A rare profession - prop artist. A rare profession - prop artist Prop artist in the theater

Theater and Art College No. 60 has a decades-old tradition of training highly qualified personnel, among whom there are many honored cultural workers, members of the Union of Theater Arts, laureates of theater and film awards. During the work of the college, more than 7,000 specialists working in creative and leadership positions in cultural and art organizations in Moscow and the Russian Federation.
From the first day of the foundation of Theater and Art College No. 60, there has been an art and props department. During this time, a training system for prop artists, rich in traditions and experience, has developed. Theatrical props are an important part of the performance design. Prop objects are objects of stage furnishings that imitate real dishes, decorative vases, lamps, sculptures, details of architecture and furniture, military armor, weapons, trees, bushes, flowers and plants, animals, birds and other various objects necessary for the design of the performance, reflecting life of different times and peoples, certain artistic style, helping to create the necessary atmosphere of the performance. Props are made from papier-mâché, mastic, wood, metal, foam rubber, cardboard, plexiglass and other materials that imitate real objects of material culture from such various, often expensive materials as bronze, gold, silver, valuable wood, porcelain, majolica, crystal, glass, which have primarily a decorative purpose.
IN theater performance or in a film, props, be it a dagger in a rich precious frame, a knight's helmet or shield, a decorative vase, a candelabra, a throne or a statue, help create a special atmosphere of the performance and build the mise-en-scène. Theatrical props help actors better convey the meaning of the role, and the audience more clearly imagine the time and place of the action taking place on stage. It is inseparable from the content of the performance; it is the most important part of the design of the performance, along with scenery, lighting, costume, makeup, and music.
The profession of a prop artist is one of the most interesting professions. We can safely say about such a specialist that he is a jack of all trades. A person who knows the secrets of this profession can make from the most ordinary materials - newsprint, glue, wire, thread, wood, foil, galvanized sheet, foam rubber - any fake object of material culture that accurately imitates one or another artistic style of a certain historical era. “Property artist” is a very multifaceted profession, since this specialist must master several crafts at once, for example, he requires plumbing, carpentry, and carpentry skills in processing various materials. Students master the skills of processing wood and metal on lathes and drilling machines, longitudinal and transverse sawing of wood using hacksaws and jigsaws, working with a hand plane and electric planer, turning parts on an electric sharpener, mechanical processing of wood and metal with files, chisels, cutters, electric soldering of parts from tin and wire, stamping on foil or tin using special tools for metal stamping, various technologies for manufacturing products from papier-mâché, mastic and cardboard.
Students also need skills in making props from textured fabrics, polystyrene foam, plastics, plexiglass, foam rubber, revultex, and sawdust. The training program includes tasks on making ornamental plants, vegetables and fruits, birds, fish, animals, carnival and ritual masks, dishes, lamps, cold steel and firearms, armor, helmets, shields, street lamps, lamps, baskets, hats, books, orders, medals, jewelry and much more.
A prop artist also needs to be proficient in painting, drawing and composition to create sketches and technical drawings of prop objects and to imitate using painting on theatrical props made of papier-mâché, mastic, wood of various textures, such as, for example, gilded bronze, silver, embossed leather, porcelain, semi-precious colored stones, etc. In order to create even not very complex prop objects, mastery of sculptural modeling skills is also required.
In sculpture classes, students learn the basics of sculpture, acquire practical skills in sculpting and figurative representation of a three-dimensional form both on a plane and in space. The entire sculpture course consists of practical tasks, during which students must master the techniques of decorative modeling, be able to sculpt individual parts of the body, the head and figure of a person from casts and from life in a round volume and in relief, a sculpture of an animalistic nature. The final task is the reproduction of a three-dimensional sculpture or relief from a photograph, reproduction or sketch, observing the imagery and stylistic features of the sculpture.
Drawing and painting classes include learning the basics of academic drawing and easel painting. Students acquire practical skills graphic image surrounding reality based on volumetric-spatial thinking, practical skills in the technique of watercolor and oil painting based on a comparison of the color relationships of nature and objective color perception of the surrounding world.
Often a prop product has to be made simultaneously from several materials, one has to independently think through the technology and process of its production, and select the necessary materials. For example, an 18th century pistol may be made of metal and wood. The barrel, locking mechanism, trigger guard and trigger are made from a metal tube, and the handle and stock of the barrel are made from wood. With the help of ornamental carving and painting, a certain artistic style is reproduced in the pistol, expensive types of wood are imitated, silver inlay, etc. A 17th-century candelabrum can be made of a wire frame and papier-mâché and painted to resemble gilded bronze. The possibilities of theatrical props are almost unlimited. The prop artist must also have ingenuity and ingenuity in order to come up with the most rational design of the product, select the most suitable materials for this product, and make it sufficiently durable and functional.
Since 1961, along with the specialty “prop artist” in the art and props department, there is also the specialty “doll artist-technologist”, in which the various skills in processing various materials that the prop artist possesses are used to make dolls, props and puppet show scenery.
In practical classes on puppet technology, students learn to make various types of theatrical puppets - glove puppets, cane puppets, shadow puppets, life-size puppets, marionettes, movie puppets, author's puppets, souvenir puppets from wood, papier-mâché, cardboard, fabric, foam rubber, synthetic materials. A puppet artist, first of all, must master the secrets of the mechanics of various types of theatrical and film puppets, since it is the mechanics of the puppet (movements of the head, eyes, eyebrows, mouth, torso, arms, legs) that plays the most important role in creating the dynamics of the image and character, revealing it functional load.
For example, the simplest glove puppets in their design are designed for fast dynamic movements and are most suitable for comic characters, such as the Russian Parsley or the English Punch.
Cane dolls have smooth, unhurried or sharp, dynamic movements. They are often used for majestic, romantic images, like the dolls in the play “Aladdin’s Magic Lamp” by the State Academic Theater of Theater Arts. Such dolls are controlled by canes going to the hands and a special cane going to the head - a gapit, on which the mechanics of controlling the details of the doll's face are fixed. Cane puppets can be quite mechanically complex. In this case, they are controlled by several puppeteers at once. Thus, in the performance of the State Academic Theater of Theater and Culture “An Extraordinary Concert”, the Gypsy doll is controlled simultaneously by six actors.
The most complex in its mechanics is the puppet doll, controlled from above by the puppeteer using strings. The movements of a puppet doll are most similar to the movements of a person. It is no coincidence that a puppet theater often imitates a dramatic theater, and a puppet doll imitates a living actor. Assembling such a doll so that it moves correctly and harmoniously is a whole art. The puppet is controlled by threads or wire rods attached directly to the puppeteer's hands or a wooden pole. Puppets can have a large number of control threads; the more threads, the more natural and perfect the puppet’s movements.
A doll artist must be able to make doll parts and elements of its design from wood, papier-mâché and metal, possess the technology of carving and painting, skills in designing and assembling a doll, selecting fabrics and sewing and finishing a costume for a doll, which plays a vital role in the characteristics of the image and must combine authenticity, fabulousness and convention.
In addition to practical classes in the specialty, including “Theater layout”, “Scenery painting”, students of the art and props department study a number of core theoretical special disciplines - “Plastic anatomy”, “History of the theater”, “History fine arts", "History of material culture", "History of toys, dolls and puppet theater".
Students undergo practical training in workshops of Moscow theaters and studios. Students' diploma works are theatrical props, scenery and puppets made in workshops of theaters and film studios and directly involved in productions. Such a deep and thorough approach to mastering the profession allows graduates of Theater and Art College No. 60 to become broad specialists in the field of design art.
In our college they study rare professions, but everyone has one thing in common - a love of theater. This is the most necessary condition to start learning!

Inessa GENNIS, teacher of theater and art college No. 60

The word came into our language from Italian. Prop - what is it? Fake items, items for theatrical performances, dummies that are used on stage instead of real ones.

Usage

Props have a wide range of uses. There are several types of dummy works in the theater.

Decoration.
Furniture.
Props.
Costumes.
Decorations.

The set is an artificial world for the action to take place: walls, columns, stairs on the stage. All this is decorated and stylized to suit a certain era and place. For example, walls and ceilings like palace halls or stone castles of the Middle Ages, railings “like gold” or figured “forged” patterns.

Furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas are made according to the time period and the need for the play. For example, the king's throne or Venetian chairs. The costumes have a fake base in hats, trim (unusual buttons, buckles), and shoes. For example, the horns of the Silver Hoof, the crown of the king, the painted boots of Grandfather Frost.

The most widespread use in the theater is props. What are these - all the small household items that are used during the performance. Dishes, food (cakes, fruits, roasted wild boars), weapons. All the jewelry on the actors is fake.

Materials and manufacturing

It is impossible to list all the materials for props. Almost everything that the artist’s imagination is capable of goes into the work. But the main ones can be considered paper, fabric, foam and plaster. Any dummy can be created using glue and paints. Such objects are lighter in weight, quickly repaired, naturally, cheaper than real ones, but at the same time they have expressive, recognizable shapes. Small details that are invisible to the viewer and do not work during the performance are not reproduced.

The main method of making props is papier-mâché props. What is made from several layers of paper soaked in glue or paste. In order to make such a prop, they usually use a real object as a base. For example, a vase is sealed with the first ten layers of paper, dried, cut into two halves, the main thing is taken out, a copy is glued or stitched, glued with paper or fabric and painted.

You can create a prop object from one material or a combination of materials. Foam products are covered with fabric; gypsum and plastic are an ideal combination for statues and columns. Wooden or plywood railings are usually decorated with softened cardboard molding.

Story

Props arose during the first theatrical performances in Ancient Greece. The actors portrayed gods and heroes with dummy swords, shields and bows. Acquired in Italian comedy productions widespread, and got its name there, which has come down to us.

Today, the use of counterfeits is large. They are used in advertising and holiday decorations. There are props for photo shoots and for everyday use. Dummy video cameras are often placed in places where crime or theft may occur. This technique deters criminals and saves the organization money. During World War II, fake warehouses with weapons and equipment were created to mislead the enemy.

Profession - prop maker

IN Soviet times in theater universities it was taught as a separate discipline and was a profession. Nowadays, it is part of the training course for artists. In large theaters, all dummies are made in a separate workshop; in provincial theaters, it is combined with the art and production department or a carpentry workshop.

The most successful examples of stage fake art are exhibited in museums, allowing the viewer to see up close some of the “great deception” and behind the scenes. Props: what is it? A full-fledged partner of actors and directors. Not everything on stage is a prop; real objects are also present on stage. But it is customary to process them for completeness. artistic image, tint for brightness and proximity to the theme of the production.

The word props originated in Italy to describe props and scenery. In direct translation it is “fake”, but a more accurate synonym would be “dummy”. There are many objects on stage that look real but aren't.

Why do you need props?

Props are necessary not only to save on props, although, of course, this aspect is important. Prop objects can be much lighter, stronger or, conversely, fragile than their real prototypes, depending on the specific requirements of a particular performance. For example, a significant part of theater furniture is decorated only on the side facing the viewer. In addition, many prop objects are overly expressive, which is why they usually look ridiculous up close, but look perfect from the auditorium.

Almost every theater has its own prop shop, which provides performances with appropriate props. The workers of this workshop are literally “jacks of all trades”, because they are required to have the skills of sculptors, turners, handicraftsmen, carpenters, cutters, artists, and jewelers. A variety of materials are used to make props: metal, wood, composite materials, various synthetics. For example, one of the most popular materials, which is still actively used today, is ordinary papier-mâché, that is, glued paper.

You should not assume that prop makers produce “disposable things.” On the contrary, many props are manufactured to be more durable than their real-life counterparts. This is necessary so that the same set of props can be used throughout the entire theater, and not create a set for each performance.

Not only on stage

Until a certain point, prop objects were used exclusively for stage needs, but in the 20th century they found less peaceful uses. Thus, in the Second World War, the parties actively used fake copies of military equipment, tanks, and fortifications. This was done to mislead enemy intelligence. Aviation was used to collect intelligence data, and from a height of several hundred meters it was not difficult to mistake a dummy tank for a real combat vehicle. IN modern world props can also be found not only in the theater. For example, plastic apples in fruit baskets or dummies of surveillance cameras are examples of classic props.

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Prop artist

Job responsibilities. Makes working sketches of prop products. Coordinates working sketches and prop samples with the production designer and production director. Manages the work of the prop shop (site, workshop), determines its artistic and technological policy, and improves prop production. Conducts work to improve the qualifications of employees subordinate to him. Participates in preparation necessary elements design when performing arts organizations conduct exhibitions and advertising campaigns.

Must know: laws and other regulatory legal acts Russian Federation, relating to the activities of performing arts organizations, techniques of drawing, sketching, painting, coloristics and technology of painting with various dyes and inks, technique and technology of sculpting, molding and making fake objects from various materials, technology of adhesives and adhesive materials, basic chemistry of polymer materials, their technologies production, technology of chemical dyeing and artistic painting of fabrics, experience of performing arts organizations in the field of making props, methods creative work on the creation of props in performing arts organizations, the history of material culture and theatrical and decorative art, the basics of economics and management in the field of performing arts, labor legislation, internal labor regulations, labor protection and fire safety rules.

Qualification requirements.

Prop artist of the highest category - higher vocational education(theatrical and set design, artistic) and at least 5 years of work experience as a prop artist of the first category.

Prop artist of the first category - higher professional education (theater and set design, art) without any requirements for work experience or secondary vocational education (theater set design, art) and work experience of at least 3 years as a prop artist of the second category.

Prop artist of the second category - secondary vocational education (theater, set design, art) with no requirements for work experience.

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