what is the best way to get in to set design/production without experience?

Answer 1

Steven Spielberg started out by hanging around movie studios. Eventually he got a chance to do something. Hang out and help with community theaters. You will get experience and make contacts. Eventually, if you are good, something will happen.

Answer 2

Start drawing a lot! Fill those sketch pads, you have to be able to present initial ideas to your producer or the Art Department on the fly. Study perspective drawing.

Since this is "theater and acting" and not film .. let's hone in on the task.

Theater is incredibly trendy. A certain level of craft is required and a knowledge of "art making in context" is required. Meaning if you are doing Fiddler on the Roof, then there are certain expectations for that show.
If you are doing Hamlet, you might reference the 'trend' back in the 70's of 'suggested scenery'.
Or the avant garde, where symbolism might play a large role drawing on your knowledge of the archetypes of theater or just life itself.

Set design today ... is on several levels, one is the automated systems like Miss Saigon, you need a freaking engineering degree to have that happen. Yet, conceptual design with a multi-level unit set might be appropriate too. Simple, yet powerful.

Egads, I am exhausted just thinking about it!

The path:
1. Drawing and painting classes.
2. Community College Theater programs .. learn scene painting techniques.
3. Theater History classes -- we ARE in the post-modern era (better know what that means!)
4. Become an Assistant -- either via AutoCad or Vectorworks or model making or sketching or creating paint samples or researching the play or finding referential material .... it's a great learning experience.
5. Design for 'poor' theater, probably for zero money.
6. Become a design whore and do anything you can.
7. Document everything .. from process to product.
8. Develop a certain conceit that your work makes a difference.
9. Make every single connection you can -- follow up, build alliances, be nice ... be very nice to work with.
10. Get an assistant to do the grunt work (see #4).
11. Move to New York or Los Angeles or Miami.
12. Do regional theater and summer stock.
13. Teach classes in the craft.
14. Write opinion articles for the trade magazines.
15. Apply for genius grants and fellowships.
16. Submit your work to museums.
17. Work overseas (a prophet is without honor in his own country).
18. Go away and come back -- everyone thinks you've learned something special while away.


Okay, kid .. that's all I'll offer for tonight, good luck --- and remember, it's supposed to be fun.

Answer 3

I know someone who is into that. He started out acquiring props for a movie. I'd suggest contacting the heads of a movie's art department and tell them you want to help find stuff needed for a set. I'd keep asking them like day after day -- in a fun way, always friendly. You might end up sourcing 1970s sofas and toasters at the Goodwill and dropping them off. At this point, you're just trying to get in as a props assistant. The guy I know was a former landscaper and now he's specialized in sourcing everything from artificial turf to real trees. It's good to have a specialization like that.

Answer 4

Community Theater. It gives you the opportunity to learn all aspects of the design, structure and assembly of a set. My brother started out on the set crew of plays in high school, then community theater, now college. He is now an architect major.
Give it a try, small town play groups are a lot of fun!

Answer 5

Don't know where you live, but where I live, they usually welcome volunteers at small hometown theaters. Local productions are usually strapped for money and free labor will allow you to gain experience that you can take with you to the next level. There are also college courses offered in the subject.

Answer 6

Volunteer at a Community Theater in your city, or, if there is a university in your city, call the theater department and ask if you can volunteer.

Good luck.

Answer 7

become an intern or find a union that caters to set design.