This lesson is for either a multi level or advanced technical theater class. It could also be used as a program of study for an independent study student. The inspiration for this unit derives from a class at San Diego State University with Beeb Salzer, who I had the privilege of learning from 24 years ago. It was in his class that I was first introduced to the concept of perspective rendering. It was in that class that I made my first perspective grid. I recently emailed him and asked if he still used the grid and he told me that he only used it with students who were more interested in accurate renderings. He said the majority of students prefer making models. Has rendering by hand with the use of a grid lost its relevance? Perhaps and yes it's possible that this lesson is too advanced for most high school tech students, but maybe, if properly presented, it can be a lesson in not just scene design, but as a concentration exercise. In a world of quick edits and instant gratification, maybe a lesson that requires a slower approach is still useful.
Design Research: If you had to design visual environment for a play set in a high school student's bed room, what would you do? Go home and draw your own room! Easy, right? Your own room would be considered primary research. This research would fully support your ideas and design.
Well, what if you have to design the set for a play set in an 1890's home? If you live in a house built around that time, drawing the room layout might work, but the furniture and wall colors wouldn't work. Not to mention that several renovations may have been done years before you were born. What would you do?
