In working on the Vampire set I run across a handy little tip in my bag o’ tricks that I hadn’t used in a while. If you’ve read the last couple of posts you may remember that I building a rather large installed platform for the center piece of a set for a university production of The Vampire, an originally german opera transported into eighties London in the heart of the Punk scene.
The platform in question is the base of a building. It stands eight feet high, with an 8x24’ footprint. This morning I went out and helped complete the assembly of the columns that support the platform. Saturday afternoon we will assemble the frame and place the platforms on it.
In the process of completing the platforms the question came up about how to lay out the lines for assembly of the frame. Since each of the columns is going to be anchored to the stage, how do we determine the placement in order to ensure square corners? The answer is simple, the rule of three, four, five.
The front line of our rectangle was easy to establish. We simply measured the needed distance from the curtain line and snapped a chalkline to establish the front edge. Then using one of my favorite tools, a four foot drywall square, we marked the stage left edge. Since we could only make a four foot line accurately we then proceeded to snap a chalk line following the four foot mark made using the square, follow me so far? Now, here’s where it gets tricky.
With any size right angle (90 deg corner) you can use this simple formula to determine just how “right” your angle is. Measure one leg of the angle from the corner to a point that is a multiple of three (three feet, three, yards, three meters, doesn’t matter) using the same multiplier mark a spot on your perpendicular leg times four from your corner. (if you marked your first one at six feet, you must measure your second leg to eight feet, the multiplier being two) Now measure diagonally between the two points. If your angle is truly square it will equal five times the multiplier, no matter what size the angle. ( in my example it would equal 10)
Once you have established right angles in your first two corners, perpendicular to your baseline it is easy to measure off of your front two corners to determine where the back line goes. (on the set I am working on it is eight feet from the front.)
To further insure that your space is indeed square measure diagonally across the rectangle (or square as the case may be) The two measurements should be equal!
The platform in question is the base of a building. It stands eight feet high, with an 8x24’ footprint. This morning I went out and helped complete the assembly of the columns that support the platform. Saturday afternoon we will assemble the frame and place the platforms on it.
In the process of completing the platforms the question came up about how to lay out the lines for assembly of the frame. Since each of the columns is going to be anchored to the stage, how do we determine the placement in order to ensure square corners? The answer is simple, the rule of three, four, five.
The front line of our rectangle was easy to establish. We simply measured the needed distance from the curtain line and snapped a chalkline to establish the front edge. Then using one of my favorite tools, a four foot drywall square, we marked the stage left edge. Since we could only make a four foot line accurately we then proceeded to snap a chalk line following the four foot mark made using the square, follow me so far? Now, here’s where it gets tricky.
With any size right angle (90 deg corner) you can use this simple formula to determine just how “right” your angle is. Measure one leg of the angle from the corner to a point that is a multiple of three (three feet, three, yards, three meters, doesn’t matter) using the same multiplier mark a spot on your perpendicular leg times four from your corner. (if you marked your first one at six feet, you must measure your second leg to eight feet, the multiplier being two) Now measure diagonally between the two points. If your angle is truly square it will equal five times the multiplier, no matter what size the angle. ( in my example it would equal 10)
Once you have established right angles in your first two corners, perpendicular to your baseline it is easy to measure off of your front two corners to determine where the back line goes. (on the set I am working on it is eight feet from the front.)
To further insure that your space is indeed square measure diagonally across the rectangle (or square as the case may be) The two measurements should be equal!
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