Thursday, 9 January 2014
Evaluation of Another Group
I think that all the performances were good. My personal favorite was Sam's Group. What I liked about their performance was that they put a lot of physical theatre into their performance. This made the performance interesting to watch and it kept me interested. Their group performed nearer the end, yet I felt that I was watching the performance for the first time. Everyone in the group was good; there wasn't one person who didn't put effort in or who let the group down. They kept concentration throughout meaning that the energy was never lost. They changed the levels of energy and emotion which meant there was a constant build of atmosphere. The most memorable part of their performance was their take on the stairs. Two people stood as doors and two people as stairs. When James came home he pushed the two 'doors' open and climbed the 'stairs' with the help of two more people. I thought this was physical theatre at its best. I gave them a D8.
End of Term Performance
For our end of term assessment we had to perform our version of act 2. I was in a group of 6, including myself. This is a outline of what we did for the performance:
So you'd start remembering your dad- we split up into two rows of three, one side girls, one side boys and we were sat opposite a partner, one person representing the dad and one representing the mum. As it was the first line we started with our heads down and then when the line was said we lifted them.
He was a woman beater- the boy stood up and walked behind the girl. He pretended to lift her up by her hair. To do this the girl puts one hand over his hand on her hair and one hand on his wrist. This means they are in control and won't get hurt.
He beat up your mum every day- the boy pushes the girl to the ground. Again, to avoid any accidents, the girl throws herself so she is judging the force used.
From the day they got married- the man walks over to the girl on the ground and helps her up.
Right up to the day they got divorced- he throws her back down again.
He used to beat her to a pulp- each boy walks over to their girl partner. In canon from left to right the boy pretends to kick the girl.
So she stopped working- this time in synchronization the boys kick the girls again.
She wouldn't go out the house- all three girls back away from the boy and come back to back in a small circle.
Cos she was embarrassed- the girl lowers her head.
She didn't want to walk down the street- the boy lifts up the girls face.
With her face all black and blue- he slaps it down.
And you'd remember that your ma didnae want you to grow up to be like him- the girl looks up, with a significant change of expression, and turn to the other girls and hold hands.
She wanted you to be a famous lawyer- they rise onto their knees holding hands.
Or a famous doctor- stand up holding hands.
Or a famous whatever- look at each other hopefully.
And you'd remember that you were poor- girls fall back down.
But you weren't poor poor- girls look up and smile slightly.
Cos your mum still made sure there was a dinner on the table every night- turn to the boy and hands them a plate.
She'd give you her last penny- girls put a coin in the boys hand and holds it.
She didn't care about herself- boy holds mum hands too.
But you'd remember that you never really spoke to her- boy drops the girls hand and walks away from her.
Cos you'd come home from school and go straight up the stairs- boys turn to the right as if turning to walk up the stairs.
James?- girls call after their son and the boys stop moving.
Aye- boys look over their shoulder.
Your dinners out- call again.
You'd come down- boys retrace their route and stand in front of the girls.
Grab the plate- boys walk past their mother ignoring her and pretend to grab a plate.
Thanks, ma- boys briefly look at girls in thanks.
Back up the stairs- walk away retracing the same steps.
So you never really spoke to her- Boys freeze and girls reach out with their hands.
I was quite happy with the performance. On a whole it went to plan. We said all of the lines in order and we remembered all the particular actions that accompanied the lines. I feel that we put emotion into our performance which was important especially in a scene like this as it covered emotional topics such as abusive relationships and the relationship between a mother and a son. However I know that we could've done better. The performance could've been more polished. Unfortunately for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was ill and therefore couldn't practice with my group. I feel that with more practice we could've perfected the movement and transitions and made the performance better. I also feel that we needed to make the whole performance flow better and good transitions are key to this. The mark M5 I feel was fair. It wasn't good enough for a distinction but I thought we did try to put on a good performance. We were half way to a good performance so overall the mark reflected my performance; however next time I would like to achieve a higher grade.
So you'd start remembering your dad- we split up into two rows of three, one side girls, one side boys and we were sat opposite a partner, one person representing the dad and one representing the mum. As it was the first line we started with our heads down and then when the line was said we lifted them.
He was a woman beater- the boy stood up and walked behind the girl. He pretended to lift her up by her hair. To do this the girl puts one hand over his hand on her hair and one hand on his wrist. This means they are in control and won't get hurt.
He beat up your mum every day- the boy pushes the girl to the ground. Again, to avoid any accidents, the girl throws herself so she is judging the force used.
From the day they got married- the man walks over to the girl on the ground and helps her up.
Right up to the day they got divorced- he throws her back down again.
He used to beat her to a pulp- each boy walks over to their girl partner. In canon from left to right the boy pretends to kick the girl.
So she stopped working- this time in synchronization the boys kick the girls again.
She wouldn't go out the house- all three girls back away from the boy and come back to back in a small circle.
Cos she was embarrassed- the girl lowers her head.
She didn't want to walk down the street- the boy lifts up the girls face.
With her face all black and blue- he slaps it down.
And you'd remember that your ma didnae want you to grow up to be like him- the girl looks up, with a significant change of expression, and turn to the other girls and hold hands.
She wanted you to be a famous lawyer- they rise onto their knees holding hands.
Or a famous doctor- stand up holding hands.
Or a famous whatever- look at each other hopefully.
And you'd remember that you were poor- girls fall back down.
But you weren't poor poor- girls look up and smile slightly.
Cos your mum still made sure there was a dinner on the table every night- turn to the boy and hands them a plate.
She'd give you her last penny- girls put a coin in the boys hand and holds it.
She didn't care about herself- boy holds mum hands too.
But you'd remember that you never really spoke to her- boy drops the girls hand and walks away from her.
Cos you'd come home from school and go straight up the stairs- boys turn to the right as if turning to walk up the stairs.
James?- girls call after their son and the boys stop moving.
Aye- boys look over their shoulder.
Your dinners out- call again.
You'd come down- boys retrace their route and stand in front of the girls.
Grab the plate- boys walk past their mother ignoring her and pretend to grab a plate.
Thanks, ma- boys briefly look at girls in thanks.
Back up the stairs- walk away retracing the same steps.
So you never really spoke to her- Boys freeze and girls reach out with their hands.
I was quite happy with the performance. On a whole it went to plan. We said all of the lines in order and we remembered all the particular actions that accompanied the lines. I feel that we put emotion into our performance which was important especially in a scene like this as it covered emotional topics such as abusive relationships and the relationship between a mother and a son. However I know that we could've done better. The performance could've been more polished. Unfortunately for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was ill and therefore couldn't practice with my group. I feel that with more practice we could've perfected the movement and transitions and made the performance better. I also feel that we needed to make the whole performance flow better and good transitions are key to this. The mark M5 I feel was fair. It wasn't good enough for a distinction but I thought we did try to put on a good performance. We were half way to a good performance so overall the mark reflected my performance; however next time I would like to achieve a higher grade.
Friday, 13 December 2013
Catch A Clap
In lesson we played a new game called catch the clap. This consisted of everyone walking around the room at a steady pace and keeping that pace throughout. You then find someone in the room and make eye contact with them; in this game eye contact is very important when passing and catching the clap because if you want to keep a steady beat you need to be prepared to pass the clap on and not hesitate which would result in loosing the beat. Once you've found someone in the room that has seen you as well, you stretch your arms towards them and clap. Then they catch the clap. They can choose to act like they have physically caught the clap (they may step back and cushion the clap as they receive it) or if they need to be concentrating on the task they can just clap when they receive it. The person you send it to claps when they receive it and then sends it to someone else in the room always keeping the steady beat of the clap; don't slow down and don't speed up.
This game is about collective responsibility which is a reoccurring theme in the games we have been playing this term. This means that everyone must be aware of their surroundings and must be prepared to catch and send the clap. Also when keeping a steady rhythm this helps us when preparing for our play. When performing we don't want to change pace to much because this could result in us losing atmosphere. We want to increase the drama at a steady pace to keep the audience entertained.
This game is about collective responsibility which is a reoccurring theme in the games we have been playing this term. This means that everyone must be aware of their surroundings and must be prepared to catch and send the clap. Also when keeping a steady rhythm this helps us when preparing for our play. When performing we don't want to change pace to much because this could result in us losing atmosphere. We want to increase the drama at a steady pace to keep the audience entertained.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Milling, Fish Exercise and Waking Up For The First Time
Milling
A man named Jacque Lecoq invented a scale of different energy levels ranging from 1 to 7, 1 being little movement in every part of the body and 7 being fast movement in all parts of the body. When playing this game you have a collective responsibility to fill the space. You need to use your peripheral vision to help you do this. You can't walk in circles, which is something we should apply to any activity we do that involves moving. This means you should go through the centre of the room and to the far corners. Plus don't just walk forwards, walk backwards and sideways. Allow spacial relationships to happen. Be aware of one person in the room and take in where and how they move. Move with them, allowing them space, yet always being aware. We didn't use all 7 energy levels, we shortened it to 5:
1- very slow yet not slow motion
2- depressed movement however don't look depressed
3- normal pace
4- frantic movement
5- organised chaos
Fish Exercise
When playing this you stand in a group and within this group there is a leader. The leader will move and the rest of the group will follow. However, when standing as a group you will have rows of people and depending on the position of the leader and yourself, you won't always be able to see the leader and therefore won't be able to see the movements that you are meant to copy. This means you need to rely on the rest of the people in the group to show you what you need to do. You do this by using your peripheral vision. When you turn and change position you can also change the leader. This means either the leader is re- allocated or a person takes on the role of leader.
Waking Up For The First Time
For this game you need to imagine that you have never seen the light of day before, that you are seeing your surroundings for the first time. This means that you won't know where you are, who you're with or what to do with yourself. This means that you need to be shocked but very controlled at the same time; you wouldn't necessarily know how to move. You need to look, feel and experiment.
A man named Jacque Lecoq invented a scale of different energy levels ranging from 1 to 7, 1 being little movement in every part of the body and 7 being fast movement in all parts of the body. When playing this game you have a collective responsibility to fill the space. You need to use your peripheral vision to help you do this. You can't walk in circles, which is something we should apply to any activity we do that involves moving. This means you should go through the centre of the room and to the far corners. Plus don't just walk forwards, walk backwards and sideways. Allow spacial relationships to happen. Be aware of one person in the room and take in where and how they move. Move with them, allowing them space, yet always being aware. We didn't use all 7 energy levels, we shortened it to 5:
1- very slow yet not slow motion
2- depressed movement however don't look depressed
3- normal pace
4- frantic movement
5- organised chaos
Fish Exercise
When playing this you stand in a group and within this group there is a leader. The leader will move and the rest of the group will follow. However, when standing as a group you will have rows of people and depending on the position of the leader and yourself, you won't always be able to see the leader and therefore won't be able to see the movements that you are meant to copy. This means you need to rely on the rest of the people in the group to show you what you need to do. You do this by using your peripheral vision. When you turn and change position you can also change the leader. This means either the leader is re- allocated or a person takes on the role of leader.
Waking Up For The First Time
For this game you need to imagine that you have never seen the light of day before, that you are seeing your surroundings for the first time. This means that you won't know where you are, who you're with or what to do with yourself. This means that you need to be shocked but very controlled at the same time; you wouldn't necessarily know how to move. You need to look, feel and experiment.
Friday, 6 December 2013
Script Analysis (Clay and Lara)
http://blackoutscript.blogspot.co.uk/
Clay and Lara have made a blog that records what we do throughout class and how we have decided to perform the play. They have recorded what we have decided to do for the first 5 lines.
Clay and Lara have made a blog that records what we do throughout class and how we have decided to perform the play. They have recorded what we have decided to do for the first 5 lines.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
This Is Engand
We watched This Is England in class. I really enjoyed the film because it taught me about the Skinhead culture and opened my eyes to aspects I previously didn't understand. For example I thought all aspects of Skinhead culture were negative however I discovered that there are gangs of Skinheads that aren't bad, in fact they are quite friendly.
1. What is your view of how masculinity is defined in the film?
I feel that in the film the Skinhead culture is a masculine based one. The head of the gangs are men, however both leaders have a different attitude towards society; one very racist and one not. I think that masculinity could be represented through what they wear; jeans, boots and shirts. This is quite a masculine look. The women wear dresses and skirts, yet they still have aspects of the men's outfit like the boots and the jackets. The haircut is also an important aspect. The men have theirs shaved or close to. The women also have short hair giving that more masculine look.
I think masculinity is depicted as hard and streetwise through the characters. Shaun meets the gang on the streets and they make him feel protected and special, his family, which is a theme for many gangs. This is the streetwise aspect. They roam around and go into abandoned housing and smash everything up and perhaps people may describe their behavior as stupid and reckless. The aspect of hard and toughness is introduced when we meet Combo. He brings the extreme versions of Skinheads. He stands by his values and is prepared to kill for them and ultimately be killed.
2. Discuss the theme of loss-of-innocence/ coming-of-age in the film.
Shaun is 12 years old and when he meets the gang you can immediately see that the gang are considerably older than him. This shows that Shaun may be introduced to adult themes when he should be doing what a 'normal' 12 year old should be doing. However I think the gang take him on as a younger brother and so they understand the age gap yet still appreciate him as part of the gang. I think when he gets his hair shaved off and he changes his clothes you start to see that he is growing up. However again the viewer is comforted by the fact that his mother confronts the gang and they seem genuinely apologetic. The next stage is when you see Shaun outside with Smell. This is strange because of the age gap and not normal for a young boy. I think the loss-of-innocence happens when you joins Combo's gang. The real turning point is when he re-visits the old corner shop he was banned from as a boy. He verbally assaulted him and then when Combo walks in he threatens him with a knife as they raid the shop. This is obviously horrific behavior from anyone, but especially a 12 year old.
1. What is your view of how masculinity is defined in the film?
I feel that in the film the Skinhead culture is a masculine based one. The head of the gangs are men, however both leaders have a different attitude towards society; one very racist and one not. I think that masculinity could be represented through what they wear; jeans, boots and shirts. This is quite a masculine look. The women wear dresses and skirts, yet they still have aspects of the men's outfit like the boots and the jackets. The haircut is also an important aspect. The men have theirs shaved or close to. The women also have short hair giving that more masculine look.
I think masculinity is depicted as hard and streetwise through the characters. Shaun meets the gang on the streets and they make him feel protected and special, his family, which is a theme for many gangs. This is the streetwise aspect. They roam around and go into abandoned housing and smash everything up and perhaps people may describe their behavior as stupid and reckless. The aspect of hard and toughness is introduced when we meet Combo. He brings the extreme versions of Skinheads. He stands by his values and is prepared to kill for them and ultimately be killed.
2. Discuss the theme of loss-of-innocence/ coming-of-age in the film.
Shaun is 12 years old and when he meets the gang you can immediately see that the gang are considerably older than him. This shows that Shaun may be introduced to adult themes when he should be doing what a 'normal' 12 year old should be doing. However I think the gang take him on as a younger brother and so they understand the age gap yet still appreciate him as part of the gang. I think when he gets his hair shaved off and he changes his clothes you start to see that he is growing up. However again the viewer is comforted by the fact that his mother confronts the gang and they seem genuinely apologetic. The next stage is when you see Shaun outside with Smell. This is strange because of the age gap and not normal for a young boy. I think the loss-of-innocence happens when you joins Combo's gang. The real turning point is when he re-visits the old corner shop he was banned from as a boy. He verbally assaulted him and then when Combo walks in he threatens him with a knife as they raid the shop. This is obviously horrific behavior from anyone, but especially a 12 year old.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Places and Atmosphere
My Pages
p10:
Hospital- alone, emotional, exposed
"You had nobody to turn to, cos your grandda was in the hospital."
Bedroom- TV, books on serial killers- safe haven, strange, dark, fascinating
"So you'd just sit in your room and watch horror movies."
"It fascinated you."
Jail Cell- lonely,bare
Secure unit- bare
p20:
Park, pub, bar- group of people, dark, deserted- scary, unfamiliar, frantic, violent
"You were looking at them like you were picking a victim."
Home/ Living Room- violent, crazy, scary
"And you feel your hands around somebody's throat."
Other Pages
p5- Jail Cell- small room, bright lights, white walls, metal door- exposed, scared, tense, trapped
p6- Home- shabby, tense, grim, unhappy memories
p7- Grandad's house- safe, happy memories, safe haven
p8- House- lonely, exposed, used
p9- School- threatening, harsh reality
p11- Bedroom at night- mirror
Street- scary, emotional
p12- Bedroom- alone, wants comfort (gets this from educating himself about Nazis and Fascism.)
p13- School- intense, confrontational, confusing, shocking
p14- School- thrilling, enjoyable yet painful, energetic
Bedroom- Nazi posters, maddening, crazy
p15- Bedroom- violence is norm, crowded
p16- completed, confident, museum of his 'journeys/ achievements'
p17- superior, turns into awkward sadness, hardened exterior
Room- 'inner head', isolated, alone
p18- Jail- saddening, remorseful, bewildered, anxious, confused
Town square- abandoned and dark- drinking drugs and drinking
p19- Town- somewhere unknown, back alley, tense, scary, vulnerable, lost, intimidating
p21- Courtroom- tense build up, exposed, naked truth
p22- Courtroom- scared, worried, childlike innocence
Outside jail- awkward, emotional, let down
p23- alone, complete change
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