Set Design: Boxed In
Mapleview Community Church Christmas Set Design 2015
by Michael Fess
Christmas 2015 began for us, like many other churches, in January 2015. As a staff we had decided that we wanted to something different and outside of the box. Little did we know that in our attempt to think fresh and different we would actually be putting ourselves back in the box, or should I say lots and lots of boxes. Typically I draw inspiration for my stage designs from a number of different places I have seen. I will take individual elements I have seen implemented well and compile them into a new design that is fitting for our context at Mapleview. This design however, came from inspiration I found in a completely unrelated graph. It was a 3D rendering of a bunch of blue bricks forming a floor. It was supposed to be like a cobble stone street with an even greater range in the depths applied to each individual piece. I really liked the way the light in the 3D rendering played of of each individual element. I liked the depth that it had and the texture that it added. My initial thought was “let’s get a giant print made up of this graphic”. I considered creating a 3D rendering of my own in Cinema 4D. Then I had the crazy thought “why don’t we build a wall of wrapped boxes for real and put Jesus at the centre.” I told our team my dream and they too agreed that it was slightly crazy. The time and effort would be huge, and the work would be tedious. All thing considered we decided we would rally the troops, get all hands on deck and make this dream I had a reality.