The Foreigner
Master Carpenter, Light Design, Sound Design
Master Carpenter
The set of The Foreigner was unique because I was the only carpenter for the entire set. For the construction, I was given a single piece of paper that had a rough idea for the design and told I had two weeks to build the set. Within the first 4 days, I was able to extend the length of the set by four feet so that we were able to include a custom trap door to our stage. Then I was able to get the trap door to not only open both ways but also to be sturdy enough to hold the weight of an actor. I also was able to put up all of the walls, including four custom walls within the first week. I attached some crown molding to take off the rough edges of the wood and to help give it the cabin feel we wanted. I cut and created a custom arch for the main entryway. I then took into account that two steps were needed. I added extra height in the arch so that it didn't appear to be to short of an opening.
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I took into account all lines of sight to ensure nothing appeared to be cut off and that everything felt as continuous as it would in an actual cabin. I did this by covering side stage walls in brick and lengthening the back wall as the hallway. Other custom elements include a chimney, staircase, and railing.
Light Design
For the light design of The foreigner, I chose to use a lack of lighting which added shadows. This helps the enclosed space have more of a cabin feel. I opted to use more direct focused lighting, versus wide shots to bring light only to central points of focus. The light then focused on the main points of interest for the show. Places such as the bar, kitchen table, couch, and window were all subject to this method. This helped the set feel warm and inviting as an old cabin would be.
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For my specials, I added a lamp wired to the board that helped with the illusion of a power outage. I also added a light focused on the trap door to create the illusion of a character disappearing through it. Other specials include a par can with a red gel used to set the mood when the KKK was onstage. Finally, I used a flashing light outside the window to indicate lightning taking place.
Sound Design
The Foreigner sound design required very few but specific sounds such as a harmonica solo, and a variety of thunder sounds. I was able to acquire the majority of the sounds from the youtube audio library. I then used bluegrass music to give the cabin more of an 80's mountain feel. I recorded a preshow announcement to address safety concerns that might occur. My purpose in this was for the audience members to feel safe. This included fire safety exits and what to do in case of an emergency.