I'm hoping to put together a Youtube series and want to build some small, nice sets similar to what is used in Glove and Boots. The content of my series will be very different. I actually have several show ideas in mind and I'm currently working on the puppets and props but I'm a bit intimidated by the idea of building sets. I've looked all over for tutorials on set design but haven't been able to find much. Does anyone know where to find some information on small set design?

Here is a link to a Glove and Boots video with the kind of set design I'm talking about. Ideally most of my sets would just be one wall with a few props. I'm also thinking of making them dual sided with a different setting on the other side. I'm in the early stages and just looking for ideas at this point. I may end up having to play it by ear.

Mario and Fafa Play The Classics

Hey there, SteveK...I'm a professional scenic designer for theatre.  True, I work on a much larger scale than what is typically needed for a small filmed puppet series, but the basics are the same.  You just scale it down for the camera and the puppets.  PM me with questions if you want.  Maybe I can give you some advice. 

I am pretty sure the the majority of video's I've seen by Glove and Boots have simply been a wall in their house.  Looks to me this video is just that and has a book case on one wall.  Children's furniture is often a good scale and you might be able to find it cheap at second hand store. In this shot it almost looks like they have a black cardboard box on the left they are using as a table. Could be to get it high enough they set it on another box or on a stool perhaps. Since you are filming you don't really have to build a front wall for your puppet to head behind. Just set the camera at the height you need.  

Check out this PDF file in my Gallery.
 
Click on picture to enlarge then click on the pop up picture and it'll take you to the gallery page where you can use the "Download document in original format "  to view it as a PDF which is bigger.  That is the two types of flats or walls that are used in theater and film.  The second hollywood style flat would be a good one to make two sided.  You build the frame then cover each side with luan wood or fiber board. You can then paint each side. Want to make a background cheap you could use cardboard and paint it then tack that up on a wall.  Just make sure to base coat both sides of the cardboard at one time or the drying paint might warp the cardboard.

Hello stevek. I found building sets to be a really fun thing to try and do. I used double sided boards that I hung from my garage ceiling to get the height I needed. I tried to keep them simple so I could mix and match them, to give me as many combinations as I could. Children's toys brought up a lot of smaller prop options for scale. I got a great kids kitchen cutlery set from Ebay! I would say simplicity is the key, as sometimes continuity can become an issue if the backgrounds are too complex. I have never managed to finish a complete scene in one take, and someone ALWAYS moves something you haven't noticed! I'm currently re-making the kitchen that I used in this clip, it needs alot of work, but you can see how I got on here:

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I still have vast amounts to learn, but I'm looking forward to getting better! Goodluck, but it's all great fun trying this stuff out!

I took some pics that might show how I got on in my Pinterest board:

http://pinterest.com/boozebropuppets/episode-stills-pics/

I forgot to mention my cheat scenery! Depending on your budget, I found a really quick, inexpensive and simple way to make great scenery that looks half decent. I trawled through Ebay and found lots of those 'Party Scene' room decorators. I found a Halloween backdrop that made a great Prison cell, see here:

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And another that was a red curtain, see here (the first video I made!):


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They are pretty good as back up plans, and are fairly low cost. It's a bit of a cheat, but I don't mind!

Check some of the party sites for a great variety of Scene Setters or Theme Setters.  Those things are good for a lot of things.

I don't think it is cheating to use something manufactured by someone else.   Granted it may mean that your backdrop might show up in someone elses video but hey do you realize how much of TV and Movies are recycled sets and locations?  There is an entire industry in LA for backdrop and prop rental that is used extensively by the pros. The secret is to use it so it is not recognizable. Could be the camera angle, lighting or even other elements that you use with it that makes it unique. Good example is that you used a Halloween background as a prison wall instead of what it was intended for.

Kyledixondesigns  ... Hey ! COOL you are a theatre designer. I trained in theatre design MANY moons ago. I totally agree ...its basically scaling things down, along with keeping everything elevated in mind. I generally work in a 2:1 scale( although I have  gone a lot smaller for some things), as the length of your arm points towards that, by the time you get a head and imagine the puppets body(and sometimes actually having legs)you get a being about half that of a human.It ties in well with boards you can come across or buy...a sheet of ply for instance 2.4x1.2 meters  (3x6 feet) turned sideways and your wall will be 1.2m tall half that of a normal room. I am constantly looking for cute half sized props. Things people throw away. Doll stuff, knick knacks, small china sets etc. I keep a lot of stock walls, doors and windows to put together rapid interiors... but it all takes  some space. About half that of a normal theatre.(make sure you check that your girlfriend realizes that, before you ask her to marry you.. then you can avoid some of the problems I have )
    If you have humans interacting with puppets, you will probably need to go with a full scale set and props, and scale your puppet up to about 3 quarter human size, or they look too small beside the humans.   
    Elevating your sets is tricky. You can use real sized rooms and locations to a degree, by using the top half of the room, or by lying on the ground or contorting to hide from the camera. Using a normal tall ceiling  room as studio, we tend to put the 2:1 sets on 70cm collapsable rostra. There is 70cm to kneel or squat, then 1.2m for set then another half meter for lighting angles rigging etc. If you have the luxury, as Jim Henson  frequently had, you will elevate the sets 1.5 to 1.8m to be able to walk below the set and then your studio will be maybe 6m tall for lighting, rigging etc.
  You generally need to make sure you have enough room for puppeteers and monitor below, but you can get as elaborate as you like otherwise.

Yes you're right Shawn (I've been rumbled!!) It was a Halloween backdrop re-used as a prison. Now the shame has passed  I've gone back to wood. The set I was building yesterday was from sheets of ply board with black marker pen lines. It's nice and simple, and not looking too bad, as man-sheds go.

http://pinterest.com/pin/315322411379792369/

Should be filming in it, this next week sometime.