Hi Andy. I really like your theatre flats video - very straightforward and concise. Thank you. However, I don’t altogether understand your cutting list. I see that the 2100 relates to the uprights, but what are the 1460’s? I need to make 3 flats - 2.2m tall by 1.5m wide and don’t want to waste any timber! Hope you can help…
Hi Simon, I've just watched through the video again to remind myself. The 1460s are the cross rails minus the width of the uprights. I made these out of 3x1, and that usually comes in at around 20mm width. Take both sides into account, 40mm, take that away from 1500mm, you get 1460mm. I hope this helps. Good luck with your build.
hi, thank you for the video! how would you modify this if you wanted to add wheels and make it such that both sides (front and back) can have muslin draped on them and replaced during scenes?
I'll be honest with you, that's quite a tall order. Putting anything tall on wheels makes for a very ungainly object. You would need to have bracing built into the structure to give it stability. From the bottom two corners, coming outward in both directions. If viewed from above it would have a H shape, with the wheels as far out as possible. Cloth swapping during scene changes is straight forward enough, so long as you have hooks along the top, and elastic bungees along the bottom to keep it taught. This is just off the top of my head, with a flat that isn't more than 2.5m tall. Any more than that and you'll have to think of another way. Safety is the first thing you need to think about, and regardless how light a flat is, it'll really injure someone if it topples over. Good luck with your production and thanks for the question.
Amazing video. Thank you! Some follow-up questions please… what diameter/gauge screws do you use to join the 1x3s? And how long are the screws (as in how deep)? Finally, when it comes to attaching the plywood to the flat, would you recommend screws or a brad nail gun? My set doesn’t need to be mobile. Thank you so much!!!
Hi first time building an flat but i was tasked with an entire set with not much to work with. Did you use 2x4 on the frame? Which type of plywood did you use?
Hi there, I just saw this. I hope I'm not too late to help. I used 3x1, not 2x4. You can use 2x4 if you want to, but it'll be more expensive and flats aren't load baring. The plywood I used (i think) was 3 or 4mm ply. It's just to stop the flats from racking side to side.
I am studying theatre in college for the sole reason to open my own community theatre. I want to do Be More Chill the Musical hoping that the rights are out. But for the scene for Michele in the Bathroom I would need to make a tub can you offer an idea on how to make it?
Hi Spencer, it's called a 'stage brace'. An extendable bar, sometimes made of wood or metal, that hooks to the back of the flat and secured to the floor with a stage weight or two. You don't see them around much these days.
@@SpencerRaybourne Ha! Walked into that one. These days, shows are way bigger than they used to be, space is now vastly more valuable back stage. Stage braced take up room (and are a trip hazard in the dark), so now flats are attached together, screwed to the stage and steel or hemp lines are run to a flybar or the grid to take the balance. Leaving much more room, off stage, for quick changes, props and set storage, racks etc. That being said, if you haven't got a fly tower or grid above your stage, stage braces are really decent way of positioning flattage wherever you like.
Similar to the video, add bracing to the rear and weight to the bottom. It might be worth building a frame around each sheet, depending on how thick they are. If they flex in the top corners then you'll need to build a frame to help keep it's shape, Best of luck Malcolm
Hi P&T, my advice is to break them into sections and join them together. It all depends on how wide the material you are covering the flats with are. If you're covering them in serge like I did in the video it was 1.5m wide, so that dictated how wide my flats were. If I needed to make flats that were 3.2m wide, then I'd see if the material could stretch to 1.6m wide and make two side by side. If it doesn't stretch then make three. That will be more expensive in materials. At that point I would go to the designer and negotiate making the flats slightly thinner for the sake of cost. Good luck with it and thanks for the support!
@@peaceandtruth8964 Duvetyne looks great. Check the dimensions of everything before you buy it and design your flats accordingly. Where I come from Black tat is off cuts.
Teng Xin Ling hi, I used an old stage brace, which is an extendable piece of wood with a hook on the top and a angled foot on the bottom to put a stage weight on. I'm lucky to have them around my theatre, but they'd be pretty simple to build. Alternatively you could make a French brace, which does the same job. Thanks for the comment.
I've seen them before, and increasingly see steel flats too. Wood is superior because it's inexpensive, accessible and easy to repair. Once you've bent an ali flat, it's kinda game over.
This is the most fun I've ever had watching a tutorial! Loved the editing and the music, and it was super easy to follow as well
This is the most fun I've had reading a comment! It was charming and thoughtful of you to say! I genuinely appreciate it. Thank you!
Quick and simple. Very nice Andy!
Thanks Guy, thank you for watching.
Classic background music my friend, extra points there!
Bravo, well done. You just saved me time and money!
Glad I can help
Hi Andy. I really like your theatre flats video - very straightforward and concise. Thank you. However, I don’t altogether understand your cutting list. I see that the 2100 relates to the uprights, but what are the 1460’s? I need to make 3 flats - 2.2m tall by 1.5m wide and don’t want to waste any timber! Hope you can help…
Hi Simon, I've just watched through the video again to remind myself. The 1460s are the cross rails minus the width of the uprights. I made these out of 3x1, and that usually comes in at around 20mm width. Take both sides into account, 40mm, take that away from 1500mm, you get 1460mm. I hope this helps. Good luck with your build.
Same goes for the uprights. Over all the height is 2200, take away the top and bottom rails = 2160mm
Great job young man!
Thank you Charles
this is so much help thank you for the Video your awesome keep being Awesome!!!!!!
Thanks very much for the awesome comment!! Keep being awesome!!
hi, thank you for the video! how would you modify this if you wanted to add wheels and make it such that both sides (front and back) can have muslin draped on them and replaced during scenes?
I'll be honest with you, that's quite a tall order. Putting anything tall on wheels makes for a very ungainly object. You would need to have bracing built into the structure to give it stability. From the bottom two corners, coming outward in both directions. If viewed from above it would have a H shape, with the wheels as far out as possible.
Cloth swapping during scene changes is straight forward enough, so long as you have hooks along the top, and elastic bungees along the bottom to keep it taught.
This is just off the top of my head, with a flat that isn't more than 2.5m tall. Any more than that and you'll have to think of another way. Safety is the first thing you need to think about, and regardless how light a flat is, it'll really injure someone if it topples over.
Good luck with your production and thanks for the question.
Amazing video. Thank you! Some follow-up questions please… what diameter/gauge screws do you use to join the 1x3s? And how long are the screws (as in how deep)? Finally, when it comes to attaching the plywood to the flat, would you recommend screws or a brad nail gun? My set doesn’t need to be mobile. Thank you so much!!!
I seem to remember using 4x40 screws. And screws or brad nails work for the plywood. Best of luck with your build
THANK YOU!
And that in Imperial measurements is?
Pls do more videos on set and property making for theatre because their are no channel for people like me 😢
Thank you 🙏🏻
Hi first time building an flat but i was tasked with an entire set with not much to work with. Did you use 2x4 on the frame? Which type of plywood did you use?
Hi there, I just saw this. I hope I'm not too late to help. I used 3x1, not 2x4. You can use 2x4 if you want to, but it'll be more expensive and flats aren't load baring. The plywood I used (i think) was 3 or 4mm ply. It's just to stop the flats from racking side to side.
I am studying theatre in college for the sole reason to open my own community theatre. I want to do Be More Chill the Musical hoping that the rights are out. But for the scene for Michele in the Bathroom I would need to make a tub can you offer an idea on how to make it?
To be honest, the money you would spend making one would be better spent buying (or acquiring) a used one from a scrap heap. I hope it goes well!!
what was the brace that held it up at the end?
Hi Spencer, it's called a 'stage brace'. An extendable bar, sometimes made of wood or metal, that hooks to the back of the flat and secured to the floor with a stage weight or two. You don't see them around much these days.
@@AndyLawsonawl Thanks. Of course that begs the question, what do you use these days?
@@SpencerRaybourne Ha! Walked into that one. These days, shows are way bigger than they used to be, space is now vastly more valuable back stage. Stage braced take up room (and are a trip hazard in the dark), so now flats are attached together, screwed to the stage and steel or hemp lines are run to a flybar or the grid to take the balance. Leaving much more room, off stage, for quick changes, props and set storage, racks etc.
That being said, if you haven't got a fly tower or grid above your stage, stage braces are really decent way of positioning flattage wherever you like.
@@AndyLawsonawl That makes total sense.
Thanks for Sharing, simple designs for all :)
Simple designs all the way! Thank you Theodore!
need to stand 4 x 8 sheets of foam board for theater production with special needs adults . Ideas?
Similar to the video, add bracing to the rear and weight to the bottom. It might be worth building a frame around each sheet, depending on how thick they are. If they flex in the top corners then you'll need to build a frame to help keep it's shape, Best of luck Malcolm
That's awesome thanks for sharing!
+Jason Gates Thank you Jason
Awesome tutorial! I'm having trouble figuring out why there are 4 cuts of each measurement. Are you cutting for 2 flats?
Yes I am. But I only filmed me making one of them. Thanks for the comment Laichee!
So good! Thank you
Hi Andy. Loved the vid and the work. I have to make some that are a bit larger; 3.2m x 4m, any advice please? thanks
Hi P&T, my advice is to break them into sections and join them together. It all depends on how wide the material you are covering the flats with are. If you're covering them in serge like I did in the video it was 1.5m wide, so that dictated how wide my flats were. If I needed to make flats that were 3.2m wide, then I'd see if the material could stretch to 1.6m wide and make two side by side. If it doesn't stretch then make three. That will be more expensive in materials. At that point I would go to the designer and negotiate making the flats slightly thinner for the sake of cost. Good luck with it and thanks for the support!
Andy Lawson thanks Andy. Much appreciated. It has been mentioned to use duvetine or black tat?
@@peaceandtruth8964 Duvetyne looks great. Check the dimensions of everything before you buy it and design your flats accordingly. Where I come from Black tat is off cuts.
Cheers Andy 🙏🏻
Hey what material did you use for the cloth?
Black wool serge. It's the best for absorbing light.
Hi there, Can I ask which type of brace did you create to support the flat? :)
Teng Xin Ling hi, I used an old stage brace, which is an extendable piece of wood with a hook on the top and a angled foot on the bottom to put a stage weight on. I'm lucky to have them around my theatre, but they'd be pretty simple to build. Alternatively you could make a French brace, which does the same job. Thanks for the comment.
Production ideas
As always "the best"
Thanks dude!
nice
Hard to see because of light
I'm surprised no-one has come up with aluminium frames.
I've seen them before, and increasingly see steel flats too. Wood is superior because it's inexpensive, accessible and easy to repair. Once you've bent an ali flat, it's kinda game over.
also, thanks for the comment Tom.
@@AndyLawsonawl Aluminium frames with ply or MDF flats would seem a good idea. Plus they could be bolted together more easily than timber frames.