Brief
Design the set and the branding for Falmouth University's Follies production of Grease the Musical, with a budget of just £100.
Branding
Most of the existing logos for Grease were car based, so we decided to focus on the fluidity of grease itself. Working alongside illustrator Elena Maskall, we created a series of posters that would stand out against the chaotic posters located around campus.
Props
To make the audience feel a part of Rydell High, we blurred the lines between the them and the performance, by creating a series of school posters, track team sign-ups and pennant flags. The typeface used is similar to the one on a t-shirt worn by Travolta in the film. Octin avoids the slab serif blocks which are stereotypical of American schools.
Set Design
As part of the performance, we used a projector to extend the set onto the screen behind the boards. From school logos switching from present day back to the 1950s, flickering diner signs and movie billboards. We also created an intermission moving logo, that was distorted to link to the viscous nature of grease.
For the main structure of the set, we created three 8x4ft wooden panels. There were 13 scenes in total, some of which were repeated, so we made the structure adaptable thereby allowing the scene to be changed quickly.
We ended up being involved in the musical itself as stage hands, which involved moving the set in-between scenes. We also had a cameo performance as camera men in the school dance. The show was a huge success, selling out all three nights, which was a first for Follies.
