Guide: BA (Hons) Creative Arts for Theatre & Film - UCA Community ...

Welcome
Guide 2013
BA (Hons) Creative Arts
for Theatre & Film

2
Contents
A welcome from your Course Leader 3
Summer project 4
Induction week timetable 12
Admin & course contacts 13
Pre-arrival 14
Reading list 14
Equipment list 14
Course costs 20
Student checklist 21
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Front page image: Group work
This page: Ryhan Eldon-Davis

3
from your Course Leader
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Dear Student,
Congratulations! We are pleased that you have
accepted the place offered to you at the University
for the Creative Arts. You will be joining the School
of Architecture which consists of the following
degree and postgraduate courses:
• BA (Hons) Creative Arts for Theatre & Film
• BA (Hons) Interior Architecture & Design
• BA (Hons) Architecture
• MArch Architecture
• MA Architecture
• MA Interior Design
Whilst the main introduction to the course will
take place during the first week of the semester,
there are some details you will need in advance.
These are provided in this information pack. The
date and time of your enrolment is also included
in this information pack.
Following enrolment, the first week will consist
of induction sessions to the various resources
of the University including the studios, Library,
computers and workshops. You will also meet
fellow students and some of the staff who will be
teaching you during your time at UCA. For part
of the week we will also talk to you to about the
course and your first projects.
It is very important that you do not miss any of
the activities during this week.
We wish you a good summer and look forward
to meeting you again at 10.00am on Monday
16 September in the Course Base Room. This is
located on the Lower 4th Floor. Take the lift down
to Floor 4 and follow the signs for BA (Hons)
Creative Arts for Theatre & Film.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Hunt
Course Leader, Creative Arts for Theatre & Film
UCA Rochester

4
Summer project
You have been selected to work with a director
on an adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short
story ‘Why Don’t You Dance’ for the stage. The
director is not a very visual person and has just
specified that she wants it to have “the feel of….
(see below).
www.ucreative.ac.uk
If your surname
begins with:
A – J
K - Q
R – Z
the style you work with is...
….‘kitchen sink’ realism”
…early 70s bubblegum pop.
Like The Banana Splits TV
programme.”
...high tech Tokyo or
Shanghai.”
It is your job to come up with ideas of how
this short story can be visualised for the stage.
Your initial ideas do not necessarily need to be
produced for a specific type of theatre stage, as
the director has not specified a venue yet.
The director is not particularly interested in seeing
finished, fully worked and developed ideas at this
point, but is keen to see what the possibilities are.

5
Summer project
You need to produce a sketchbook containing
sketches and studies of the artist’s work, with:
1) Research and drawings for the props
These drawings and sketches should look at the
influence that the artist’s work could have on the
props that will be used. The text will hold clues
as to what props are required and the sketches
you make need to indicate whether the props are
‘practical’ and to what extent. Research is vital,
so the sketchbook needs to provide plenty of
reference material to justify your design-work.
2) Research and drawings for the costumes
Costumes tell us much about the wearer’s
character. Use visual research of both the
artist and era to produce designs for the main
characters. It is also important to read and
understand the text since information about the
individuals is contained therein. After all, a story
about a homeless woman suggests that she
would not be dressed in heels and an evening
dress…but it may just be the case...and the story
would tell you why
3) Research and drawings for the set
www.ucreative.ac.uk
The spaces utilised in the text need to reflect the
usage that the author has suggested; in your
designs, they should not be too small or too big.
This is a theatrical production, so detail need
not overwhelm the audience. Colours, shapes,
etc. can be used subtly to enhance the narrative
of the production, but too much creates a risk
of alienating the audience. Once again, your
research will help inform your decisions.
Please note that this project will not necessarily
be taken further into the production of sets,
costumes and props in the first stage of the
course.

6
Summer project
Why Don’t You Dance
by Raymond Carver
In the kitchen, he poured another drink and
looked at the bedroom suite in his front yard.
The mattress was stripped and the candy-striped
sheets lay beside two pillows on the chiffonier.
Except for that, things looked much the way they
had in the bedroom—nightstand and reading
lamp on his side of the bed, nightstand and
reading lamp on her side.
His side, her side.
He considered this as he sipped the whiskey.
The chiffonier stood a few feet from the foot of
the bed. He had emptied the drawers into cartons
that morning, and the cartons were in the living
room. A portable heater was next to the chiffonier.
A rattan chair with a decorator pillow stood at the
foot of the bed. The buffed aluminum kitchen set
took up a part of the driveway. A yellow muslin
cloth, much too large, a gift, covered the table
and hung down over the sides. A potted fern was
on the table, and a few feet away from this stood
a sofa and chair and a floor lamp. The desk was
pushed against the garage door. A few utensils
were on the desk, along with a wall clock and
two framed prints. There was also in the driveway
a carton with cups, glasses, and plates, each
object wrapped in newspaper. That morning he
had cleared out the closets, and except for the
three cartons in the living room, all the stuff was
out of the home. He had run an extension cord on
out there and everything was connected. Things
worked, no different from how it was when they
were inside.
Now and then a car slowed and people stared.
But no one stopped. It occurred to him that he
wouldn’t, either.
“It must be a yard sale,” the girl said to the boy.
This girl and this boy were furnishing a little
apartment.
“Let’s see what they want for the bed,” the girl
said.
“And for the TV,” the boy said.
www.ucreative.ac.uk

7
Summer project
The boy pulled into the driveway and stopped in
front of the kitchen table.
They got out of the car and began to examine
things, the girl touching the muslin cloth, the boy
plugging in the blender and turning the dial to
MINCE, the girl picking up a chafing dish, the
boy turning on the television set and making little
adjustments.
He sat down on the sofa to watch. He lit a
cigarette, looked around, flipped the match into
the grass.
The girl sat on the bed. She pushed off her shoes
and lay back. She thought she could see a star.
“Come here, Jack. Try this bed. Bring one of
those pillows,” she said.
“How is it” he said.
“Try it,” she said.
He looked around. The house was dark.
“I feel funny,” he said. “Better see if anybody’s
home.”
She bounced on the bed.
“Try it first,” she said.
He lay down on the bed and put the pillow under
his head.
“How does it feel” she said.
“It feels firm,” he said.
She turned on her side and put her hand to his
face.
“Kiss me,” she said.
“Let’s get up,” he said.
“Kiss me,” she said.
She closed her eyes. She held him.
He said, “I’ll see if anybody’s home.”
www.ucreative.ac.uk
But he just sat up and stayed where he was,
making believe he was watching the television.
Lights came on in the houses up and down the
street.

8
Summer project
The boy laughed, but for no good reason. For no
good reason, he switched the reading lamp on.
The girl brushed away a mosquito, whereupon
the boy stood up and tucked in his shirt.
“I’ll see if anybody’s home,” he said. “I don’t
think anybody’s home. But if anybody is, I’ll see
what things are going for.”
“Whatever they ask, offer ten dollars less. It’s
always a good idea,” she said.
“And, besides, they must be desperate or
something.”
“It’s a pretty good TV,” the boy said.
“Ask them how much,” the girl said.
The man came down the sidewalk with a sack
from the market. He had sandwiches, beer,
whiskey. He saw the car in the driveway and the
girl on the bed. He saw the television set going
and the boy on the porch.
“Hello,” the man said to the girl. “You found the
bed. That’s good.”
“Hello,” the girl said, and got up. “I was just trying
it out.” She patted the bed.
“It’s a pretty good bed.”
“It’s a good bed,” the man said, and put down
the sack and took out the beer and the whiskey.
“We thought nobody was here,” the boy said.
“We’re interested in the bed and maybe in the TV.
Also maybe the desk. How much do you want for
the bed”
“I was thinking fifty dollars for the bed,” the man
said.
“Would you take forty” the girl asked.
“I’ll take forty,” the man said.
He took a glass out of the carton. He took the
newspaper off the glass. He broke the seal on the
whiskey.
“How about the TV” the boy said.
“Twenty-five.”
www.ucreative.ac.uk

9
Summer project
“Would you take fifteen” the girl said.
“Fifteen’s okay. I could take fifteen,” the man said.
The girl looked at the boy.
“You kids, you’ll want a drink,” the man said.
“Glasses in that box. I’m going to sit down. I’m
going to sit down on the sofa.”
The man sat on the sofa, leaned back, and stared
at the boy and the girl.
The boy found two glasses and poured whiskey.
“That’s enough,” the girl said. “I think I want
water in mine.”
She pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table.
“There’s water in that spigot over there,” the man
said. “Turn on that spigot.”
The boy came back with the watered whiskey. He
cleared his throat and sat down at the kitchen
table. He grinned. But he didn’t drink anything
from his glass.
The man gazed at the television. He finished his
drink and started another. He reached to turn
on the floor lamp. It was then that his cigarette
dropped from his fingers and fell between the
cushions.
The girl got up to help him find it.
“So what do you want” the boy said to the girl.
The boy took out the checkbook and held it to his
lips as if thinking.
“I want the desk,” the girl said. “How much
money is the desk”
The man waved his hand at this preposterous
question.
“Name a figure,” he said.
www.ucreative.ac.uk
He looked at them as they sat at the table. In the
lamplight, there was something about their faces.
It was nice or it was nasty. There was no telling.
“I’m going to turn off this TV and put on a record,”
the man said. “This record player is going, too.
Cheap. Make me an offer.”

10
Summer project
He poured more whiskey and opened a beer.
“Everything goes,” said the man.
The girl held out her glass and the man poured.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’re very nice,” she
said.
“It goes to your head,” the boy said. “I’m getting
it in the head.” He held up his glass and jiggled it.
The man finished his drink and poured another,
and then he found the box with the records.
“Pick something,” the man said to the girl, and
he held the records out to her.
The boy was writing the check.
“Here,” the girl said, picking something, picking
anything, for she did not know the names on
these labels. She got up from the table and sat
down again. She did not want to sit still.
“I’m making it out to cash,” the boy said.
“Sure,” the man said.
They drank. They listened to the record. And then
the man put on another.
Why don’t you kids dance he decided to say,
and then he said it. “Why don’t you dance”
“I don’t think so,” the boy said.
“Go ahead,” the man said. “It’s my yard. You can
dance if you want to.”
Arms about each other, their bodies pressed
together, the boy and the girl moved up and down
the driveway. They were dancing. And when the
record was over, they did it again, and when that
one ended, the boy said. “I’m drunk.”
The girl said, “You’re not drunk.”
“Well, I’m drunk,” the boy said.
www.ucreative.ac.uk
The man turned the record over and the boy said,
“I am.”
“Dance with me,” the girl said to the boy and
then to the man, and when the man stood up,
she came to him with her arms wide open.

11
Summer project
“Those people over there, they’re watching,” she
said.
“It’s okay,” the man said. “It’s my place,” he said.
“Let them watch,” the girl said.
“That’s right,” the man said. “They thought they’d
seen everything over here. But they haven’t seen
this, have they”
He felt her breath on his neck.
“I hope you like your bed,” he said.
The girl closed and then opened her eyes. She
pushed her face into the man’s shoulder. She
pulled the man closer.
“You must be desperate or something,” she said.
Weeks later, she said: “The guy was about middleaged.
All his things right there in his yard. No lie.
We got real pissed and danced. In the driveway.
Oh, my God. Don’t laugh. He played us these
records. Look at this record-player. The old guy
give it to us. and all these crappy records. Will
you look at this shit”
www.ucreative.ac.uk
She kept talking. She told everyone. There was
more to it, and she was trying to get it talked out.
After a time, she quit trying.

12
Induction week timetable
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Date Time Activity Location Staff
Welcome, icebreaker and introduction to the
10.00 – 12.30 Base room, Lower Course Staff
course.
4th floor
12.30 – 13.00 Student Services introduction Student Services
Monday 16
Overview of course and introduction to first
14.00 – 15.00 Lecture Theatre One IT staff
September
units.
Tuesday 17
September
Wednesday 18
September
Thursday 19
September
Friday 20
September
All students: campus welcome - visit the
16.00 – 18.00 Refectory for your free drink and meet staff
and students on campus
Summer project feedback and briefing of first
10.00 – 12.30
units
14.00 – 15.15 Groups A & B: Library Induction
15.30 – 16.45 Groups C & D: Library Induction
Welcome to UCA Fayre: drop in throughout
the day for information on UCA services.
10.00 – 16.00 There will also be short introductory lectures
in the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre
advertised on the day.
Refectory/balcony
(weather permitting)
Base room, Lower
4th floor
Library e-zone 2
Reception/Foyer/
Peter Williams
Lecture Theatre
09.30 – 12.30 Group A - Workshop Induction
13.30 – 16.00 Group B - Workshop Induction
Workshop, Lower
4th floor
16.00
International Welcome (All new EU/
International students)
Lecture Theatre 1
17.15
UG Physical Enrolments - Creative Arts
Theatre Film New students
Peter Williams
Lecture Theatre
09.30 – 12.30 Group C - Workshop Induction Workshop, Lower
13.30 – 16.00 Group D - Workshop Induction
4th floor
All students and
campus staff
Course Staff
Library staff
New UCA students/
staff
Technicians
All new EU/
International students
Admissions/Campus
Registry
Technicians

13
Admin & course contacts
If you have any queries please contact any of the
following:
Faculty Officer: Jackie Andrew
jandrew@ucreative.ac.uk
01634 888708
Faculty Administrator: Natalie Holmes
nholmes2@ucreative.ac.uk
01634 888745
Course Leader: Chris Hunt
chunt@ucreative.ac.uk
01634 888767
Senior Lecturer: Andrew Stead
astead@ucreative.ac.uk
01634 888696
Do please leave a message if we are unavailable
and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
An answer phone service is available on all of the
above lines for any out of hours enquiries.
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Karen Black

14
Pre-arrival
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Reading list
If you have the opportunity to look at these books
before you start the course they will help you to
engage with future projects.
CRABTREE, S. (2004), ‘Scenic Arts for the
Theatre: History, Tools and Techniques’, Woburn:
Focal Press.
HOWARD, P. (2009), ‘What is Scenography’
London: Routledge
THORNE, G. (2001), ‘Designing Stage Costume:
A Practical Guide’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.
TROUBRIDGE, E. and BLAKIE, T. (2002), ‘Scenic
Arts and Construction’, Marlborough: Crowood
Press.
WICKHAM, G. (1992), ‘A History of the Theatre’,
2nd ed. London: Phaidon Press.
Equipment list
It is compulsory that you have a comprehensive
specialist tool kit from the beginning of the year.
You may already have some of the items listed on
the enclosed sheets but if you haven’t then you
will need to purchase those items.
Over the three years (and into your career) you
will keep these tools so please look after them.
You will have a locker allocated to you when
you arrive that you may store these tools in so
please do not buy a large tool box to fit your
tools in – Wickes sell a toolbox that measures
approximately 480mm x 260mm x 250mm that
should be suitable for your storage. Anything
bigger and it will not fit into the locker. Other
suppliers sell toolboxes too, so shop around
(the toolbox measurements specified below are
illustrative only).
WILSON, A. (2001), ‘Making Stage Props: A
Practical Guide’, Marlborough: Crowood Press.
WILSON, C. (2008), ‘The Handbook of Modelmaking
for Set Designers’, Marlborough:
Crowood Press.

15 Pre-arrival Emma Cross
www.ucreative.ac.uk
The projects we set will require you to use a
variety of tools – anything from a hammer to
a paint-brush and it is important that these are
looked after so that they will be ready for use
when they are needed. If you allow the paint on
a paint brush to harden then the brush will be of
no use to you and you will need to replace it. You
can guarantee that you will need the tool that has
been lost or thrown away in a hurry…
The companies that we would recommend for
you to purchase these tools are listed opposite.
Check out their websites to see what they have
to offer as prices will vary considerably.
Company
Axminster Power Tools
Squires
Buck and Hickman
Cromwell Tools
Machine Mart
Screwfix
EMA Model Supplies
Wickes
B&Q
Morplan
Eastman Staples
Website
www.axminster.co.uk
www.squirestools.com
www.bhinone.com
www.cromwell.co.uk
www.machinemart.co.uk
www.screwfix.com
www.ema-models.co.uk
www.wickes.co.uk
www.diy.com
www.morplan.com
www.eastman.co.uk
For the skills and techniques you will be learning
you will need two toolboxes, one for construction
tools and the other for sewing. The tools for both
are listed on the next page.
The list has been split into two sections, essential
and recommended. For September when you
begin on the course it will be the tools that are
marked as essential that you will need to have
with you. However, you will be expected to
purchase the recommended tools as soon as
possible during the first semester.

16 Pre-arrival
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Essential From
5mtr tape measure, eg: 47668-95
Scissors
No 3 Swann Morton Scalpel with no10A blades
Screwdriver set, eg: code 56784
Safety work boots, with steel toe-caps and midsoles
Boiler-suit or bib and brace
Combination square set, eg: code no 610195 from Axminster power tools or 16407
Metric drill set 25 piece (1-13 x 0.5mm), eg: code no 14117-95
16oz min claw hammer, eg: 900175
3 piece plier set, eg: code100135
5 piece file set, eg: 340001
Three-sided scale rule, eg: 200110
Folding square, eg: 202407
Sliding bevel, eg: 300130
Rigid 300mm met/imp satin chrome steel rule, eg: RLFC12
Rigid 150mm met/imp satin chrome steel rule, eg: RLFC06
Pencil Compass (metal and good quality)
Pin Hammer, eg: 289001-95
Toolbox 405x208x177
Padlock
Snap-off knife (18mm) and blades, eg: 68480-95 (knife) 12451-95 (18mm blades)
Stanley-type knife, eg: 72804-95
The essential list above should come to approximately £200 inc. VAT.
Screwfix
Squires
Screwfix and workwear
shops
Screwfix
Axminster Power Tools
Squires
Stationery suppliers
Axminster Power Tools
B&Q, Wickes, etc
B&Q
Screwfix

17 Pre-arrival
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Recommended From
Bradawl – eg: 20843-95
Junior Hacksaw - eg: code 500338
Wire brush – eg: 13332-95 and 15696-95
A3 cutting mat – eg: code no 400292
from Screwfix
from Axminster power tools
from Screwfix
from Axminster power tools
4” Engineers Square – eg: code no 900115 from Axminster power tools
6” Engineers Square – eg: code no 900116 from Axminster power tools
Wood chisel set – eg: 4 piece wood chisel set with oil and stone
from Buck and Hickman
The recommended list above should come to approximately £50 inc. VAT.
Basic sewing and pattern equipment
Small sharp pointed scissors
Fabric shears
Paper scissors
A range of hand sewing needles
Thimble
For best prices see local
Marking Chalk or Cloth fabric marker pencil
haberdashery/sewing stores
Magic tape (not Cellotape)
Dressmakers’ pins
Fabric tape measure marked in both inches and centimetres
Hard pencils (2/3H or 4H)
HB pencils
Flexible Graders rule or Pattern Master
Morplan
Spiked pattern wheel (tracing wheel)
• www.morplan.com
• 020 7636 1887
Clickers awl
• london@morplan.com

18 Pre-arrival
There is also a college shop on the Lower Second
Fashion Floor at UCA Rochester that holds a
number of the above items for sale, as well as a
range of fabrics and threads.
Individual Container
This is best bought as a small toolbox from stores
such as B&Q, or Wilkinson.
Cameras
A good quality digital camera will be a
very useful piece of equipment during the
course. Manual control or manual override is
essential. Ruggedness is more important than
sophistication.
A full range of general equipment, which includes
still, video and digital cameras, is obtainable free
from Central Resources on a day-to-day loan
basis during term time.
Computers
www.ucreative.ac.uk
The University has an excellent computing
resource, which you will be able to access
throughout your time at UCA. However, if it is
at all possible, you will benefit enormously from
having a computer at home that you can use to
develop your skills.
If you are able to buy a computer, expect to pay
between £500 and £1000. You can use a PC or
MAC, as the software that we use for CAD and
graphic work will run on both platforms. You
need to aim for around 4Gb or above of RAM.
Technical staff will be able to give more detailed
advice at the beginning of term if you are unsure
about what to buy.
Software can also be purchased on a student
discount to be used with your own computer.

www.ucreative.ac.uk
Software can be anything upwards of £500
depending on the need and some sites will
allow you to download ‘student’ versions of the
program. Check before you buy. The following
websites are some companies that can provide
you with correct software:
• www.pugh.co.uk
• www.journeyedeurope.com
• USB Memory Stick 8Gb+ (For transferring files
from one computer to another only): £10 - £30
• Optional External Hard Drive 500Gb+ (for
storing your files safely): £50 - £150
It may also be of benefit to purchase your own set
of headphones. These can be any kind of stereo
headphone with a long lead (at least 2m).
19 Pre-arrival • www.cancomuk.com
Students are advised that they should be prepared
to purchase a USB Memory stick (1-4 GB) in order
that they may download, store and transport their
relevant course work. The purchase of this item
is available from any electronics or computing
outlet.
It is also recommended that you obtain a USB
External Hard Drive. Whilst this item is noncompulsory
students are advised that they have
to take responsibility for the safe storage of their
work and this tool will be extremely beneficial to
them.
Jessica Fitzgerald

20
Course costs
www.ucreative.ac.uk
Course costs for 2013/2014 (excluding tuition
fees)
If liable for tuition and registration fees these will
need to be paid separately. Information on these
fees can be found at: www.ucreative.ac.uk/feesfinancial-support
At this point, there are no additional course
costs. Should you be required to pay any further
expenses throughout the duration of the course,
we will let you know both the amount and the
payment date with advance warning.
Trips
A field study visit to a European capital city or
cultural centre is an integral part of the course for
all first year students.
This year it is possible that we will be travelling
during a period in the second semester to a
European city (dates to be confirmed next year).
During our five-to-seven day visit you will have
the opportunity to see some major collections of
modern art and design, visit some cultural sites
of interest, as well as, of course, to sample some
of the nightlife. The field trip forms part of a unit
of study and it is highly advisable that you attend
this visit.
This year, the cost is likely to be approximately
£300 (total cost will be confirmed with quotes and
is dependent on numbers of students travelling).
To organise this it is essential that you make your
payments promptly, particularly for the booking
of the airline tickets.
All new students are advised to secure their place
on the trip by prompt payment through the online
payment system (can be accessed via the UCA
website). Places will be secured on a ‘first come,
first served’ basis. Further information and details
about the trip will be on the notice boards and on
myUCA at the beginning of your first term.

21
Student checklist
Please use the below as a guideline:
www.ucreative.ac.uk
If your offer is still conditional, email a copy of your qualifications/results to
admissions@ucreative.ac.uk
Apply for accommodation
Read this Welcome Guide
Complete your online enrolment
Attend your physical enrolment session (remembering to bring your original exam qualifications/
results and photo ID)
Attend your induction sessions
Upload a photograph for your Student ID Card/Library Card
Pay your tuition fees and additional charges using the Online Payment facility
Once you have fully enrolled you may also want to:
Collect your Student ID Card/Library Card from the Library
Obtain a letter to open a student bank account from myRecords in myUCA
Obtain a letter for Council Tax Exemption from myRecords in myUCA
Register with a local doctor