Masha Kechaeva
Concept Director
INTRO TO SET & COSTUME DESIGN
Online Real time Zoom Class
LETS DIVE TOGETHER INto THE PROCESS OF
CREATING THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT YET EXIST
“Forever grateful to Masha for opening my mind and pushing me out of my comfort zone to create.It was really interesting to learn that I could create a world of fantasies with limited resources and/or space in budget to tell narratives.”
7 weeks online class introduces you to new ways of looking at light, space, costume and the human body as instruments to transform the environment and create installations that tell your story.
The class is for you, whether you just starting out or you are an amateur artist who wants to expand your creative potential.
Next class - July 2023.
The date will be announced soon
mashakechaeva@gmail.com
LET ME TEACH YOU
HOW TO CREATE A SET FOR YOUR IDEA
How TO CREATE A LOOK THAT FITS YOUR VISION
How TO SEE THE GREAT VALUE OF YOUR IDEAS AND WAYS YOU SHAPE THEM using materials by hand
“Masha taught us to think outside the box and how to find unorthodox solutions to boundless expression within the constraints of the stage and physics. We were challenged to convey complex ideas by means of simple objects and miniscule budgets.”
My class based on my 10+ years experience of working as set & costume designer and art director.
I created sets & costumes for theatre productions, International shows, music videos and photo sets.
My teaching practice and experience allow me to equip you with a basic working knowledge
what set and costume design are and how to apply that knowledge in your work.
requirements for the class
Any camera with manual mode, basic understanding of your camera.
Access to Zoom, Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop (any photo editing software),
Light sources of your choice.
Real time Zoom class once a week - Lecture + Q&A + homework discussion in a real time and immediate homework feedback.
Video tutorials where I show the way I work on sets. Every tutorial is aligned with the homework assignment.
Summary of a lecture (PDF) after every class
Homework Assignments - be ready for real home assignments! Each of them will be documented by your camera so in the end of the class you will have a portfolio to share with the world.
One-on-one session (30min.) - is aimed to help you with your homework assignment and answer questions. I will also be available via email, WhatsApp/Telegram and IG messages during these 7 weeks.
As a result you will learn how to develop your idea into the set, basics of creative composition, styling and interaction with a body and costume.
COURSE CONTENT
5 Live Lectures (45 min.)
Group Q&A and Home Assignment discussions.
2 hours Final Project Discussion Group Session.
3,5 hours of one-on-one sessions during the course (scheduled individually).
5 Lectures and video examples (PDF).
Web Page Access with videos, photographs and sketches for every class theme.
Zoom recording of every session.
4 projects as home assignments.
2 weeks for the final project.
BONUS - List of books, articles, theatre plays (with links) and movies that might be interesting and inspiring from the point of set and costume design.
CLASS 1/ week 1
Origins of the Theatre.
Set design and scenography as art.
Illusions in set design.
Perspective.
Forced Perspective.
home assignment by Elena Zhukova
Class 2/ week 2
The art of research.
How to deliver your concept.
Light / Materials / Textures.
home assignment by Elena Zhukova
Class 3/ week 3
Composition.
Miniature set.
home assignment by Aastha Manchanda
CLASS 4 / week 4
Costume and Silhouette.
Making Costumes from materials at hand.
Costume as a Sign.
home assignment by Aurelie Guichard
CLASS 5 / week 5
Symbols and hidden messages in the set.
Inspiring set designs in advertising, theatre, fashion ecc.
Final project discussion.
home assignment by Alexey Bochkovsky
FINAL PROJECT/ week 7
Your project that includes your concept, your set and costume design.
final project by Salomeya Sobko
“This course was exactly what I needed to advance as a photographer. It taught me how to use different materials in a creative way.I like Masha’s critical thinking and a feedback on my projects. It was almost like having a set designer on set.”
REGISTER
Introduction to Set & costume design
Next class date will be announced soon
mashakechaeva@gmail.com
review
“Masha’s class is a creativity bomb that exploded inside my head every time I tried to do homework. I absolutely recommend this class to all creatives out there especially if you are photographer as I am and would want to exercise conceptual art. Her lectures are full of knowledge that I would never get anywhere because of Masha’s reach theatre experience and surreal costume design. Homework is hard and challenging and definitely put me out of my comfort zone but all the creations I did in the class, now I use in my portfolio. This class is a must!" . - Elena Zhukova, San Francisco, California
review
“Earlier in the year I took a photography class that both renewed my interest and shifted my focus to portraits and studio work. Then over the summer I enrolled in Masha’s costume & set design class, with a vague sense that it might give me a chance to exercise my new photo skills. Be careful what you ask for! With deep knowledge and infectious enthusiasm, she quickly drew us into a world where small stages become spacious gardens, scraps of paper transform friends into strange royalty, and a spare room becomes a studio that unfolds into worlds within worlds. There’s magic here, and Masha is both skilled practitioner and insightful teacher. Anyone interested in creating dimensional art would find I this class adventures worth having." - Ryan Hoguet, San Francisco, California.
review
“The class was amazing, a lot of new inspiring information open the whole new field and possibilities of exploration and expression. The assignments were challenging but with Masha’s help came through (more or less). I felt the boundaries got pushed and mind expanded”. - Valeria Bykova, San Francisco, California.
review
“It was so lovely that Masha worked out the schedule around timezone differences. After the lessons I felt inspired and full of ideas”. - Ninni Vidgren, Helsinki, Finland.
REVIEW
“The class pushed my creativity to another level. I felt stuck and felt like I was putting too much pressure on my Art. Taking the course and having assignments once a week got out of my head. I didn’t have time to think, fun replaced the overthinking. It also taught me to think outside the box, to make things with whats around me and anything (paper!) can be useful, and mostly to simplify, simplify, simplify the process. And more than just creating, the way I looked at pictures and Art installation is different. I had so much fun taking this course. I joined because I thought I needed to push the series I have been working on but it took me to a complete different level. I watched the lecture on recorded video as I couldn't be present at 1.30am Lisbon time. I then did the usual research during the weekend, brainstormed with Masha during the one-on-one session and whatsapp and created my homework on Tuesday, edited Wednesday” - Aurelie Guichard, Lisbon, Portugal.
Review
I cannot begin to tell you how intimidated and anxious I was to take your workshop (seeing your personal work and the works you had shared of your students from earlier classes) but I have never felt so optimistic about the future than I do today. Calling myself ‘confident’ after your class might be pushing it only because I constantly doubt myself and my work, haha, but you have really pushed me to broaden my horizons and make use of various mediums along with photography to make art. I am extremely thankful to you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you even for just 5 weeks. I’m honoured to have been a part of your program and I hope you’d call me if you have some other newer courses in the future because I would always always want to learn from you and soak every bit of knowledge you bestow upon us. - Aastha Manchanda, Chandigarh, India.
review
The course was very inspirational and informative. So many amazing and new for me names and concepts. I feel as in the beginning of a big road of set design. I always enjoyed Masha’s critique on students work - it was very precise and to the point. - Ekaterina Efimova, San Francisco, California.
Review
This class reignited the much needed flow of creative thinking and expression. In a small group of people from all around the world we had super informative sessions about the art and history of stage and costume design. Masha taught us to think outside the box and how to find unorthodox solutions to boundless expression within the constraints of the stage and physics. We were challenged to convey complex ideas by means of simple objects and miniscule budgets. We learned about the legends of the field and their thought process and utilized the power of imagination to transform simple phrases into magical visual stories. - Alexey Bochkovsky, San Francisco.
Review
This class far exceeded my expectations! Masha is an excellent teacher – she is amazingly generous with her time, her tools, and her insight. The lectures were inspiring and informative, and the assignments were the right combination of fun, challenging, and creatively stimulating. This class not only gave me an invaluable glimpse into Masha’s creative process, but it helped me discover my own along the way. I walked away with new skills, ideas and curiosity to apply to my ongoing work. It was exactly what I needed to bring new life to my artistic practice. So grateful to have taken part in this course! - Salomeya Sobko, Portland, Oregon
Review
I discovered the history of set design and costume, about other artists who work as set designers. I Loved the class!!! Had a lot of fun thinking about the content Masha shared, and thinking of ways to build around what I learned. - Ylimay Zavala, New York
Review
This course was exactly what I needed to advance as a photographer. It taught me how to use different materials in a creative way.I like Masha’s critical thinking and a feedback on my projects. It was almost like having a set designer on set. - Natalia Nazarova, San Francisco, California
QUESTIONS:
I want to engage you actively, creatively and critically. Use this as a call to action: to explore, to question and to make.
See you soon,
Masha.