Pre show Use of Production Skills - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Pre showUse of Production SkillsActing styleStage proxemics/PositioningCharacter interactions/ characterisation choicesUse of levels

Voice and movement techniquesSpecial effectsActor/audience relationshipDrama media (projections, video footage, soundscapes,etc.)

AS

A DIRECTOR….

WHAT CAN I TALK ABOUT?Slide2

STAGE PROXEMICS/USE OF LEVELS/POSITIONINGUse of space/height to create distance that can represent a relationship/status/tension/class/conflict/attitudesVOICE & MOVEMENTArticulation Fluency Intonation Register Clarity Pause Pitch Accent Pace TimingTone Volume Emphasis Stance BalanceBody Language Gesture Facial Expression Mime Posture Pace Timing Slow MotionBlocking Masking Use of levels/ space RhythmINTERACTION BETWEEN CHARACTERSEYE CONTACTDIALOGUE

SUBTEXTMIRRORINGSUGGESTIONCHARACTERISATION CHOICESINTERPRETATIONMANNERISMSBEHAVIOURHABITSGESTURESACTING STYLENATURALISTICORSTYLISEDAnd to what effect?AS A DIRECTOR, YOU WOULD GIVE DIRECTION ON THE FOLLOWING;THE DIRECTION WOULD COME FROM EXPLORATION DURING REHEARSAL USING REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES. A REHEARSAL IS NOT JUST ‘Blocking, learning lines, running scenes’. SOME OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES MIGHT BE RELEVANT….Slide3

EXPLORING MOVEMENT; consider experimenting with voice techniques to arrive at decisionsMovement CircleCast stands in a circle. One person moves into the middle and begins to walk. A second person enters the circle behind thefirst, imitating their walk. The first steps out, seeing how their walk looks on another person. Then the second actorexaggerates one aspect of the walk, creating a character.TableauCreate a picture that visualizes the main theme of the

playMoving TableauCreate a picture that visualizes the main theme of the play, and then encourage the actors to move in character. How dothey move? Where? Have the group create a tableau for the beginning of the play and then transform into a tableau for theend of the play. How does the picture change? How do the characters change within the picture?Movement DialogueIn pairs, have actors try to carry on a conversation in gesture and movement only. Are they able to? Let the group watcheach conversation and try to figure out what is being said.Movement WalkStart each rehearsal by playing a piece of music and have the actors create movement directly inspired by the music.Same

but different

: Environment walk, have the actors move within a specific environment: change the weather, change

The

location, change the air, be absurd! 

Same but different

: Change the tempo the group moves in, change the level –

Have

them move in a high space, then a low space. Change the amount of space they try to take up as they move.

Tempo Rhythm

Pupils

should walk around the room, without bumping into each other. Begin to clap a slow rhythm and tell pupils to walk to the beat. Gradually make this faster. As you clap, narrate the following: “you are stressed, frantic important people with important work

”. Explain

you just took them through a short improvisation where the rhythm dictated movement. They are to continue walking to a fast beat and you will be throwing them into more

improvisations:

a) An office, b) London Underground at rush hour c) A

& E

d) a thunder

storm e)

a funeral

f)

after an exhausting

daySlide4

EXPLORING VOICE; consider experimenting with voice techniques to arrive at decisionsChange the ToneChoose one scene and have the actors come up with a variety of emotions (at least five) to play throughout thescene. Have the whole cast work on the same scene in the beginning of the rehearsal process to emphasise theneed for tonal variety. What choices do they make? Do they find it impossible to change the tone?‘Hello, how are you?’; Playing a variety of characters to experiment with voice in character and introduce tone, pitch,pace, volume and accent.Scale of 1 – 10Take a simple line and practice speaking it with different levels on the scale.Shakespearean Insults “Thou danking

dizzy-eyed maggot-pie!”“Thou yeasty sheep-biting harpy!”“Thou rank onion-eyed bum-bailey!”Make pairs so everyone has someone in particularly they can “insult”. In turn, ask the pairs/members of the team to step forward and hurl an insult at their partner. They should make an effort to project it as clearly as possible – spit out every syllable and put as much venom into the silly sentiments as they can muster. ALPHABET CONVERSATIONS; Have pupils improvise short scenes where scenarios might include; giving/receiving terrible news; dumping a girlfriend/boyfriend; the best gossip ever; a formal job interview; an encounter with an old enemy…etc. Present and consider use of voice. Now repeat the exercise using letters of the alphabet only. Encourage use of the voice techniques to convey the correct emotion and expression of the scenario despite the lack of dialogue. Slide5

EXPLORING CHARACTERISATION; develop characters to better inform interpretation and directorial choicesIMPROVISATION; The more the actors feel the character and story exist outside the world of the play, the better they'll be able to create that world for the audience. Improv the moment before the play beginsImprov

the first meeting between charactersImprov an important childhood moment that might affect they way they act in the playImprov scenes that happen during the play but aren't shown.HOT SEATING; A great way to find out how much the actors know about their character, what they think abouttheir character. It can really help a director to get an inside view.One at a time, each actor sits in a chair in front of the others. They are in character. The other actors must each ask a

question, something they would like to know about the character.

BLOCKING;

How well do the actors know their blocking?

Take the lines out of the scene and p

lay the scene only performing the actions, substituting gibberish for dialogue.

EXPLORING AND DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS

;

A communication

exercise.

In

pairs, one person describes an object (without saying what it

is) and the second

person has to draw it. What is the outcome? How do the pairs communicate?Slide6

EXPLORING LANGUAGE; Do your actors understand exactly what they are saying? Do they understand the story they are telling? Here are some techniques for experimenting with difficult language or rhythmVisualisationCreate tableaux of the most important sections of text. How well can the cast visualize the text?PhysicalisationEach actor comes up with a list of words in the text that describes their character. Taking each character in turn,Involve the

whole cast to create a physical stance based on that word. How does the actor playing the charactersee themselves? How do others?DictionTongue twisters! The easiest way to get to grips with rhyme and rhythm. Play with PausesHave your actors read a scene. Play the scene with no pauses. With five second pauses between lines. TenSecond pauses. Thirty second pauses. One minute pauses. Mix it up. How do the pauses change the scene andthe rhythm?Slide7

PRE SHOWUse of set, sound, lighting, props, actors. What do the audience see/hear/feel as they enter the space?Can also link with actor/audience relationship – can the actors interact with the audience before the show? For what effect? Think;Establishing SettingContextImplicationDramatic IronyClues/SuggestionSymbolismACTOR/AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIPAre the actors aware of the audience or not?Consider impact on audience (emotional, dramatic , thought provoking, moral dilemma, etc.)Consider Site Specific VS Traditional (so very apt for

Pru in particular!)Consider audience interaction/participation – can you get them involved? How? For what effect?USE OF PRODUCTION SKILLS/SPECIAL EFFECTS/DRAMA MEDIA- Sound- Lighting - Props- Set- Set Dressings- Costume- Make up- Media projection- Film Footage- SoundscapesRemember you must justify clearly your choices by explaining how they will impact on your interpretationSlide8

VOICEArticulationFluencyIntonation Register ClarityPausePitchAccentPaceTimingToneVolumeEmphasis

MOVEMENTStanceBalanceBody LanguageGestureFacial ExpressionMimePosturePaceTimingSlow MotionBlockingMasking

CHARACTERISATION

- the process of developing a character fully

Character

Role Play

-exploring attitudes and beliefs

Thought Tracking

- when prompted the character says their thoughts out loud

Voice in the Head

Writing in Role

Hot Seating

Thought Tunnel

-character walks past other characters.

Those other characters speak their thoughts outloud

usually about the character walking past.

CONVENTIONS

alternative ways of presenting all or parts of a presentation

Slow motion

Tableau (C) / Frozen Picture (F)

Freeze Frame –action frozen in time

SoliloquyFlashback/flash forwardNarrationVoice Over( recorded speech played during a drama)/Voice in Head (recall words said by others about a character or situation)MimeMonologuesoliloquyOTHER ACTING TECHNIQUESAside- to audience onlyStage whisperMasksstereotype

NAT 5 VOCAB

STILL APPLIES!Slide9

Lighting Follow SpotProfile SpotFresnelFlood Light(gauze)Barn DoorsGoboGel PyrotechnicsFocusing (the lights)Black outSlow fadeCross fadeSnap-to

SoundSound cueCross fadeRecorded voice overSet

Back cloth

Cyclorama

Gauze

Flies

Door Flats

Window Flats

Flats

Scenery

Trapdoor

Rostra

Treads

Truck

Wings

Backstage

Staging

Venue

Thrust

Theatre in the round

End on

Proscenium ArchAvenueAuditoriumRevolving StageGround planKeyRakeEnter/exitAudienceSight lines Stage DirectionsStalls, balcony, dress circleCostume

Period Costume

Write in super detail for full marks

Props

objects used by actors

Personal Prop

Set prop

Make Up

liners

Wax/nose putty

Crepe hair

Fake blood

Latex

Spirit gum

Makeup pallets

Stipple sponge

Scarring

Skull cap

Tooth varnishSlide10

AActing StyleActor/Audience RelationshipB BLOCKING

CCentral CharacterComplex CharacterImportant CharacterMinor CharacterMain CharacterPivotal CharacterCharacterisationCharacter BehaviourCharacter MotivationCharacter DevelopmentCharacter InteractionRelationships between Character

D

Design Concepts

Dialogue

Drama Media

(aka projections, video, sound scapes)

Drama Process

Dramatic Feature

Dramatic Tension

Points of Tension

Moments of Tension

Dramatic Irony

Duologue

E

Episodic Structure

F

Focus

G

Given Circumstances

Ground Plans

K

Key Scene

Key Moment

HIGHER WORDS TO USE TO SOUND COOLER THAN YOU REALLY ARESlide11

SSetSettingSite Specific TheatreSpecial EffectsTextual EvidenceTraditional TheatreSpecial EffectsStage ImageryStatusStimulusSubtextSymbols and Imagery

TTextual EvidenceTraditional TheatreTarget AudienceTensionTextual AnalysisTheatrical BackgroundThemes and IssuesTime periodPassage of TimeShifts in Time

U

Use of levels

V

Venue

P

Performance Analysis

Performance Concepts

Pre-Show

Plot

Plot Twists

Protagonist/Antagonist

Purpose

Stage Proxemics

Positioning

M

Message

Mood