CHAPTER 18 Constructing Flats The basic rationale behind building flats is to provide a lightweight structure with a surface that represents a large flat area such as a wall. In earlier times, flats were essentially a large artist's canvas onto which all decoration such as windows, doors, wallpaper, and some- times even furniture were painted. Lashing the flats together to form a room was a method of constructing stage sets that was inexpensive and made the sets easily transportable. In this modern era, audiences expect to see a more realistic and three-dimensional setting. There are two main types of flats: the traditional type covered with a soft material such as muslin or canvas, and an alternate type that has a hard plywood covering. The two different approaches are called soft-covered and hard-covered flats respectively. Hard-covered flats are often called TV or Hollywood flats because they are used in those industries. In either case, any kind of flat is constructed around a framework that delineates the outside profile and that provides enough internal support to maintain the structural integrity of the flat. This struc- ture, usually unseen by the audience, is called the framing. The skills you learn in building flats are easily transposed into building more complex units. Flat-like structures are used in building all sorts of things. The basic techniques of