Wednesday, 4/23/97 Computer software opens door to sophisticated
sets UCLA design studio uses technology to assist in production
By Gregory Mena Daily Bruin Contributor Its use among engineers
and architects is widespread and well known. But, when production
time comes, theater designers need their computers too. UCLA
theater students are now creating entire sets and arranging
lighting and sound with computer-aided design (CAD) software. "I
can walk around on a set that is on a computer for a production
scheduled a year from now," said Ryan Mueller, a graduate student
in the School of Theater, Film and Television. He is currently
using CAD to arrange the lighting for "The Journey of the Fifth
Horse," which opens May 23. According to Mueller, computer
simulations of sets can accurately show subtle details of a set. "I
can create scenery using mirrors which reflect light, or with black
velour which absorbs light," he said. Every fall, the theater
department offers a course in designing with computers for
undergraduate and graduate students. The class, titled "Designing
in the Digital Era," enrolls about 20 students, and the instruction
is mostly one-on-one. This class is only one example of the
expanding influence of digital technology at UCLA. Faculty from the
School of Theater, Film and Television are currently working
together to create a department of digital media within the next
two years. Joel Schonbrunn, who teaches the course, created the
design studio with a grant of over $300,000 from the chancellor
three years ago. Instead of buying a roomful of computers,
Schonbrunn decided to set up fewer, more powerful machines. The
UCLA theater design studio boasts seven workstations, totaling 928
megabytes of RAM and 36 gigabytes of hard disk space. Schonbrunn
said that students need computer design skills to enter the
professional market. "The design tools and techniques are the same
for creating an opera as they are for creating movies or malls,"
said Schonbrunn. "As the themed entertainment and attractions
industry increases its use of digital technology, there will be a
need for designers." There is one part of theater production –
costume designing – that has not made its way into the real-world
industry, according to Kasey Ogle, a fourth-year theater student.
The entertainment industry has been slower to incorporate
computer-generated costume designs, according to Ogle. Costume
designs made with traditional methods, such as sketching and water
coloring, are respected more than computer-generated designs, she
added. Schonbrunn said that traditional methods must be learned
first before one can use CAD successfully. "Anyone can be taught to
use (CAD), but you need talent to be able to wield it," said
Schonbrunn. "Once the skills are learned, (students) can
immediately walk into jobs." Mueller agreed that he finds his
skills very marketable. "I can just walk into a place and tell them
I know CAD," he said. However, the only problem students see with
CAD is that it’s only available to them while they attend UCLA –
they lack access when they begin working in the entertainment
industry. "Most people in the (design studio) could not afford this
technology by themselves," Ogle said. "You can experiment
here."