Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Production arts with Kim 18.10.12
Today we read through the rest of the Snow Queen and we were given our sets to create in our group, we were given the prince and princesses castle and also the forest. We spent a little time enhancing our mind maps on our chosen subjects, mine being costume, so i wrote about what the robbers would be wearing and what i as the Snow Queens minion would be wearing. After we had finished our mind maps we started creating trees for the forest scene, Kim produced 2 long hollow cardboard poles and we began padding them out with newspaper so that they were more chunky and tree-like, we also bent some bamboo poles to look like branches, we spoke about how we could get logs for the scene, leaves, twigs, small sticks to create a woodland atmosphere.
Production arts - 11th October 2012
2nd lesson with Kim
We started off the lesson with doing a short presentation which was filmed by Kim, we spoke about what we had learnt about our first chosen specialist job role in theatre, mine was costume designing so i spoke about the requirements of being a costume designer, who they work with in theatre and how they get to working in theatre. Once we had all done our mini-assessments we watched the short trailer for the BBC version of The Snow Queen which gave us an idea of how to present our version and how our job-roles would be used to enhance our performance. We then got A2 pieces of card where we wrote a mind map of different ideas of how we could design costume for the characters in the story, for example for the snow queen you would use all whites, silvers, pale blues etc for fabric and also you could use glitter to add a snowy effect.
We started off the lesson with doing a short presentation which was filmed by Kim, we spoke about what we had learnt about our first chosen specialist job role in theatre, mine was costume designing so i spoke about the requirements of being a costume designer, who they work with in theatre and how they get to working in theatre. Once we had all done our mini-assessments we watched the short trailer for the BBC version of The Snow Queen which gave us an idea of how to present our version and how our job-roles would be used to enhance our performance. We then got A2 pieces of card where we wrote a mind map of different ideas of how we could design costume for the characters in the story, for example for the snow queen you would use all whites, silvers, pale blues etc for fabric and also you could use glitter to add a snowy effect.
Drama 16 October 2012
Drama with Rachel Maddix
We started off the lesson in the library getting research for our assessment week task. Our task was to research 2 theatre companies and also write about why drama for young children is crucial for development. I chose to research about Polka childrens theatre and Unicorn childrens theatre. We had to look up their artistic policy and some background information about when they started, why they started and how far they have come. Also we looked up what sort of things they offer for young children and what performances they put on. Then in the second half of the lesson we were back in the drama studio and we had an hour to write up about what we had found. After we had finished the assessment we then spoke as a class about roles in the 'Snow Queen', we decided Lizzie would be the Snow Queen, Beth would be Gerda, Joe would be Kai, Max would be the Crow etc. I was chosen to be the Snow Queens minion and also one of the robbers. After we had decided on characters we had a short time to devise a few scenes with eachother. We managed to make a strong start on the robbers scene.
We started off the lesson in the library getting research for our assessment week task. Our task was to research 2 theatre companies and also write about why drama for young children is crucial for development. I chose to research about Polka childrens theatre and Unicorn childrens theatre. We had to look up their artistic policy and some background information about when they started, why they started and how far they have come. Also we looked up what sort of things they offer for young children and what performances they put on. Then in the second half of the lesson we were back in the drama studio and we had an hour to write up about what we had found. After we had finished the assessment we then spoke as a class about roles in the 'Snow Queen', we decided Lizzie would be the Snow Queen, Beth would be Gerda, Joe would be Kai, Max would be the Crow etc. I was chosen to be the Snow Queens minion and also one of the robbers. After we had decided on characters we had a short time to devise a few scenes with eachother. We managed to make a strong start on the robbers scene.
Monday, 15 October 2012
9th October 2012 - Drama
Drama with Rachel Maddix
We started off the lesson with a written task and we spoke about the play we went to see the night before called 'Farm boy' which was performed at the Connaught theatre in Worthing, it was non-linear and directly addressed to the audience. The play was aimed at the older generation because the main context of it was war and they mentioned such things as 'Agatha Christie', 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'TinTin'. It was two hander, performed by two men, one elderly man and one man in his 20's, because there was only 2 actors they had to play multiple characters in the story, The boy played himself, himself when he was younger, his grandad as a boy, his great grandma, the farmer and 'Harry', and the Grandad played his own dad and himself at various stages. They both had to use a west country voice and be able to work with minimal set which included a tractor, a chair, a board, toolbox and various smaller props. The lighting was also very simple, there was a singular light bulb hung over the tractor which was a yellowish light, there was over-head lighting, floor lighting and side lighting, blue gels were used to create certain moods and show when they were in the barn. They used lighting to show scene changes, by using spotlights, increasing/decreasing lights used etc. They also used minimal special effects like smoke machine and when they started the tractor at the end of the play smoke came out of the funnel. For music they used recorded piano under and between each scene, tractor sounds for when they started the tractor at the end and the acting and storytelling led and was supported by music.
To make changes between each character the 2 men had to change certain characteristics so that the audience could tell they had changed from one to another. For the boy to change to be himself as a younger boy he changed the pitch of his voice to be higher and also kept giggling, his movement was also different, he kept fidgeting, swaying his knees, craning his neck and kept staring at his grandad when he was telling him a story, and then when he was the grandma he spoke in a higher pitch and at a faster pace, he also used small flappy hand movements, kept crossing his arms and was abit sulky. Overall i think they did a very successful job at character changes, as i could clearly tell when they were each different person.
The second part of the lesson we went back to the drama studio and Rachel showed us the theatre company frantic assembly and one of their techniques that they frequently use called 'chair duets', and once we had watched one of the chair duets we got into two's to experiment with our own, i was with Abi, and we had to manipulate eachother by doing small moves in counts of three, for example in one count i could raise Abi's arm, second count i could place my arm around hers, third count i could push both our arms down etc. We then put all our separate chair duets together by thinking of suitable transitions and we were filmed. After this we were then asked to include elements of the technique into our 'Snow Queen' scenes we had worked on last lesson, our scene was the 'Finn-Woman' and we decided to involve the technique when 'Gerda', 'the reindeer' and the villagers are approaching the 'Finn-womans' house, we used it to convey that none of us wanted to go in first, so we used it to put other people infront of one another, trying to get them to go in front. We also used it in the 'Finn-womans' house when Max who was one of the villagers refused to eat her soup, so we used the technique to show her forcing him to eat it and him trying to escape, and we also used music to add mood to it, we were also filmed doing this as well.
I really enjoyed learning and trying the 'chair duets', i'd experienced the technique before in gcse drama, i think it's really effective in scenes where you don't want speech and it can convey context without narrative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC-dkYZOUVo
This was the video that Rachel showed us as an introduction to chair duets, i found this video very useful because it helped me get an idea of the type of movements that can be used in this dramatic technique.
We started off the lesson with a written task and we spoke about the play we went to see the night before called 'Farm boy' which was performed at the Connaught theatre in Worthing, it was non-linear and directly addressed to the audience. The play was aimed at the older generation because the main context of it was war and they mentioned such things as 'Agatha Christie', 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'TinTin'. It was two hander, performed by two men, one elderly man and one man in his 20's, because there was only 2 actors they had to play multiple characters in the story, The boy played himself, himself when he was younger, his grandad as a boy, his great grandma, the farmer and 'Harry', and the Grandad played his own dad and himself at various stages. They both had to use a west country voice and be able to work with minimal set which included a tractor, a chair, a board, toolbox and various smaller props. The lighting was also very simple, there was a singular light bulb hung over the tractor which was a yellowish light, there was over-head lighting, floor lighting and side lighting, blue gels were used to create certain moods and show when they were in the barn. They used lighting to show scene changes, by using spotlights, increasing/decreasing lights used etc. They also used minimal special effects like smoke machine and when they started the tractor at the end of the play smoke came out of the funnel. For music they used recorded piano under and between each scene, tractor sounds for when they started the tractor at the end and the acting and storytelling led and was supported by music.
To make changes between each character the 2 men had to change certain characteristics so that the audience could tell they had changed from one to another. For the boy to change to be himself as a younger boy he changed the pitch of his voice to be higher and also kept giggling, his movement was also different, he kept fidgeting, swaying his knees, craning his neck and kept staring at his grandad when he was telling him a story, and then when he was the grandma he spoke in a higher pitch and at a faster pace, he also used small flappy hand movements, kept crossing his arms and was abit sulky. Overall i think they did a very successful job at character changes, as i could clearly tell when they were each different person.
The second part of the lesson we went back to the drama studio and Rachel showed us the theatre company frantic assembly and one of their techniques that they frequently use called 'chair duets', and once we had watched one of the chair duets we got into two's to experiment with our own, i was with Abi, and we had to manipulate eachother by doing small moves in counts of three, for example in one count i could raise Abi's arm, second count i could place my arm around hers, third count i could push both our arms down etc. We then put all our separate chair duets together by thinking of suitable transitions and we were filmed. After this we were then asked to include elements of the technique into our 'Snow Queen' scenes we had worked on last lesson, our scene was the 'Finn-Woman' and we decided to involve the technique when 'Gerda', 'the reindeer' and the villagers are approaching the 'Finn-womans' house, we used it to convey that none of us wanted to go in first, so we used it to put other people infront of one another, trying to get them to go in front. We also used it in the 'Finn-womans' house when Max who was one of the villagers refused to eat her soup, so we used the technique to show her forcing him to eat it and him trying to escape, and we also used music to add mood to it, we were also filmed doing this as well.
I really enjoyed learning and trying the 'chair duets', i'd experienced the technique before in gcse drama, i think it's really effective in scenes where you don't want speech and it can convey context without narrative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC-dkYZOUVo
This was the video that Rachel showed us as an introduction to chair duets, i found this video very useful because it helped me get an idea of the type of movements that can be used in this dramatic technique.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Production arts - Kim
Research for costume designing
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person who designs costumes for a film or stage production. This role is an important part of the production team. The costume designer works alongside the director, scenic, lighting designer, sound designer, and other creative personnel. The costume designer may also collaborate with hair stylist, wig master, or makeup artist.
Costume designers typically seek to enhance a character's personality, and to create an evolving plot of colour, changing social status, or period through the visual design of garments and accessories. They may distort or enhance the body—within the boundaries of the director's vision. The designer must ensure that the designs let the actor move as the role requires. The actor must execute the director's blocking of the production without damaging the garments. Garments must be durable and washable, particularly in extended runs. The designer must consult not only with the director, but the set and lighting designers to ensure that all elements of the overall production design work together. The designer must possess strong artistic capabilities and a thorough knowledge of pattern development, draping, drafting, textiles and fashion history. The designer must understand historical costuming, and the movement style and poise that period dress may require.
Responsibilities
A costume designer creates the look of a character in film, television or in a stage production and in a play. Their main duties are...
1. Read and analyze the script.
2. Work closely with the director and other designers (set designer, lighting designer, make-up artist) on the production team to develop design concepts.
3. Do research to flesh out design concepts. (for example, geographical setting, time period, characters and their relationships and actions)
4. Produce drawings and color renderings of costumes.
5. Meet with the wardrobe manager and head cutter to discuss each design.
6. Purchase fabrics, new or used clothing and accessories.(Along with prop ideas)
7. Develop and implement a budget for costume-related expenses.
8. Develop patterns for costumes if it is necessary.
9. Attend fittings and rehearsals. (for theatre, dance or opera productions).
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person who designs costumes for a film or stage production. This role is an important part of the production team. The costume designer works alongside the director, scenic, lighting designer, sound designer, and other creative personnel. The costume designer may also collaborate with hair stylist, wig master, or makeup artist.
Costume designers typically seek to enhance a character's personality, and to create an evolving plot of colour, changing social status, or period through the visual design of garments and accessories. They may distort or enhance the body—within the boundaries of the director's vision. The designer must ensure that the designs let the actor move as the role requires. The actor must execute the director's blocking of the production without damaging the garments. Garments must be durable and washable, particularly in extended runs. The designer must consult not only with the director, but the set and lighting designers to ensure that all elements of the overall production design work together. The designer must possess strong artistic capabilities and a thorough knowledge of pattern development, draping, drafting, textiles and fashion history. The designer must understand historical costuming, and the movement style and poise that period dress may require.
Responsibilities
A costume designer creates the look of a character in film, television or in a stage production and in a play. Their main duties are...
1. Read and analyze the script.
2. Work closely with the director and other designers (set designer, lighting designer, make-up artist) on the production team to develop design concepts.
3. Do research to flesh out design concepts. (for example, geographical setting, time period, characters and their relationships and actions)
4. Produce drawings and color renderings of costumes.
5. Meet with the wardrobe manager and head cutter to discuss each design.
6. Purchase fabrics, new or used clothing and accessories.(Along with prop ideas)
7. Develop and implement a budget for costume-related expenses.
8. Develop patterns for costumes if it is necessary.
9. Attend fittings and rehearsals. (for theatre, dance or opera productions).
Monday, 8 October 2012
4th October 2012 - Production arts
Production Arts
In todays lesson with Kim we started off with drawing a little portrait of ourselves and then we had an a2 piece of paper and we were asked to draw out what would be found in a theatre, for example the stage, actors, sound room, lighting box, dressing rooms etc. After we had plotted where the certain places were found we had to place our drawn portrait photo into a section in which we would like to find out more about, so i placed mine where the costume designing and makeup would be found. The reason for my choice is because i'm interested in clothes and dressing people to make them look like their role and also with makeup, i'm very interested in that and enjoy using it.
After we had discussed our chosen place in the theatre we were then given out our handout about the Production Arts course which describes what we are doing and learning about, what our deadlines are and what we will be doing out of class for homework.
Kim went onto the national theatre website and showed us different videos that have been filmed by the directors and stage managers etc, this was very interesting because it showed us exactly what was involved for the particular jobs we had chosen earlier on in the lesson.
Heres some interesting links i got from the website:
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/costume
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover/learning-events/costume-hair-and-make-up
In todays lesson with Kim we started off with drawing a little portrait of ourselves and then we had an a2 piece of paper and we were asked to draw out what would be found in a theatre, for example the stage, actors, sound room, lighting box, dressing rooms etc. After we had plotted where the certain places were found we had to place our drawn portrait photo into a section in which we would like to find out more about, so i placed mine where the costume designing and makeup would be found. The reason for my choice is because i'm interested in clothes and dressing people to make them look like their role and also with makeup, i'm very interested in that and enjoy using it.
After we had discussed our chosen place in the theatre we were then given out our handout about the Production Arts course which describes what we are doing and learning about, what our deadlines are and what we will be doing out of class for homework.
Kim went onto the national theatre website and showed us different videos that have been filmed by the directors and stage managers etc, this was very interesting because it showed us exactly what was involved for the particular jobs we had chosen earlier on in the lesson.
Heres some interesting links i got from the website:
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/costume
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover/learning-events/costume-hair-and-make-up
Drama with Rachel Maddix - 25th September 2012
Lesson three
We started off the lesson by laying down in a circle with our heads in the center , we had to shut our eyes and keep them closed, we were then asked to one by one make up a random line of a story but link it to the line said before to create a story all together. We did this task quite successfully and we kept the story going for a good 20 minutes, i found it quite easy because i didn't see everyone looking at me so i didn't feel under pressure, because i couldn't see anyone it just felt like i was saying the story to myself so i felt more free with what i was saying.
We started off the lesson by laying down in a circle with our heads in the center , we had to shut our eyes and keep them closed, we were then asked to one by one make up a random line of a story but link it to the line said before to create a story all together. We did this task quite successfully and we kept the story going for a good 20 minutes, i found it quite easy because i didn't see everyone looking at me so i didn't feel under pressure, because i couldn't see anyone it just felt like i was saying the story to myself so i felt more free with what i was saying.
After that task we had to do the exact same thing but this time we had to sit up in a circle with our eyes open and when the person was saying their line they had to face the person next to them, and stare into their eyes, i found this task much harder because i kept wanting to break eye contact and i felt pressured to be quick and say the first thing that came to my mind instead of taking a little time to make it more interesting. We all could tell this task was harder for all of us because the story was a lot less vibrant and creative and the lines were shorter and harder for the next person to follow on from.
We then got into groups of three and we were given a short story to read and work on. I was with Polly and Max, and the story that we were given was called 'Ra's secret name', we then read aloud the story and we had to pick out the most important bits we found in the story. We were then told we would have a short assessment in which we had to tell our story to the rest of the group but make it much more descriptive and interesting to hear, and we would also be filmed.
We had a short task in which each person in the group had to take the main character or setting from the story and think of lots of ways of describing it/them. In our story i decided to describe the main character in the story, the God 'Ra', all the groups stood in a circle facing outwards with our eyes shut and took it in turns to describe our chosen subject, I started off by describing how Ra's beak could cut through solid rock and how he was as strong as a thousand armies, this exercise made me realise that in storytelling the storyteller has to exaggerate the description in the story so that the audience does not lose focus and get bored and so that they keep in touch with the story.
After everyone had spoken we went back to our small groups and had about an hour to devise a short storytelling piece, we each had different things to describe and added a few actions to make it more exciting for the audience to watch but we didn't interact with eachother which is what makes it clear that you are not acting. We used the 6 senses to describe everything in as much detail as we could.
I found it quite difficult to storytell on this story because i didn't fully understand the story but i feel that this lesson helped me a lot and was very effective in helping me widen my range of descriptive techniques and how storytelling is very different from acting. I felt that our group worked well together and the audience did stay entertained but i feel we could of worked on the flow of things and added even more description.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Tuesday 2/10/12
4th lesson with Rachel Maddix
In todays lesson we started off by getting into groups of 4, i was with Joe, Emily and Tim, we were then given a brief overview of the fairytale 'The Snow Queen', we read through it as a group so that we were all comfortable with the story. We then had to list all the characters that were mention for example Gerda, Kai, Snow Queen, Grandmother..etc. As well as that we also had to list all the different locations that were mentioned for example Home, Lapland, River, Snow queens castle...etc.
Once we had our main characters and locations listed we then had to create one freeze frame to each section of the play, we had to make the freeze frames clear to understand and we had to make the flow between each one smooth. Once we had come up with enough freeze frames, we then had to show them to the rest of the class whilst Rachel put background music in which fit in with the play.
After this we then had to choose one particular scene in the fairytale that us as a group would expand and make more interesting, the scene our group chose was the 'Flower witch' scene. I liked our adaptation of this scene, and would eventually like to include this in the final performance. We decided to give the flower witch a son, and a saddening background story in which her husband died years ago because he was eaten by an evil flower that lives at the bottom of the river, we found it easier having a background story because it gave more reasoning behind the flower witch wanting to take Gerda and make her, her own. We worked on these scenes and made them of about 5 minutes and in one small section of the piece we used music, to create tension and mood. When Gerda wakes up after being bewitched, we used the atmospheric music here whilst she was looking round the house to try and remember who she was and what she was doing in such a foreign place. I felt the music was a good idea, and that we should definitely use it in the final performance, it created mood and feeling and because the character is not talking it gives the audience a chance to imagine what is going on inside the characters head and what they must be feeling. The groups then took it in turn to perform their pieces infront of the class.
We then had a group discussion about the synopsis of the snow queen and how our adaption would be devised, we decided on 6 scenes because of such a young audience we thought having anymore scenes would lose their attention and having fewer scenes would not be enough to cover the main points of the story. Our synopsis is:
Scene 1: Grandmas house (With goblins and snow queen in story which grandma tells) ends with mirror in Kai's heart and eye.
Scene 2: Flower witch (River)
Scene 3: Prince/princess and helpful crow
Scene 4: Robbers and robber girl
Scene 5: Finn Woman
Scene 6: Gerda finds and saves Kai.
We spoke about what we felt worked in our small pieces and what we felt didn't work, we spoke about storyline/scene, character/interaction and structure/approach.
In todays lesson we started off by getting into groups of 4, i was with Joe, Emily and Tim, we were then given a brief overview of the fairytale 'The Snow Queen', we read through it as a group so that we were all comfortable with the story. We then had to list all the characters that were mention for example Gerda, Kai, Snow Queen, Grandmother..etc. As well as that we also had to list all the different locations that were mentioned for example Home, Lapland, River, Snow queens castle...etc.
Once we had our main characters and locations listed we then had to create one freeze frame to each section of the play, we had to make the freeze frames clear to understand and we had to make the flow between each one smooth. Once we had come up with enough freeze frames, we then had to show them to the rest of the class whilst Rachel put background music in which fit in with the play.
After this we then had to choose one particular scene in the fairytale that us as a group would expand and make more interesting, the scene our group chose was the 'Flower witch' scene. I liked our adaptation of this scene, and would eventually like to include this in the final performance. We decided to give the flower witch a son, and a saddening background story in which her husband died years ago because he was eaten by an evil flower that lives at the bottom of the river, we found it easier having a background story because it gave more reasoning behind the flower witch wanting to take Gerda and make her, her own. We worked on these scenes and made them of about 5 minutes and in one small section of the piece we used music, to create tension and mood. When Gerda wakes up after being bewitched, we used the atmospheric music here whilst she was looking round the house to try and remember who she was and what she was doing in such a foreign place. I felt the music was a good idea, and that we should definitely use it in the final performance, it created mood and feeling and because the character is not talking it gives the audience a chance to imagine what is going on inside the characters head and what they must be feeling. The groups then took it in turn to perform their pieces infront of the class.
We then had a group discussion about the synopsis of the snow queen and how our adaption would be devised, we decided on 6 scenes because of such a young audience we thought having anymore scenes would lose their attention and having fewer scenes would not be enough to cover the main points of the story. Our synopsis is:
Scene 1: Grandmas house (With goblins and snow queen in story which grandma tells) ends with mirror in Kai's heart and eye.
Scene 2: Flower witch (River)
Scene 3: Prince/princess and helpful crow
Scene 4: Robbers and robber girl
Scene 5: Finn Woman
Scene 6: Gerda finds and saves Kai.
We spoke about what we felt worked in our small pieces and what we felt didn't work, we spoke about storyline/scene, character/interaction and structure/approach.
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