09.00 Introduction
Overview
Each student develops the physical objects and wearable elements needed for their individual virtual production project. Specific props, costumes, and small set pieces communicate character, location, scale, and action, while providing the performer with tangible objects to handle and react to on stage.
Creators use their scripts, storyboards, and shot lists to determine which items require physical fabrication and which elements can remain digital. Students begin with sketches and rapid prototypes, such as cardboard constructions, and then evaluate each piece’s size, mobility, silhouette, and surface texture directly through a camera lens. Finally, makers coordinate these physical items with the virtual environment and document clear floor marks and reset procedures for their collaborative crew to follow between takes.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the props, costume elements, and physical set pieces needed for specific shots
- Distinguish objects that performers must physically use from elements that can remain virtual
- Use sketches and prototypes to test a design before committing to fabrication
- Select materials and construction methods suited to the action, budget, and available time
- Evaluate how an object’s scale, silhouette, color, and surface read through the camera
- Test performer movement and revise elements that interfere with the planned action
- Document placement and reset instructions to maintain continuity between takes
Key Terms
- Prop
- Costume
- Physical Set
- Virtual Set
- Prototype
- Silhouette
- Surface Finish
- Blocking
- Continuity
- Reset