Lesson video

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another drama lesson.

I miss the bets, and the teacher for this topic, and introduction to drama conventions.

And in this lesson, we're going to be talking about something that we see a lot in drama, props.

We'll be talking about the difference between sets and props.

We'll be talking about why we need props.

We'll be designing our own, and there be some practical drama to do involving, handling, and using props as well.

So if you're ready to get started, let's see what you'll need for the lesson.

So you going to need something to write with, a pen or a pencil, and you're going to need something to write on, a notebook or some paper.

You'll need some space to work in, and we're going to need a jumper or a t-shirt, something light that you can hold in your hands.

This is going to be one of our props later in our drama.

Because this is a practical lesson, and you'll be moving around, we need to keep safe.

So this lesson should take place inside.

Make sure there is enough space for you to work, including the booth.

So look out for any light fittings.

You might want to take your shoes and socks off, and act in bare feet.

Either way, make sure the floor is not slippery.

Wear some comfortable clothing so you can move around.

You can pause the video now, if you need to get anything for this lesson.

The first thing we'll do is answer a big question.

This should get us thinking a little bit about props.

Next, we'll introduce that word, and some of our other key terminology for this lesson.

After that, we'll think about why we need props in drama.

You'll get chance to design and annotate and draw your own.

Then, we'll do some practical work where we can use some props in our own piece of drama.

There's also an exit quiz, where you can check you're learning about all these things.

We'll start with this big question.

People are more important than things? Do you agree or disagree? Now I'm going to give you a little bit of time to think about this.

But I wonder what's popping into your head right now.

People are more important than things.

If you agree, you can give me a thumbs up to the screen.

If you disagree, you can give me a thumbs down.

Okay, after three.

One, two, three.

A lot of us are in the middle really, because I guess we've all got some people that are really important to us.

And we've all got some things that are really important to us.

And in drama, we often see people on stage.

We call them actors, but usually there's things on stage too.

Objects.

And that's what we're going to be focusing our lesson on today.

Let's take a look at the key words.

Set.

Now you will often see set when you see a piece of drama, either at theatre, or on television, or on film.

Now set is large items of furniture that we can see on the stage such as tables, chairs, lumps, ladders, big items like that.

Sometimes you might also see a painted backdrop scenery like skyscrapers or kind of hillsides.

Props, which is the main word for this lesson.

And what we're going to be focusing on is actually short for properties.

I'm just going to say props today.

And they're the small objects that you might see on stage that an actor can pickup or carry around.

These might be a bag or a mobile phone, an umbrella, a laptop, or a cup to drink out of, for example.

Let's check one of those key words then.

Prop, I wonder if you can remember what it means? I'll read the statement and you decide if it's true or false by pointing at the answer that you think is correct.

A prop is something that we might use on stage to hold a door open? Is that true or false? Points at the answer now.

It's false.

Props are small objects that we might see on stage that an actor can pick up or carry around.

You might have heard the word prop before as in hold something up, but in drama prop means something different.

So be careful with that.

We're going to use this picture from "Matilda" the musical to check our understanding of the difference between props and sets.

So on the stage there, you could see the people, and hopefully you can see all sorts of different things.

Some of those things are set and some of those things are props.

Can you point to what you think is a piece of set now? Hmm, I wonder what you chose.

I would have chosen the big arm chair that the lady is leaning on.

I think that is a piece of set.

It's too big to carry around.

Okay, can you point at a prop? Do that now.

Did you spot any props in the picture? I think there's one really, really important prop that stands out to me.

And that's Matilda's book.

She carries it around with her almost everywhere.

Pause the video now and take your pen and paper, and write down a list of all the props you can see, and all the set you can see.

When you've done that, resume the video and we'll check in, and see if you are right.

Welcome back.

So, how many items of set did you spot? And how many props? This is a brilliant stage setup, isn't it for "Matilda the Musical"? There's so much going on here.

Let's start with set.

And before, I mentioned the armchair, and that should have been at the top of your list.

There's two armchairs, actually, and they form the biggest bits of furniture on the set.

There's also a kind of a sidebar or a cupboard at the back with things on top of it.

That is a piece of set too.

There's also a big backdrop, isn't there, of blue and green.

We call that the set too, or scenery.

You could also said that the floor is part of the set.

Can you see, it's got a pattern on it.

What about props then? What about some of the smaller things in this picture? Hopefully, you picked out Matilda's book.

I mentioned that before.

And there's also a pile of books that she sat on too.

Now, although she sat on them, their props, because she usually picks them up and carries them around.

What other products did you spot? If you look closely, the man in the middle is holding a telephone.

It's a pink, furry telephone, but it's still a telephone, and that would be called a prop.

Anything else? There aren't many more props in the picture but there are a few things that might have caught you out.

Did anybody say the hat that the person on the left is wearing in the chair? That could be a prop.

Maybe they would carry it around.

Usually we call hats costume, because their clothes that we wear.

Some of you might have set the flowers in the photo, and the ornaments that are on the bookcase in the back.

I would probably call those props too.

But I suppose if nobody picks them up, and they just sit there for the whole show, it could be called a piece of set as well, either way.

I hope you're getting the hang of what we mean by set and props.

Let's talk about why we need props.

Now sometimes when we do drama, we can mime.

For example, instead of using the pink, fluffy phone we could mime the phone like this.

But actually props are really useful because they could tell us a little bit about the character, because that coach has got pink, fluffy phone, what does it tell us about them? Let's talk about why we need props.

Sometimes when we're acting, we don't use props.

For example, if I wanted to share that I was speaking on the telephone, I could just use my actions to show that.

However, if I use a prop, it can help.

For example, the prop might tell you a little bit about my character.

If my phone is pink and fluffy, it might tell you that I'm a bit of show off.

If my phone is broken and old, it might show you that I don't have a lot of money.

If I was an old person, I might want to use a walking stick to show my character.

If I was a young person, I might want to use a pogo stick stick to show my character.

So props can really, really help with the story.

So if I had a box of chocolates and a give it to someone, then that would probably be a love story.

Some products are so important, that the whole drama is about them, like "Lord of the Rings".

And generally when we're acting, props can help us to perform better as our character.

So if I was a teacher, and I had a big pile of books in my hand, it might help me feel more like a teacher.

If I was a soldier, and I had a gun and a rucksack, that might help me feel more like a soldier.

Let's talk about that a bit more.

Let's do an activity based on props and characters.

Here, we've got three characters, a police officer, a scientist, and a teacher.

And I wonder what kind of props might suit them, not costumes, remember? So we're not talking about the police officer's hat, for example, or we're not talking about the scientists white coat, we're talking about objects that they might have.

Pause the video here, and use your pen and your paper to write down three props that might suit each character.

When you've done that, click Resume, and we'll check in with your answers.

So how did you get along? I wonder what props you thought might suit these characters.

Let's start with the police officer then.

Did anybody come up with handcuffs? Anybody come up with a walkie-talkie? But I thought if I was acting as a police officer, and I had a walkie-talkie that I could pick up and use, it might really help me feel like a police officer.

It would also give me something to do while I'm acting.

What about a scientist then? Maybe a laptop.

What about some test tubes carrying them around the laboratory? And what about this teacher? I put coffee cup, because everybody knows that teachers love coffee, right? But you might have written something else.

By the way, I hope you getting the idea that the props can help us to know the characters better, as the audience and as actors.

What about for the story then? Remember, I said, if I give somebody a box of chocolates it might be a love story.

What about if we saw this prop in a piece of drama? What would that tell us about that story? It's a photograph that's been ripped up, and there's a nerve that says don't call me again.

I wonder what kind of story you think.

I know I'm thinking, I'm thinking maybe two friends have fallen out, or maybe two people who were in love don't love each other anymore.

If that prop was onstage, it will be really clear to us as the audience, what the story was about.

And what about those amazing props? Those props to almost make the whole story, Indiana Jones and his Holy grail.

What about that spider in home alone? Can you imagine "Lord of the Rings" without the ring? Can you imagine Sherlock Holmes without his smoking pipe or his magnifying glass? And what about Matilda without her books? Props can be really, really important.

For this next activity, I'm going to need you to get a little bit more imaginative about props.

In previous drama lesson, we've been thinking about this person waiting by the window.

In this activity, I'm going to ask you to think about what props there might be in the room.

What objects would they have, and what might it tell us about them? If this person has got a diary on a shelf with a padlock, might tell us that they've got some secrets.

If they've got a photo of themselves with their best friend, might tell us that they're really close with that person.

What other objects might they have in the room? What things? I want you to start writing down some of your prop ideas, but I want you to add as much detail as you can.

So instead of just writing diary here, you can see that I've written a diary with the pages ripped.

Instead of writing boots, I've written to the boots are crusted with mud.

You can see that I've written them on different pieces of paper and arranged them according to where they might be in the room.

Alternatively, you could draw a big diagram of the room like this.

You could even start to add some sets.

You can see I've added the book case, and the shelf, but I've still got my props on that with lots and lots of detail.

Look the left there.

An old photograph of two people.

And on the shelf, lots of tickets from saved cinema trips.

And on the table there, on the desk with the arrow, I've written a rusty harmonica, she's a musical instrument with some writing on the back.

So I've tried to make my props interesting and as detailed as possible.

Pause the video now and have a go at that activity.

Again, you can write the props on little individual bits of paper and arrange them around the room.

Or you can do all one piece of paper, like diagram.

You need to think of at least 10 things that might be in the room, write them with descriptions, and arrange them around on your paper.

Once you've done it, click Resume.

Ane we'll see how you go on.

So what kind of props did you decide were in the room, and what could they tell us about that character? What could they tell us about the story? Are they really important in the whole drama? And could they help an actor perform better as their character? If you think you want to go back and add some more detail or some more ideas to your diagrams, you can pause the video and do that now, or else let's think about one of those props in a little bit more detail now.

Pause the video.

Look all the props that you've written down.

I want you to decide which prop is the most special to that person and why.

Now this will really tell us something about the character, won't it? I think in my room, the most special prop, the most special item to that person was the harmonica, with the writing on the back, remember? And the reason why it's so important to our person is because they were given it by a friend, a friend that they haven't seen for a long time.

They used to play music together.

And now the person is standing at the window, and thinking about those good times, and how they miss their friend.

I'd like to pause the video now, and think about which prop is the most important, and think about why? Because I'm going to ask you to tell me in a minute.

Once you've got a story for your prop, resume the video, and I'll tell you what we're doing next.

So I wonder which props you've decided are the most special.

And I wonder what stories you've come up with about them.

You might have noticed that this lesson is called Close To Their Heart.

And that's kind of what we're thinking about, isn't it? We're thinking about these props as more than just objects, more than just a walkie-talkie, because a policeman might carry one.

But we're starting to think about these prop's objects that are really, really mean something.

So, you know that harmonica that I told you about, well I started to write a little bit more about it, and I've even drawn a picture too.

So there's my little picture, and I've added some description to it.

But I've also started to write a little mini story about that prop, about why it's so important.

I'll read it to you now.

The old rusty harmonica is silver and wood.

It has scratches on the top and loose screws.

It is surprisingly light and it fits in the hand snugly.

This was a gift from their best friend.

They haven't seen each other for a long, long time.

They used to play music together.

One on the guitar, one on the harmonica, and on the back is written, and I left it there.

I wonder what you think is written on the back of the harmonica.

I wonder what props you've come up with.

I'm going to ask you to draw a picture of your special prop.

The one that's close to the hearts.

I want you to write so a little bit of description on it, and then I want you to tell me a five lines story about it.

Pause the video now, and create one drawing of the special prop, add some labels and descriptions.

Explain where it came from or why it's special.

Maybe there's even a note that's written on it, or with it that you could create.

Take your time.

When you finished, you can resume the video.

And we're going to start to use our props and a little bit of practical drama.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoy drawing those props and inventing the stories behind them.

I know I did with the harmonica.

It's like the whole story just started telling itself in my head, just from that one object.

Amazing.

Let's think about how we use props on stage then, now.

We're going to do a little bit of acting.

So this is where you're going to need your jumper or your t-shirt.

I'm going to use a scarf.

If you need to go and get that now, pause the video and get what you need.

If you're ready to go, let's move on to the next part.

So I've got a scarf.

I've made a little bit space.

How we use props on stage can really show some meaning.

So my harmonica that I drew, if I was throw that across the room, you can tell that I really don't care about it.

If I was to take a photograph and fold it carefully and put it in my pocket, maybe you could tell I was using it to make me feel better.

And I wanted to carry it with me at all times.

So what we do with our products is important too.

We've got different ways of moving.

Can also use our facial expressions too.

And we can think of all sorts of imaginative ideas.

Let me show you an example with this scarf.

I'm going to put my chair there, and I'm going to place the scarf to the chair in lots of different ways.

For example, if I move slowly with the scarf, like this, and I use my facial expressions and smile.

I fold it up neatly and place it on the back of the chair.

You might think that the scarf is very, very special to me, and I'm trying to look after it.

Instead, if I just scrunch up my scarf like this, with an angry look on my face, and throw it down, you can tell that I'm probably less key.

What other ways could I put the scarf on the chair? Maybe I could kind of be a little bit playful.

Maybe I could put it around it like that.

Maybe tie it in a bow.

Maybe I could go to put it down and change my mind.

Maybe almost turned around.

What ideas could you come up with? Pause the video now, and come up with 10 different ways of putting the prop, your scarf or your t-shirt on the table on a chair.

Use your facial expression to show us how you feel.

Be imaginative with your movements.

When you finish, it impresses you.

Did you mind to come up with 10 different ways.

Did you try different ways of moving to show meaning with the prop? Did you change your facial expressions to show how you were feeling? If you did 10, then you've definitely come up with lots of imaginative ideas.

Thanks so much for joining this drama lesson where we've been learning about using props in drama.

You've been working really hard.

We learned the difference between sets and props.

And then we thought about why props are so important.

We used our imagination and we designed our own props.

Finally, we got to do a little bit of acting, thinking about how we use props on stage.

Next time you're watching a play or maybe TV or film, think about the set and the props.

It might not be something you've ever noticed before.

I hope you're proud of the work you've done today in the lesson.

I'd really love to see your prop designs or your performances.

If you want to video yourself, passing the prop in different ways, you should get with a parent or a carer.

So load some of your work to Twitter if you want to share it.

If not, I'll see you in another drama lesson, hopefully soon.