boy on the porch.

“Hello,” the man said to the girl. “You found the bed. That’s good.”

“Hello,” the girl said, and got up. “I was just trying it out.” She patted the bed.

“It’s a pretty good bed.”

“It’s a good bed,” the man said, and put down the sack and took out the beer and the whiskey.

“We thought nobody was here,” the boy said. “We’re interested in the bed and maybe in the TV.

Also maybe the desk. How much do you want for the bed?”

“I was thinking fifty dollars for the bed,” the man said.

“Would you take forty?” the girl asked.

“I’ll take forty,” the man said.

He took a glass out of the carton. He took the newspaper off the glass. He broke the seal on the whiskey.

“How about the TV?” the boy said.

“Twenty-five.”


“Would you take fifteen?” the girl said.

“Fifteen’s okay. I could take fifteen,” the man said.

The girl looked at the boy.

“You kids, you’ll want a drink,” the man said. “Glasses in that box. I’m going to sit down. I’m going to sit down on the sofa.”

The man sat on the sofa, leaned back, and stared at the boy and the girl.

The boy found two glasses and poured whiskey.

“That’s enough,” the girl said. “I think I want water in mine.”

She pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table.

“There’s water in that spigot over there,” the man said. “Turn on that spigot.”

The boy came back with the watered whiskey. He cleared his throat and sat down at the kitchen table. He grinned. But he didn’t drink anything from his glass.

The man gazed at the television. He finished his drink and started another. He reached to turn on the floor lamp. It was then that his cigarette dropped from his fingers and fell between the cushions.

The girl got up to help him find it.

“So what do you want?” the boy said to the girl.

The boy took out the checkbook and held it to his lips as if thinking.

“I want the desk,” the girl said. “How much money is the desk?”

The man waved his hand at this preposterous question.

“Name a figure,” he said.

He looked at them as they sat at the table. In the lamplight, there was something about their faces. It was nice or it was nasty. There was no telling.

“I’m going to turn off this TV and put on a record,” the man said. “This record player is going, too. Cheap. Make me an offer.”


He poured more whiskey and opened a beer.

“Everything goes,” said the man.

The girl held out her glass and the man poured.

“Thank you,” she said. “You’re very nice,” she said.

“It goes to your head,” the boy said. “I’m getting it in the head.” He held up his glass and jiggled it.

The man finished his drink and poured another, and then he found the box with the records.

“Pick something,” the man said to the girl, and he held the records out to her.

The boy was writing the check.

“Here,” the girl said, picking something, picking anything, for she did not know the names on these labels. She got up from the table and sat down again. She did not want to sit still.

“I’m making it out to cash,” the boy said.

“Sure,” the man said.

They drank. They listened to the record. And then the man put on another.

Why don’t you kids dance? he decided to say, and then he said it. “Why don’t you dance?”

“I don’t think so,” the boy said.

“Go ahead,” the man said. “It’s my yard. You can dance if you want to.”

Arms about each other, their bodies pressed together, the boy and the girl moved up and down the driveway. They were dancing. And when the record was over, they did it again, and when that one ended, the boy said. “I’m drunk.”

The girl said, “You’re not drunk.”

“Well, I’m drunk,” the boy said.

The man turned the record over and the boy said, “I am.”

“Dance with me,” the girl said to the boy and then to the man, and when the man stood up, she came to him with her arms wide open.


“Those people over there, they’re watching,” she said.

“It’s okay,” the man said. “It’s my place,” he said.

“Let them watch,” the girl said.

“That’s right,” the man said. “They thought they’d seen everything over here. But they haven’t seen this, have they?”

He felt her breath on his neck.

“I hope you like your bed,” he said.

The girl closed and then opened her eyes. She pushed her face into the man’s shoulder. She pulled the man closer.

“You must be desperate or something,” she said.

Weeks later, she said: “The guy was about middle-aged. All his things right there in his yard. No lie. We got real pissed and danced. In the driveway. Oh, my God. Don’t laugh. He played us these records. Look at this record-player. The old guy give it to us. and all these crappy records. Will you look at this shit?”

She kept talking. She told everyone. There was more to it, and she was trying to get it talked out. After a time, she quit trying.


Admin & course contactsIf you have any queries please contact any of the following:

Campus [email protected]

Course Leader: Chris Hunt [email protected] 888767

Senior Lecturer: Andrew Stead [email protected] 888696

Do please leave a message if we are unavailable and we will get back to you as soon as possible. An answer phone service is available on all of the above lines for any out of hours enquiries.

www.ucreative.ac.uk12Sarah Laker

Pre-arrival

Reading list

If you have the opportunity to look at these books before you start the course they will help you to engage with future projects.

CRABTREE, S. (2004), ‘Scenic Arts for the Theatre: History, Tools and Techniques’, Woburn: Focal Press.

HOWARD, P. (2009), ‘What is Scenography?’ London: Routledge

THORNE, G. (2001), ‘Designing Stage Costume: A Practical Guide’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.

TROUBRIDGE, E. and BLAKIE, T. (2002), ‘Scenic Arts and Construction’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.

WICKHAM, G. (1992), ‘A History of the Theatre’, 2nd ed. London: Phaidon Press.

WILSON, A. (2001), ‘Making Stage Props: A Practical Guide’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.

WILSON, C. (2008), ‘The Handbook of Model-making for Set Designers’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.

Equipment list

It is compulsory that you have a comprehensive specialist tool kit from the beginning of the year. You may already have some of the items listed on the enclosed sheets but if you haven’t then you will need to purchase those items.

Over the three years (and into your career) you will keep these tools so please look after them. You will have a locker allocated to you when you arrive that you may store these tools in so please do not buy a large tool box to fit your tools in – Wickes sell a toolbox that measures approximately 480mm x 260mm x 250mm that should be suitable for your storage. Anything bigger and it will not fit into the locker. Other suppliers sell toolboxes too, so shop around (the toolbox measurements specified below are illustrative only).


The projects we set will require you to use a variety of tools – anything from a hammer to a paint-brush and it is important that these are looked after so that they will be ready for use when they are needed. If you allow the paint on a paint brush to harden then the brush will be of no use to you and you will need to replace it. You can guarantee that you will need the tool that has been lost or thrown away in a hurry…

The companies that we would recommend for you to purchase these tools are listed opposite. Check out their websites to see what they have to offer as prices will vary considerably.

Company WebsiteAxminster Power Tools www.axminster.co.uk

Squires www.squirestools.com

Buck and Hickman www.bhinone.com

Cromwell Tools www.cromwell.co.uk

Machine Mart www.machinemart.co.uk

Screwfix www.screwfix.com

EMA Model Supplies www.ema-models.co.uk

Wickes www.wickes.co.uk

B&Q www.diy.com

Morplan www.morplan.com

Eastman Staples www.eastman.co.uk

For the skills and techniques you will be learning you will need two toolboxes, one for construction tools and the other for sewing. The tools for both are listed on the next page.

The list has been split into two sections, essential and recommended. For September when you begin on the course it will be the tools that are marked as essential that you will need to have with you. However, you will be expected to purchase the recommended tools as soon as possible during the first semester.

www.ucreative.ac.uk14 Pre-arrival

Emma Cross

Essential From

5mtr tape measure, eg: 47668-95

ScrewfixScissors

No 3 Swann Morton Scalpel with no10A blades

Screwdriver set, eg: code 56784 Squires

Safety work boots, with steel toe-caps and midsoles Screwfix and work-wear shopsBoiler-suit or bib and brace

Combination square set, eg: code no 610195 from Axminster power tools or 16407Screwfix

Metric drill set 25 piece (1-13 x 0.5mm), eg: code no 14117-95

16oz min claw hammer, eg: 900175

Axminster Power Tools

3 piece plier set, eg: code100135

5 piece file set, eg: 340001

Three-sided scale rule, eg: 200110

Folding square, eg: 202407

Sliding bevel, eg: 300130

Pincers, eg: 118880

Screwdriver bits, eg: 501855

Rigid 300mm met/imp satin chrome steel rule, eg: RLFC12Squires

Rigid 150mm met/imp satin chrome steel rule, eg: RLFC06

Pencil Compass (metal and good quality) Stationery suppliers

Pin Hammer, eg: 289001-95 Axminster Power Tools

Toolbox 405x208x177 B&Q, Wickes, etc

Padlock B&Q

Snap-off knife (18mm) and blades, eg: 68480-95 (knife) 12451-95 (18mm blades)Screwfix

Stanley-type knife, eg: 72804-95


www.ucreative.ac.uk16 Pre-arrivalRecommended From

Bradawl – eg: 20843-95 from Screwfix

Junior Hacksaw - eg: code 500338 from Axminster power tools

Wire brush – eg: 13332-95 and 15696-95 from Screwfix

A3 cutting mat – eg: code no 400292 from Axminster power tools

4” Engineers Square – eg: code no 900115 from Axminster power tools

6” Engineers Square – eg: code no 900116 from Axminster power tools

Wood chisel set – eg: 4 piece wood chisel set with oil and stone from Buck and Hickman

The recommended list above should come to approximately £50 inc. VAT.

Basic sewing and pattern equipment

For best prices see local haberdashery/sewing stores

Small sharp pointed scissors

One reel of black and white thread

Fabric shears

Paper scissors

A range of hand sewing needles

Thimble

Marking Chalk or Cloth fabric marker pencil

Magic tape (not Cellotape)

Dressmakers’ pins

Fabric tape measure marked in both inches and centimetres

Hard pencils (2/3H or 4H)

HB pencils

There is also a college shop on the Lower Second Fashion Floor at UCA Rochester that holds a number of the above items for sale, as well as a range of fabrics and threads.

Individual Container

This is best bought as a small toolbox from stores such as B&Q, or Wilkinson.

Cameras

A good quality digital camera will be a very useful piece of equipment during the course. Manual control or manual override is essential. Ruggedness is more important than sophistication.

A full range of general equipment, which includes still, video and digital cameras, is obtainable free from Central Resources on a day-to-day loan basis during term time.

Computers

The University has an excellent computing resource, which you will be able to access throughout your time at UCA. However, if it is at all possible, you will benefit enormously from having a computer at home that you can use to develop your skills.

If you are able to buy a computer, expect to pay between £500 and £1000. You can use a PC or MAC, as the software that we use for CAD and graphic work will run on both platforms. You need to aim for around 4Gb or above of RAM. Technical staff will be able to give more detailed advice at the beginning of term if you are unsure about what to buy.

Software can also be purchased on a student discount to be used with your own computer.


Software can be anything upwards of £500 depending on the need and some sites will allow you to download ‘student’ versions of the program. Check before you buy. The following websites are some companies that can provide you with correct software:

• www.pugh.co.uk

• www.journeyedeurope.com

• www.cancomuk.com

Students are advised that they should be prepared to purchase a USB Memory stick (1-4 GB) in order that they may download, store and transport their relevant course work. The purchase of this item is available from any electronics or computing outlet.

It is also recommended that you obtain a USB External Hard Drive. Whilst this item is non-compulsory students are advised that they have to take responsibility for the safe storage of their work and this tool will be extremely beneficial to them.

• USB Memory Stick 8Gb+ (For transferring files from one computer to another only): £10 - £30

• Optional External Hard Drive 500Gb+ (for storing your files safely): £50 - £150

It may also be of benefit to purchase your own set of headphones. These can be any kind of stereo headphone with a long lead (at least 2m).


Course costs

Course costs for 2014/2015 (excluding tuition fees)

If liable for tuition and registration fees these will need to be paid separately. Information on these fees can be found at: www.ucreative.ac.uk/fees-financial-support

You are required to make a payment of £60 to contribute to the costs of materials required for the first year of study, payable at the point of enrolment. This will contribute to the cost of a set design project. As second and third years, you will be expected to buy the materials you need individually for your project work, and may need to buy other incidentals along the way.

You can make your £60 payment on UCA’s online store now by following the link below.

http://store.ucreative.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=1&prodid=537

Trips

A field study visit to a European capital city or cultural centre is an integral part of the course for all first year students.

This year it is possible that we will be travelling during a period in the second semester to a European city (dates to be confirmed next year). During our five-to-seven day visit you will have the opportunity to see some major collections of modern art and design, visit some cultural sites of interest, as well as, of course, to sample some of the nightlife.

The field trip forms part of a unit of study and it is highly advisable that you attend this visit. The cost is likely to be approximately £300 (total cost will be confirmed with quotes and is dependent on numbers of students travelling). To organise this it is essential that you make your payments promptly, particularly for the booking of the airline tickets.

All new students are advised to secure their place on the trip by prompt payment through the online payment system (can be accessed via the UCA website). Places will be secured on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Further information and details about the trip will be on the notice boards and on myUCA at the beginning of your first term.


Student checklist

Please use the below as a guideline:

If your offer is still conditional, email a copy of your qualifications/results to [email protected]

Apply for accommodation

Read this Welcome Guide

Complete your online enrolment

Attend your physical enrolment session (remembering to bring your original exam qualifications/results and photo ID)

Attend your induction sessions

Upload a photograph for your Student ID Card/Library Card

Pay your tuition fees and additional charges using the Online Payment facility

Once you have fully enrolled you may also want to:

Collect your Student ID Card/Library Card from the Library

Obtain a letter to open a student bank account from myRecords in myUCA

Obtain a letter for Council Tax Exemption from myRecords in myUCA

Register with a local doctor


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