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Inside the Box – ENGR 162 Section 1 Teaching Engineering Design through Theatrical Special Effects

Inside the Box – ENGR 162 Section 1 Teaching Engineering Design through Theatrical Special Effects. Paxton Marshall, Professor Benjamin W. Kidd, TA Kristin Wilhelm, TA William Barnhardt, TA University of Virginia. Tool List.

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Inside the Box – ENGR 162 Section 1 Teaching Engineering Design through Theatrical Special Effects

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  1. Inside the Box – ENGR 162 Section 1Teaching Engineering Design throughTheatrical Special Effects Paxton Marshall, Professor Benjamin W. Kidd, TA Kristin Wilhelm, TA William Barnhardt, TA University of Virginia

  2. Tool List From http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/photogallery/article/0,20036,1145812_1304110,00.html

  3. Goals of ENGR 162 • Enthusiasm for engineering • Leadership and team skills, • Design skills: creativity and discipline, • Resourcefulness, • Critical thinking: problem definition and solution, • Social consciousness of the impact of engineering • Hands-on skills

  4. Inside The Box Participating Classes • ENGR 162-12 – Introduction to Engineering • Instructor: Paxton Marshall • TA: Benjamin Kidd, Kristin Wilhelm, William Barnhardt • DRAM 351 – Directing and Stage Management • Instructor: Robert Chapel • DRAM 372 – Playwriting II • Instructor: Doug Grissom

  5. Instructional Personnel Paxton Marshall ppm5y@virginia.edu ENGR 162, Section 1 Introduction to Engineering “A very cool guy”

  6. Instructional Personnel Robert Chapel rcc2u@virginia.edu DRAM 351 Directing and Stage Management Doug Grissom ldg2h@virginia.edu DRAM 372 Playwriting II

  7. Instructional Personnel R. Lee Kennedy rlk3p@virginia.edu Stage Lighting Instructor ITB Production Manager

  8. Instructional Personnel Benjamin Kidd bwk7j@virginia.edu ENGR 162-1 TA ITB Project Coordinator

  9. Instructional Personnel Kristin Wilhelm kbw8q@virginia.edu ITB Project TA

  10. Instructional Personnel William Barnhardt wfb4z@virginia.edu ITB Project TA

  11. Instructional Personnel Deborah Park cp7x@virginia.edu Special Project Advisor

  12. Instructional Personnel Bessy ITB Transportation Specialist

  13. Structuring the Teams • 9-10 teams • Four to five engineering students (40 students total), playwright, director and stage manager. • Engineering teams formed using a self-evaluation of leadership, technical, and theater experiences. The Goal is to create teams with strengths in all three areas.

  14. Basic Project Rules: • Playwriting students will choose three (4) effects to be written into their scripts • Directors will choose two (1) effects • Engineer teams will design and build all five (5) special effects • 5 minute setup and strike time • 10 minute performance • 15’ control distance from edge of the acting space

  15. Communication Required • Engineer/Client Relationship Designer/User Client Engineer/ Effects Technician Playwright & Director

  16. Important Dates • Sunday, September ???: Play Readings and Pizza Party, Location in Darden Courtyard (Thornton Hall) • Monday & Tuesday, December 3th & 4th, 6-10 PM: Final Project Performances in the Helms Theater at the Drama Building

  17. Last Year’s Effects & Examples 1) A Balloon Popping Gun shots, 2) Falling Objects Goose feathers after its unseen (and unfortunate) demise, and a 4’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich 3) Explosion, An electric shock, a baby being born 4) Flame Effect A bed on fire, 5) Blinking Light A car being locked, disco party

  18. This Year’s Effects • Balloon Popping • Object Changing Color • Sound Effect* • Slight of Hand/Illusion Effect • Object rising and turning This effect is an exception to the 15’ control rule. The sound effect must trigged activated by an actors action, but not by direct control from the actor, nor may it be remotely controlled by the engineer. Examples of suitable means of a trigger mechanism include pressure switches, bream-break detectors, trip wires, etc. The actor is not permitted allowed to simply press the “play” button on a portable audio device or create the sound effect him/herself.

  19. Control Systems • Need to develop some means of controlling effects remotely • Provide simple user interface for mistake free operation

  20. The “Grid” Provides “Theatrical Rigging” for engineers: • Structural support of effects • Safe and convenient electrical hookups • Confines theatrical action to manageable area • Portability and fast setup

  21. Grid Components 1” Conduit Clamps (Back-to-back) 1” EMT Conduit Electrical Connections (120 VAC & 12 VDC) Standard PA Speaker Stand

  22. The Grid in the Helms Theater Kristin

  23. Electrical Subsystem • 120 VAC @ 15A • 12 VDC @ 20A

  24. Grid Power Supply Front Panel Rear Panel

  25. The “Acting Space” • 5’ Margin around all sides of the Grid • Effects shall originate from within this space • Control shall be from 15’ from the acting space boundary

  26. The Acting Space in Action Photographs from Inside the Box “Weather or Not” (left) and “We are Both Hypnotized” (below)

  27. Financial & Materials • $50 allotted for design and build materials per group • $50 of personal funds allowed in addition to the provided $50 • A large amount of scrap materials and supplies are available • Teams are required to keep detailed records of their expenditures

  28. Technical Topics • Basic Electricity • Circuit Protection • Electromagnetism (Solenoids, Motors, Relays, Transformers) • Mechanics (Torque, Gears, Belt Drives, Pulleys) • Pneumatics • Lighting and Optics

  29. Structured Design Methodology • problem definition • establishing objectives and user-requirements • identifying constraints • establishing design functions and specifications • generating design alternatives • preliminary design and test • final design, documentation • design presentation Course Text: Engineering Design: A Project Based Introduction by Dym and Little

  30. Class discussion • Adjusting to college, • the engineering profession and disciplines, • team dynamics and communication, • case studies in engineering ethics, • time-value of money, • safety and environmental considerations in design, • customer relations.

  31. Some Required Assignments • Proof of Concept Demonstrations • “Interviews” of both assigned playwright and (later on) director and subsequent documentation of the interview • Design Options Report • Final Report • Final Presentation 2004 Group 4 Final Report Cover (Right)

  32. Proof of Concept Demonstrations • Preventing last-minute projects • Allows us keep track of group progress • Provided opportunities of idea sharing and peer review

  33. Acknowledgments • Doug Grissom, Department of Drama • Bob Chapel, Department of Drama • R. Lee Kennedy, Department of Drama • Deborah Park, SEAS Graduate Student • The Actors, Directors, Stage Managers, Playwrights, and Engineering Students who participated in Inside the Box

  34. Questions?

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