Courses

Elsa Murray

Elsa has just completed her fourth and final year of Production Design for Stage and Screen (BA). Over these last few years Elsa has developed skills in researching, drawing, drafting, storyboarding and model making, as well as gaining practical experience in film and theatre, working alongside the National Film School and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Technical skills include AutoCAD construction drawings and 3D modelling in both AutoCAD and SketchUp, set model construction and visual renderings. Elsa is passionate about visual storytelling, researching and creating immersive worlds for audiences to enjoy.

**Space One:** The primary space within the text is a modified schoolroom within the grand estate of Sidley Park. For this space I created a Georgian inspired library with dark green floral wallpaper, dark wood floors and cabinetry, cream plaster mouldings and dado rail as well as four French windows that open out to the grand gardens at the back of the house. This space is the focal point of the text, where we see movement between past and present as well as the both complex and humorous interactions between characters. ***Model created using SketchUp and constructions plans made using AutoCAD***.

In this set of storyboards we are shown the first scene of act one, where we are introduced to the main characters of the story, in both the past and present, Septimus Hodge and Thomasina Coverly. Played out in this scene is the student-tutor dynamic between these two characters, with Septimus attempting to maintain a calm and collected demeanour as the tutor, with a 12 year old inquisitive and expressive Thomasina. She questions Septimus on carnal embrace and what it means, much to the discomfort of her tutor. He's brought viscerally to attention at the mention of Mrs. Chater being spotted in the "throes of carnal embrace" in the gazebo by a member of staff.

**Space Two:** The Entrance Hall of Sidley Park is an imagined space I created in order to make a more dynamic visual retelling of *Arcadia*. We see this space in the second scene of the first act, when Bernard Nightingale arrives at Sidley Park to meet with Hannah Jarvis to discuss her work as to inform his own research on Ezra Chater, a man thought to have been and killed here by Captian Brice in a duel. The space is comprised of a high ceilinged hall with symmetrical curved stairs placed opposite each other leading upwards to the second floor. The *Queen's House* in Greenwich designed by the architect *Inigo Jones* was a key source when designing this space, bringing in Palladian elements through the addition of a Venetian window above the front doors pediment as well as providing a sense of overall symmetry in the layout of the space. By presenting the second scene, the move to the present, in a separate space to the schoolroom I hoped to achieve a sense of progression in the story for fear of the key space becoming stagnant and uninteresting for the audience.

In this set of storyboards we see the second scene of act one, the first move from past to present. Bernard Nightingale has come to Sidley Park to speak with fellow academic and author Hannah Jarvis. He is met by and 18 year old Chloë Coverly who brings him through the house to the schoolroom where he is to wait for Hannah. Chloë departs into the garden in search of her leaving Bernard alone, until the entrance of her brother, supposed Cambridge student, Valentine Coverly.

**Duality of the Space** When trying to highlight the change between past and present, I focused on decorative and lighting elements of the schoolroom space. In 1809 and 1812, the space relies more on natural light as well a softer warm light from wall sconces and the chandelier, emulating candle lights. The space is also decorated with props corresponding to period, including leather bound books, stationary and glassware/crockery. In contrast, the modern space of the present is lit electrically, casting a cold blueish hue to the room and is further highlighted by the addition of white plastic light switches. Additionally, modern technology like laptops and phones as well as sockets and table lamps add to this time jump. Perhaps less subtly are the comical additions that we use in our day to day lives, like filing cabinets, sticky notes, to go coffee cups and Chinese takeaway cartons. Moving from the addition of more or less contemporary dressings to the switches between scenes. In the second act of the play we see more frequent shifts between scenes, allowing clever transitions to occur, for example; Septimus and Hannah turning the pages of the same book, in Septimus' POV we see the pages of the book versus in Hannah's POV we see her swiping through a kindle. An auditory example, as sounds are seen as moments of transition, would be the sounds of gunshots manifesting from out in the garden, to a game being played on a smart phone, or, the constant flow of piano music in the second going between live and through Hannah's headphones.

Major Project 2023

Adapting Tom Stoppard's Arcadia for Film.

Arcadia's complex narrative examines relationships and quests for knowledge and discovery through the duality of place. The motivation behind choosing this text for the final project of my degree was the design challenges surrounding the duality of the space. Additionally, as this piece was written for stage performance, I was challenged to go about visualising what the greater space of Sidley Park could look like as to create a more dynamic visual story more suited for film.
For the technical aspect of this project, I focused primarily on AutoCAD plans, 3D renders in SketchUp and storyboarding. Alongside this, Arcadia presents an exciting opportunity to delve into the architecture and interiors of the 18th and 19th centuries and how I, as a designer, could gain a strong understanding of the expectations surrounding recreating period spaces while also modifying them to appear in a 21st-century era.

Elsa Murray - BA Extended Thesis DOCX

BA Extended Thesis 2023

Exhibition Design: The Importance of Visitor-Oriented Design within the Museum and Exhibition Space

This thesis examines exhibition design as an integral mode of communication for the visitors experience and how it can make these experiences more immersive.
This topic explores the societal influences on these cultural spaces through theories of the construction of cultural hegemony, the dominating cultural beliefs and ideas of society, alongside a deep dive into the history and perceptions of exhibitions, from 16th-century curiosity cabinets to the modern metropolitan museums they’ve evolved into today.
The historical breakdown of these spaces allows for the exploration of exhibitions and museums as mediators of information through their design choices, as the designs of these spaces are one of the primary methods of conveying the narrative of the presentation of the object. These findings are explored within the scope of contemporary exhibitions of the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, London, where the design choices are examined from a visitor experience perspective.
Furthermore, the design choices are explored within the narratives placed upon these exhibitions as they reflect the cultural hegemony of the society they’re situated in.
These investigations are made with reference to various sociology and design theories in order to provide a nuanced analysis of exhibition and museum design as a complex and multi-faceted form of visual storytelling.

Elsa Murray - BA Extended Thesis DOCX