G-Pilot

                                                                                                                  mood: Nathan Petrelli.

On Thursday I spent two hours in Mr Cooper’s year 10 class which turned out to be the most benefitial two hours of my production area study so far. It was a good chance for me to learn to set up lights (do’s and don’t’s) as well as play around with different effects. This provided vital information for my pholio. 
It was fantastic to get rid of scripts today!! People were so much more free and physical. Having the lighting and music was also great because it really adds to the setting. With the setting taken care of there is a lot less imagination required from the actor which made a huge difference. Having the lighting set up in the performance space gave both Bethany and I a chance to play around with different ideas which will save time when we get in the theatre because most of the scenes will already be pretty much planned.

Nia and Alex’s scene will be great!!! It is so simple and humble. It is such a warm and enviable situation, one so serene it feels like a dream. The lighting needs to be quite bright because it is such an honest moment. It is bare and human and the use of shadows would eliminate the feelings. I am thinking maybe yelloow/orange or some pinks?

I am very sorry but I don’t have much else to say…

I found this picture whilst surfing the net for theatre lighting. I thought that it would be an interesting set for ’100′ if we decided to go in the opposite direction.

pilot.

WEEK 6

Sophie:

Love, love, love, — hate, hate, hate. This is how I feel about the work that I have done so far this week. The scene leading up to Sophie’s memory was extremely difficult to do in class as it is extremely extraverted. It is the pinacle of Sophie’s time in the void. All of her opressed feeling and small outbursts all lead up to this one huge explosion. It’s hard becaus grasping such a deep emotion and holding onto it for such a long monologue is an extremely difficult thing, especially when it is something that I haven’t had a lot of practice at doing. It is also difficult because it is completely out of charcater and is far beyond anything Sophie would ever allow herself to do. I like the blocking of it and I think it is very appropriate because as Sophie talks and reveals her secrets she is stripping herself of everything she has covered herself with, becoming naked. This is why I think gradually moving into a small ball is appropriate because that is the only way she can cover herself. From doing this scene in class my first run through was good because it was pure emotioin, the second run, with the blocking, was lacking (which is expected) because adding in movement and new expression which isn’t yet natural is very distracting from the feelings of the character. I really like the outburst during the first paragraph of the monologue because she is trying to explain herself and really seeking the approval of others - which is out of the ordinary - as well as completely bursting before crumbling into a heap. I am sorry to Mr Cooper and the rest of the class for being so negative towards rehersing this scene but I am worried that a scene such as this should not be rehersed too much as it becomes routine which eliminates the feeling and turns it into a sequence of actions. However I am also sure that the atmosphere in the theatre combining the audience energy and lighting will set the mood very definately, making it easier.

Sophie’s last memory needs a lot of work. I think Lisa has done a great job of it so far but I think there needs to be definate changes in the physicality of the actors between the different settings. Part of this change in the settings will also be due to the props which we will have to wait to work with. It is in this scene that we see the transformation of Sohpie from a wide-eyed girl to the successful business woman we see in the void. This is also where we see the life drain from her, as she get more successful she becomes more proud but also dissappointed in her success, like it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Her persona in the void then makes sence to the audience as they now understad most of the story but they are also drawn in further as to why it is that there is all this reserved anger. if she lived had such a good life.

I think the script also needs to be looked at more closely to understand what is going on in the different parts of dialogue. Another thing that I picked up on for myself and the other actors is that during each persons memory we can create our own characters. e.g. on the train in Sophie’s memory there can be a range of different characters, whther it be a business man or a bum or someone snoozing. Also in Ketu’s memory, we are village people and should not be walking with perfect posture but wide legged and crouching. All of these little details should be looked at very clkosely during our next rehersal, especially since during other peoples memories each character has not much else to concentrate on.

Lighting:
In the production meeting I briefly brought up the idea of using colours for each character’s memories which I have spoken about in my previous blogs.
Sophie: blue/green - gloomy and dark
Ketu: yellow/orange - bright and earthy
Alex and Nia: purple/pink/white - regular everyday life / love
This was a very popular idea amongst the cast so I will now encorporate it into the lighting plan. I made my first few plans this weekend and it is very obvious that a lot of the lighting will take place in the theatre where the dinamics of the stage and the actors on the stage are available. I have begun my research about the different lights we will be using and the effects of each (which I will post soon) because I need to work out which lights need to be hung from each lighting bar. If anyone has photos of the theatre could they please bring them into class soon so that I can seen where the lighting bars are located.

Pilot.

WEEK 5

Sophie:

It is fantastic to have finally finished blocking Sophie’s memory because I have been reluctant to learn lines before all  the blocking was complete. When you read lines without knowing the story behind them you create your own interperation an memorise them with that meaning. After blocking and understanding the point in time, history and other characters influence I have more of an understanding of the meaning behind the dialogue. A perfect example of this is in Sophie’s last memory. When we first read through the script Sophie’s third memory the company was completely bambozzelled. It is now after finding out about her history that we know what it means. We see at the very beginning of the script that Sophie has died from a neurological condition; “i have a cut… here.” we then find that Sohpie has had a brief experience in the afterlife; “i’ve been her before.” Her second memory, of her boring recurring lifestyle and success driven attitude show us the kind of life she leads. So this is where you out two and two together. This third memory is so unexpected and random that we know it cannot possible be true, but she is re-living it so therefore it must have happened. Perhaps in a dream where the barriers with which she has imprisoned herself no-longer exist. Then we are reminded of how she died and perhaps this state of unconsiousness where the memory took place is in fact a coma. And now it all makes sense.

I am enjoying acting this end of Sophie’s stage time more than the first. She is less reserved and becomes more comfortable and open which allows me to be more expessive and play someone who is less reserved. I also think that I am becoming more confident with being on the stage as well as my ability to play Sophie which is adding to my enjoyment. The memories are both fun and easy because they allow me to flip between re-inacting and retrospect which creates an interesting effect. I say they are easy because they don’t require as much depth as playing Sophie in the void. Their meaning a lot of the time is not as complex and is easy to descipher.  

Lighting:

Over the last two weeks I have been collecting magazine clippings of ideas for lighting as well as my character. I find this a great way to get started because magazines are filled with so many advertisements. These adds, designed to grab the reader’s attention do so by using lots of different colours, settings and angles of light. They can also be quite abstract which is part of what we are aiming for with ‘100′. Now that I have ideas of colour and light I will go about making my sketches and plans for each scene. To start with I will begin blocking the stage from a bird’s eye view. From this the lights needed on each lighting bar can be determined. Once the basic plan is together I can attempt to do sketches of what exactly the scene will look like from the front.

This is just one of the pictures of Ketu from a  school production. Interesting. www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/new/curriculum/drama/main6.htm

Pilot.

WEEK 4 

Just a note that this weeks blog will not be rich in content as others due to the lack of lessons and development in my production areas this week.

Sophie:

I am really looking forward t getting rid of my script so that my movement won’t be so restricted and reserved. This week i really made an effort to move around on the stage even if it wasn’t required. Alhtough it made me feel insecure and a little out of my zone it was important to break down those barriers between being Gemma thinking about the movements of Sophie and Sophe actually moving.

“What? (angry.) Who ar you to judge me? Who do you think you are?!”

This was one of the lines of dialogue which really stuck out to me in our rehersal. Because Sophie is so reserved and un-confrontational this was a very evident change in her character, though it only lasted a second it felt good to yell and let go of everything she is holding in, like a breath of fresh air from the disguise she wears. As an actor it was good because doing something like that because the aggresive movement and tone helps you release any insecurities you have about your performance.

Ketu’s memory is looking like it is going to be great. Changing characters and playing a range of differse things is going to be fun and easy which means it should be very effective. I say it’s easy because when you are playing an abnormal or unusual character for only a short time it can be very superficial and rich in physicality. This also means there isn’t a lot of pressure from the audience to  convey the inner monologue of the character.

Other:

After reading the Theatre Studies blog, I agree with Mr Cooper that this weeks diruptions have altered our ‘flow’. In the past people have been more than eager to put forward their ideas and developments in the stagecraft areas. This weeks meeting was very low on energy and there wasn’t a lot of contributions by the group, thus making it a very (I loathe saying it) boring lesson. I understand completely the necessity to having these lessons, I am merely saying the effects of the weeks events had a very negative and unusual effect on the class.

So far I like the idea of grey colouring of the stage. This choise of set is very considerate of the lighting and costume department as it will complement any colour. This was great to see as it is an example of the types of sacrifices that need to be made in order for everyone in the group to have their own personal contribution to the production.

Pilot.