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"A hand in the making"
NIDA's Properties Making course introduces students to construction techniques for prop making, life drawing, puppetry, prosthetics, sculpting, furniture making, scenic art and model making for theatre, film and television, as well as an understanding of how to manage a props department . Students are also given the opportunity to develop professional contacts within the theatre and film industry.
The Sphinx, a severed limb, a Jacobean tallboy or Captain Kirk’s phaser, what do these things have in common? They all could be part of a working week for a props maker. NIDA props graduates work in diverse fields, from the massive spectacle of the Olympics opening to the miniature worlds of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. While developing their own specializations, they learn a broad range of skills that makes them appreciated by Production Managers and Art Directors alike.
-Nicholas Day, Head of Production Crafts
Students work closely with the designer exchanging ideas and developing creative construction methods and watch the finished project emerge. Then the time comes for the performance and the finished prop virtually comes to life before your eyes.
Over the period of three years students develop their creative and imaginative skills through a series of projects, both in class and through the NIDA Play Production Program, form inventive collaborative teams with students from other NIDA courses and make valuable contacts in the theatre and film industries. In the final year the Properties student concentrates on management and acts as Props Supervisor for selected plays within the NIDA Play Production Program. This gives the student the opportunity to work creatively within a budget, manage the department and realise a total design concept.
To view a slideshow of some properties students at work, please download the Properties slideshow PDF below. You will require Acrobat reader to view.
Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production Crafts)
DURATION
The Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production Crafts) is a three-year, full-time course. Each student specializes in either Costume or Properties construction.
AIM
The Production Crafts, Properties stream course equips students with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes required to become a properties construction supervisor. The course provides technically skilled and creative students with a broad knowledge of theatre in general, a specialised theoretical and practical knowledge of play production and highly specialised vocational training in property construction.
APPROACH
The Production Crafts course emphasises vocational skills. Skills are taught through a close integration of formal class work, practical workshop experience and assignments within the NIDA Play Production Program.
As production crafts specialists are responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining the properties for the stage, television or film production, the course also provides a good working knowledge of the production process, as well as a broad understanding of dramatic literature.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants seeking admission must:
- have reached the age of 18 before the commencement of the course (in exceptional circumstances this may be waived)
- hold a Higher School Certificate or its equivalent from any State or Territory in Australia or overseas (in exceptional circumstances this may be waived)
- show at an interview a high level of intelligence, practical ability, artistic sense, authority, tact, potential and motivation
- be fluent in spoken and proficient in written English language (equivalent to an overall band score of 8.0 IELTS).
All subjects are compulsory. NIDA students are required to complete a confidential health questionnaire to demonstrate their medical fitness to undertake the course and to assist NIDA in its duty of care to students.
The primary criterion for admission to the Production Crafts course is evidence of the applicant's potential for making a career in properties construction in the entertainment industry.
For more information about applying for the Production Crafts (Properties) course, click here.
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FIRST YEAR
The aim of the first year of the Production Crafts course is to provide students with a broad knowledge of theatre in relation to contemporary society, a theoretical and practical understanding of the production of plays, as well as the basic craft skills associated with the materials and manufacture of properties for stage and screen.
Students are taught the basic technical skills which will enable them to work in the workshops and theatre with safety and efficiency. There are intensive classes and studio work in management, computer-aided-design, stage scenery, and properties. Students also complete the St John Ambulance First Aid Certificate Course and the NSW Fire Wardens' Course.
Students are allocated crew roles in the production workshops and in the NIDA Play Production Program.
First year topics for properties students include puppetry, prosthetics, model making, sculpture, furniture, life drawing, scenic art, and creative self-devised projects in a number of media.
First year subjects for Properties students are Production Crafts 1, Management 1, Properties 1, Properties Construction 1, History of Theatre 1, General Studies, Play Production 1, and Professional Development 1.
SECOND YEAR
During the second year, Production Crafts students extend their knowledge of past and contemporary practice in theatre, film and television. The theory and practice of production craft skills is studied in depth and students assume roles of increased responsibility in the properties workshops, working on NIDA productions under the guidance of the technical and teaching staff.
Second year topics for properties students include sculpting, prosthetics, model making for film, joinery, leather, life drawing, management and film studies.
Second year subjects for Properties students are Production Crafts 2,
Management 2, Properties 2, Properties Construction 2, History of Theatre 2, Play Production 2 and Professional Development 2.
THIRD YEAR
During the third year, great emphasis is placed on teaching students to review, extend and apply the knowledge and techniques acquired in the first two years
of the course to the practical work of play production. Class work is primarily concerned with the development of a systematic and fruitful research methodology.
Students undertake significant managerial, coordination and supervisory roles within the NIDA Play Production Program, where they gain practical experience of what is required of them in the industry. To further the aim of preparing students to deal with the reality of careers in the entertainment industry, all students spend time seconded to performing arts organisations.
Third Year Subjects for Properties students are Production Crafts 3, Management 3, Observation and Professional Practice 3, Exhibition 3, Play Production 3, and Professional Development 3.
Title of Qualification: Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production Crafts)
Head of Course: Nicholas Day
Head of Properties: William Neave
Commencement Date: Tuesday 27 January 2009
Age: 18+
Tuition fees: Annual tuition fees must be paid on or before the course commencement date. For more information please refer to the Fees section of the website
Location of Course: NIDA
Contact Details:
215 Anzac Parade
KENSINGTON NSW 2033
Tel: +61 2 9697 7600
Email: contact form
Applications: If you are thinking about applying for entry into the Production Crafts course, please refer to the Applications section of the website
Production Crafts (Properties) Course Information PDF
Career Snapshot of a Range of Graduates PDF
Short courses in Costume and Properties making are also available through NIDA Open Program.
CRICOS Provider Code: 00756M
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