Event design: 21 essential questions for Event- and Stagedesigners

General questions for event designers:

Beginning designers often wonder where to begin in event design. They soon find that anyone who aspires to be a event or show designer needs the vision and imagination of the creative artist and the ingenuity and skills of an event coordinator. Above all, an event designer’s success depends upon the ability to work effectively in collaboration with his or her peers, to have singular ideas and to be able to put standard event elements and event hardware together in a new and “never before seen” fashion. This is true no matter whether they choose to design lighting, sound, costumes, projections, media or scenery.

1. What is the reason for the event?
2. What is the atmosphere or mood?
3. What is the intent ion holding this event? What is the theme? 
4. How and in what type of venue will it be staged? 
5. What is the style? (entertainment, documentary, pageant, and so forth) 

There is no single “secret” to creating the best and most innovative stage design for a venue or event, but there are several key strategies and techniques that can help event and stage designers achieve success. Some of these include:

1. Collaboration and Communication: Working closely with the client to understand their vision, goals, and requirements is essential to creating a successful stage design.
2. Creativity and Innovation: Utilizing creative and innovative ideas to create a unique and memorable stage design can help set your work apart from others and make it more impactful.
3. Attention to Detail: Paying close attention to details, such as lighting, audio, and set design, can help bring the overall stage design to life and make it more engaging for the audience.
4. Utilization of Technology: Incorporating technology, such as projection mapping, interactive displays, and other cutting-edge techniques, can help enhance the overall stage design and make it more engaging and interactive.
5. Understanding of the Space: Having a thorough understanding of the venue or event space and how to utilize it effectively can help create a stage design that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
6. Flexibility and Adaptability: Being flexible and adaptable to changing requirements or challenges can help ensure that the stage design remains on track and meets the client’s needs.

Continuous Improvement: Continuously seeking out new ideas and methods for improving the stage design process can help event and stage designers stay ahead of the curve and produce the best possible designs for their clients.

Ultimately, the key to creating the best and most innovative stage design is to approach each project with a combination of creativity, attention to detail, and a focus on the client’s needs and goals. By utilizing these strategies and techniques, event and stage designers can produce designs that not only meet but exceed the client’s expectations.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED FOR THE DESIGN PHASE AND SET-PROPOSAL:

1. Why does the set look like this?
2. How do we make sure the light does not cast weird shadows or weird and inappropriate colors on people’s faces, set pieces or the backdrop and that it is not blinding to our protagonists?
3. Any practical light sources used in our setup? Are lights part of the design? Why not?
4. How will the audience be lit? Will that interfere with the “mood” in the room? How many f-stops difference can the light have to the main light on stage? Will that be sufficient for the camera-systems?
5. How many f-stops can my camera systems handle? How many f-stops do the operators or image technicians have to change (e.g. for a pan from the audience to the stage?) Any flares in our cameras? Will all camera angles and perspectives have the same basic-f-stop?
6. Lighting the stage: Will the deployed lights cast multiple and “ugly” nose-shadows? Will my protagonists have one or multiple eyelights in a close-up? Which color temperature will please the skintones and match the projection, lights or screens used in our room-setup?
7. Where and how are my front-, back, side- and audience-lights placed or hanged? Any “noisy” equipment near sound recording or audience?
8. What is the purpose of the elements used in our stage setup?
9. What multifunctional purpose of the set pieces is achieved?
10. How are the cameras placed? Do these positions create an optical change in background, geography or lighting?
11. How are the sidelines for the audience? Will everything be seen properly?
12. Are all scenery elements adequately placed with enough distance from each other, so that lighting can create separate “rooms” (areas) on stage?
13. Which camera-perspectives, vantage-points and framing sizes will we have? Make sure that the TV audience sees something “more” and closer than a regular spectator?
14. Which foreground elements for camera perspectives to create depth (e.g. heads of audience, flowers or other decoration) will I have in my camera setup?
15. Will shooting of the screens occur? Why or why not? Will there be a “video-feedback” happening? Is a different placement or a second vision-mixer necessary?
16. In a panel or discussion setup: How will we achieve over-shoulder shot possibilities for a round table and move away from a frontal deployment of cameras?
17. What will show up behind the protagonists? Will there be interfering background elements or “antennas” in close-ups or shots of people? Any Logo or weird word obstructions in the background?
18. Will a crane, dolly or other moving camera device cast unnecessary shadows on scenery or other elements in frame?
19. Are safety and fire regulations met with all set-pieces, overhead equipment and furniture?
20. How is the recording or broadcast of our event different from attending as a live spectator? What are the screens providing as “extra”?
21. What makes my camera-angles and placement of cameras unique? Which vantage-points are achieved, that no live-spectator can achieve on their own?