Reflective journal 2a part 1

Dear Diary

I have kept a diary of sorts since drama school. I like to remind myself of events and feelings as soon as possible as time can make us recollect things in a different way.

Sometimes I even write on the back of my hand as was the case the other evening when watching BBC2 "Inside No 9" written by Reese Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. One of the characters said something that made me laugh and I wanted to share it -

"If all the worlds a stage where do the audience sit?"

I find writing helps me to quash my negative thoughts as seeing the text, the written word, helps me to be more realistic in my judgements and prevents me from being too self-critical.

It reminds me that there is no one rule for me and a different one for others. I must practice what I preach and as a journal is a participatory tool it helps towards a strong foundation for organising my learning patterns.

So, for me keeping journals in different ways has been illuminating and I too am looking forward to reading the blogs concerning this subject.

Relective Writing 2b

Reflective writing task 2b part 1


So far I have only really been concerned with my own process but this task enables me to engage in the experience of others by listening to their comments and applying them to my practice. To see things from their perspective, by working the a script and characterisation, but stand back from it and seeing the bigger picture.


I made a recording on Monday for Heritage Lottery Fund as part of an inter-active experience for  visitors. As it was a historically researched script based on real people and events it was important to remember our ethical values whilst still being creative open to interpretation.

 The actors all rehearsed two different roles but were only recording one. I was cast as the lady of the house and her maid. We all brought sometime different and the performances varied and I thought about how I had reached my own conclusions by considering the characters age, status and the period in which she lived. There were no right or wrong choices. As long as we had made an informed decision they were all equally valid.

During the workshop I asked one of the actors why she had decided to cajole her husband as I hadn't gleaned that from the text even though I felt it worked. She clarified that she had decided that this is how she got her husband to be more malleable. Together we worked on exploring their behaviour and motives and decided they both had the same goal but had different ways of achieving it.

To enable me to experience something from somebody else's perspective, I asked her direct me in this way, so I could see what her intention was. We had both had the same backstory and we realised that we had played similar parts before and we were bringing past performances to this role. Rehearsal time was limited so it was necessary to reflect-in-action and reflect-on-action to make sure I was bringing something new and fresh to this performance. My motivation was that I was trying to calm my husband as I thought he would be extremely nervous as the household were being visited by a member of the royal family.

The actor in turn asked me about my choice of voice for the maid. I wanted to suggest that because she was a lady's maid, and it was usual then for servants to work for one family and progress up the ladder, that she might have had a local accent but may have tried to improve herself.

My view, with reference to my performance didn't change. but by being open and willing to question my own and others work was a solid base to approach from. I also now have another way of approaching a similar script if I am faced with this situation again. It is always beneficial to consider alternatives and not just because it broadens our repetitoire.

I felt it was a valuable reflective experience as it re-affirmed that the length of  the piece is irrelevant as we still need to commit. We bring our past experiences and performances with us so we call upon them if we need to. I wanted to explore the thought process of other actors as we hadn't had much time together to help create a more cohesive piece.'


For ethical reasons I have not named the other  actress and I am sure she will not read this, but believe that although she shared in my experience, my blog would not be improved by doing so and of course I respect her privacy.

And in case your wondering I was cast and recorded  the Ladies Maid!

Looking back task 1a

These are some of my thoughts and reflections since starting the course, and the developments made, regarding what has been achieved through analysing fellow students comments and how their comments have helped me.

Reading people profiles and changes to their CV's has been enlightening. Although most did not make major changes, ( Eleanor admits to having re-written hers from stratch), the changes seem to make them happier with their new version.

We constantly grow and change as performers. We may view things differently and learn new skills that reflect in the way we perceive things and this is in turn may affect the way we write about ourselves.

Eleanor writes that she -
"prioritises my skill set to to how I wish to be portrayed as a performer" and she was told once do something everyday to further your career. A good practice for when you are feeling powerless or have lost momentum. You can take back control and do something that will help you towards your goal.

 She also mentions that she has shared her blog posts on Instagram and is going to see what affects this has. It will be interesting to follow this. Her bold colour choice works with her photo and it reflects shows maturity and confidence.

Lauren's image is strong and stands out and makes you want to read her text. She states that she thought about Jennifer and Eleanor ideas and comments when she updated her work.

Lauren commented on  my profile as she was interested as to why I described myself first and then mentioned professional engagements. I did this as a wanted a different feel to the profile from my CV. Also, the fact that I have worked as an adjudicator and my intention is to be an external speech and drama examiner  I will need a new one that highlights my academic qualifications as well  performance.

Jessica D uses the expression "Quality not Quantity" which is so important whatever stage your career is at.

Emily has two different CV's, which is usual in the industry in the beginning, and it made me smile when she mentioned her "normal" CV is the non-performance one. She also added an "about me" section. I agree with her that we need to "be specific" and that we are all unique. This is so true and your unique selling point is "you".

Henry's profile reads very well. He comes across as a motivated, talented and hard-working individual. His photography is exceptional and the survey he is going to carry out with regards to his audience thought's shows he doesn't just perform for himself but cares about how it affects others.

Jenifer realises her didn't have much information so she added relevant facts to flesh out hers.

Taylors was fascinating. How many performers get to work in a travelling kids circus!

Kirsty has a "chatty" style which makes her seem approachable. It isn't overly long and  keeps to the point.

Jessica S profile changed from 7th to 25th Feb making it shorter and "punchier " but still contains all the necessary information.

Ronna reminds us of the ethical considerations and uses a watermark presentation of dancers on her re-worked versions to make it more individual and stand out in a sea of information.

Dominque Davies has just put up a new blog with her CV and profile. She describes "making her piece of paper become a person". I think that is a excellent method for approaching a CV or profile. It needs to be real. It reminds me of the scene in "A Chorus Line" film when the director asks them to tell him something about themselves and  he becomes angry because they are affected and try to impress him. He wants honesty from them. Who they are. Acting is truth.

Promodos profile mentions " conscious effort to find some connections." Such good advice. I do believe that we can make our own "luck" by trying harder. It's funny how the hardest workers always seem to be the "lucky" ones.

Because we have been sharing thoughts in our blogs it feels that we comfortable with the process of reading each others profile, commenting and tweaking them to improve our own.

All the above helped me to reflect and develop my own CV and profile. Lauren's comment on mine was useful and am sure all of our CV's and profiles will be considerably different by the end of our course. I will be updating mine as I need to have some more photographs taken as I am going to be working in other aspects of speech and drama.

The changes made and the explanations as to why they were made were insightful. Adapting your current CV to a professional profile helps to see yourself as other see you. You only have one chance to make a good impression.

Shared thoughts, shared knowledge, shared success.

Skype with Adesola

Last night I joined the Skype conversations with eleven other students The first part I heard was Eleanor talking about reflective practice.

We then went on to discuss the our rehearsal processes and the practice interviews that the other modules are conducting. Lawrence from Module 3 said he tried to ask larger questions.

I agreed with this as I think if the person you are interviewing is nervous and the questions allow monosyllabic answer nothing will be gained. I believe that if you ask a question that allows them some artistic freedom you will get a better sense of that persons abilities and creativity. Semi-structured interviews were talked about, keeping an organic feel to them so they are never the same and can grow.

Comments were made on sharing significant moments to help others with their studies. It feels if we are generous with our thoughts the payback is that people share theirs with us. Keeping us open to all ideas and practices.

I do keep a professional journal and the importance of doing this whilst on the course and after was reiterated by Module 3 students. It isn't enough to say I did it. We have to ask why did I do it? How did I feel? Would I do it again and if I did what would I do differently?

We need to analyse and critique to allow our practice to develop.
.

Verbatim theatre

BBC 2 10pm 5th March 2017 (or iplayer)

London Road" based on the National Theatre musical concerns the trial of Steve Wright.

It is Verbatim theatre (a documentary play constructed from the precise words spoken by people interviewed about a particular event or topic). Wikipedia.

It features Tom Hardy, Olivia Coleman and Anita Dobson.

I saw it 2015 when Rufus Norris the director spoke about his process when filming.

I think it is worth watching as it a genre not used very often

recordeddelivery.net

Flickr Task D

Here is my flickr address

flickr.com/photos/147990611@N02

You Tube" Now you See Me" - Audio visual task c

Here is the link to my audio visual you tube.

It is short because as an actor I tend to be quite vocal.

As an adjudicator and examiner I need to use my time productively and be concise in my judgements. Some adjudications are directly after a festival and there are always time constraints.

So, I deliberately made this choice. I'm sure I can film a longer one if needed!


youtu.be/aUqe8wNjMSE

Guess who?

When I turned on my computer this morning one of the first images I saw was

"From A-list actress to old man"
The Telegraph 3rd March 2017

As I was writing my blog on Task d "The importance of images in social media" I found I wanted to re-visit this image. I didn't look it for very long as I was curious who it was and of course when I discovered this, it was obvious by looking closely at her eyes. It confirms the fact that

an actor/performer is a person who can be anything or anybody regardless of sex or age or another perceived boundaries.

Maybe that's what gets us up in the morning. Just that very thought.

telegraph.co.uk/films/0/elderly-gentleman-really-tilda-swinton

Nice to meet you

The Digital Stranger (task 1b and 1d continued).


I have just read the article by Peter  Bryant "The Digital Stranger, Participation, Social Networking and Creativity".peterbryant.org

He asks how many of us have met on our course and

"Does this level of  knowledge about them impact our interaction?"

which is a question I blogged about in Fast Track Degrees is also relevant to task 1d "The importance of the images and audio-visual in today social media."

The blog with photographs help us to think about the person who is sending them. Skype helps us to put a face to a name. Show reels show us what they can do.

He quotes -
"Social networks are effective at increasing participation by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires".

And concludes with
"Social networks participation has provided the environment and the community to begin to interact."
believing they have a more positive effect than negative.

I hope that as many people as possible can make the campus sessions. It really would be nice to meet you.

"There are no words without pictures" Task d

When using social media what do you prefer long, dry pages of text or shorter ones with images that help replace some of the words? If it's the latter your not alone. A study by Curata ( a content curation agency) showed that images can increase "clicks" by up to 50%. .

An image can grab our attention. It can make a page "pop", it can even encourage us to read it when weren't going to. Humans with a short attention span will make a judgement within a few seconds. Images require a speedy response.

Images engage us immediately. We are wired to be receptive to them. Images help us to communicate by using our eyes, our vision.  Jeff Bullis states
"Photos are becoming a universal language."

Of course this makes sense. Even if we can't understand or read a language, a smiling face, fantastic location shot or yes even a cute kitten can say a thousand words (give or take).

His article "6 Powerful Reasons why social media should include images" is simple but effective. Although tailored towards sales, our professional practice might benefit from this self-promotion.

A poor quality or choice of image can devalue a good text and needs to be considered carefully especially if it is a idea to be shared. Used correctly it greatly can enhance the presentation.

There is increasing appetite for all types of images and audio -visual presentation in social media. These include Pinterest (used for sharing ideas), Instagram, (on-line mobile phone photo/video sharing app), Snapchat ( video that disappears after a few seconds) and Vine (an app based on six-second video).

Photo, videos, graphics, pictures, slides, animation are all being used more frequently in social media.
Wikipedia describes Infographics as "graphic visual representations of information, date or knowledge intending to present information quickly."


Three key sentences from Ekaterina Walker the author of "The Power of Visual Storytelling" stayed with me -
"visual storytelling is the new currency"
"attention is the new commodity"
"viewers spend 100% more time on a web with videos."
confirming the importance of images and audio-visual as part of social media.

It is strangely comforting when people's faces accompany their blog comments. Making us feel that they are really saying it to us and not just writing faceless text to share with the community.

How many times have you heard somebody say they felt they "knew" an actor based only on their professional performances? This is the power of images and film.

Digital storytelling is a computer based tool that tells us a story. The usual format is a short video with pictures and background music although there are endless variations. It is a personal audio-visual presentation generally to be viewed. Windows and Mac have apps that can be used to this effect.

Donna Moritz on socially.sorted.com .discusses how our telephones can be a radio, television and even our own publishing house.

Flickr is a on-line photo management/sharing application and its photos are not all for public use. It uses Creative commons licensed content as an alternative to full copyright. They is a non-profit making organisation). Upslash has a good selection of stock photos for free.

Regarding the implication of  using social media with or without images, as well audio-visual presentations, it is important to remember "ownership". Technically, if you have designed and created any social media posting you "own" it. You can sign an agreement that allows the person who may have commissioned your work to own it with your permission. There can be "grey" areas. You "own" your work for the duration of your lifetime or for seventy years after (as is the case with plays).

However, you  MUST read all the conditions of each site as they vary. Privacy policies normally in very small print somewhere on the page, are worth investigating as they can protect your professional reputation or a vulnerable person or minor.

"Legacy Locker" is a "digital safety box", an on-line tool, that allows beneficiaries to access your account when you are no longer here.

People like to pass on quotes, little word bites. As he great man himself said -
"There can be no words without pictures."
Aristotle