# Hairspray the Musical - set building



## LDash (Mar 15, 2011)

Hello guys, this is a new one on me i usually do technical. I am currently in the process of designing the working drawings and building a piece of set, the Baltimore street. Which is two large flats on trucks they swing on form the wings with a crossover in between to create a walk though for the actors. In the company design brief's they require the bottom windows of the house, to allow actors to be seen though them.

I want to put black sharks-tooth gauze in the window cut out. As far as i am aware this method will work well. If any one has any experience in this or suggestions?

Also what is a good cheap substitute for the gauze?

Thankyou 
Ashton Partridge


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## rochem (Mar 15, 2011)

Hi Ashton,

First, you may want to consider revising your post to be more clear. To be frank, there are a lot of typos, incomplete sentences, and vague statements, so that I'm not even sure if I'm reading this correctly. You'll get much better responses by using proper spelling and grammar, and more experienced members will be more willing to take the time to reply if they see you using taking the time to be clear and accurate.

I'm really not sure what you're trying to do with the sharkstooth gauze, or sharkstooth scrim as we call it in the states. If you just want to be able to see through it, why not just leave it open, or use glass/plastic/something else to simulate a window? Or do you need it to appear solid, then become translucent? Scrim would work great for the latter, but you'll need to coordinate with your lighting designer. When lit from the front at a steep angle, scrim will appear _nearly_ opaque, and when only the area behind the scrim is lit, it will appear translucent. You can cover the window with scrim and paint it to blend in with the rest of the flat - this is fairly common and is relatively easy to make work. It's always a good idea to have a blackout drop immediately upstage of the scrim that can be removed just before you need to see through it, as even the best lit scrim will not be entirely opaque, particularly if there is movement or any light whatsoever upstage of it.


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## jonliles (Mar 15, 2011)

Hijack


> Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.



Why do you want to throw big rocks at me with your catapult? Wouldn't a cow be better?

/Hijack


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## rochem (Mar 15, 2011)

jonliles said:


> Why do you want to throw big rocks at me with your catapult? Wouldn't a cow be better?


 
Fair point. For throwing big rocks, the winch-and-lever mechanism of a catapult would be no match for the winch-and-lever mechanism of a cow. 

(Couldn't resist )

_I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king?_


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## jonliles (Mar 16, 2011)

rochem said:


> _I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king?_



Feche Le Can-Can dancers!

PS: All my logic is faulty


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## meghanpotpie (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm with Michael in regards to the question of effect trying to be acheived. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to scrim or plexi you may want to look into toule netting. It's pretty cheap and gives the effect of glass. If you are going for the "now they're here, now they're not" effect then you should stay with the scrim. Hope this helps.


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