Each week, Miss Cordell is setting us targets to meet as actors, that have an individual focus for each member of the cast.
Target from week beginning 3/11/14:
Revise each monologue, making a clear differentiation in the way each one is addressed.
I looked at each monologue that I have as Halmburg, and made notes on each, to revise each time I rehearse the lines. The first monologue is in a news interview, and so I speak formally with no clear target audience, but a general overview of what has happened, and the details I require for my job role. Therefore I will speak clearly and authoritatively, to ensure that the audience (who I address in each monologue) understand that this is a formal interview for the news.
The second monologue addresses the audience as school children. Upon researching the ages of secondary school children in Sweden (which in turn is similar to the system in England), I noted that I am aiming the speech at children aged 11-16, as it is a whole school assembly. Therefore I will speak authoritatively, but will have a relatable tone, as I refer to my own children (which needs to be made clear to the audience as this will assist in their feeling of both sorrow and anger anchored towards my character in his death). This tone needs to be both friendly yet with some formality, as I need to uphold the power of authority as a character.
The last monologue sees Halmburg discussing the murder cases with co-workers. I address the audience much more informally here, and relay the information that I no longer head the case as they have brought in someone else to finish the job. I need to display both hatred for the higher powers that have stripped me of my role and input into this case but also still need to hold the strong outer shell that the character has throughout the production so far. Ultimately, I need to show a character who seems to have been beatn by this baffling and harrowing case, and has a clear lack of sleep from the stress of it all, but with a strong outer shell to still have some form of authority amongst my co-workers.
Sunday 9 November 2014
Tuesday 21 October 2014
Oskar's point of view: Looking at my character (Dad)
Bearing in mind that Oskar is a 12 year old schoolboy who
has not had much luck in the way of making friends, and that he seems to have
an alternative viewpoint on the rest of the world, Oskar’s relationship with
his Dad is not a positive one. Oskar seems to remind me of Christopher from The
Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time, as he has some sort of social
anxiety and problem reaching out to others. When researching this, I looked into Asberger's Syndrome symptoms, and referenced a few of them with Oskar's character. Using this link, http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome, I found the following symptoms to relate quite well with Oskar's personality:
"Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context and are very literal in their use of language.Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily. They have difficulty initiating and maintaining conversation."
Even when encountering Eli, he has an odd approach in making the friendship, as well as Eli making it even harder with her exclamation in Act 1 Scene 6: “I can’t be friends with you.”
So when interpreting Oskar, and looking at his relationship
with his father, I have written from his point of view, an angry diary extract detailing
his attitude towards his Dad.
‘Dear diary,
I know I haven’t
written in a while, I have been busy with my new friend Eli, although I’m not
sure that she is my girlfriend anymore. But I want to write today about my Dad.
He is being a bitch! He sat there playing draughts with me, like a normal
father would, but then as soon as his friend shows up, he forgets I even exist.
He pretends that his life is so hard, but he just drinks his ‘special drink’
with Janne all the time, without giving me any real advice on what to do about
Eli. He doesn’t understand me. No one understands me. Mr Avila doesn’t really
know what the other boys are like, and no one knows what my home life is like.
My Dad just drinks, without caring for our game of draughts. I don’t care if
Janne was “a guest”, whenever I see my Dad he is always “a guest”. I don’t want
to play draughts with Janne, and I don’t even want to speak to him. Well, I’m
fed up, and Dad clearly won’t worry about me anymore. I’ll never speak to him
again.’
I envisage this diary entry to be written just after Act 2
Scene 6, where Janne enters the tranquil scene of draughts between Oskar and
his Dad. This creates a tension between Dad and Oskar, and illustrates an
underlying strain between Oskar and Janne as well. This diary entry allows
Oskar to have a voice where he normally wouldn’t. I feel that someone like
Oskar is likely to use a diary to do this, as he struggles with normal social
skills, and would therefore voice himself through a diary, making his comments
about others more private than most other characters in the production.
Sunday 19 October 2014
Weekly Summary and Analysis
Week Beginning 13/10/2014
This week we spent a lot of time on the physical movement pieces within the production.
I made sure that I focused on characterisation through these pieces, as in some
of them we play characters that we are throughout the script, and in other
pieces we become neutral or briefly a whole new character. In the snowball
fight for example I play a school pupil, yet I don't ever return to this
character, and so I wanted to construct this part to be unique to the other
pupils that feature in the production. I have made him childlike at first
glance, with the initial snowball fight, but as the physical theatre piece
progresses he becomes more violent, with a crescendo of violence in his actions
until Oskar is lying on the floor surrounded by the other pupils, to which I
attack him with kicks and punches.
As well as this, when running through the script at the end of the week, I tried to get a rougher Scottish accent for the character Halmburg, to further differentiate him from Jocke and Dad, my other roles. I have decided that Jocke should be the oldest character of the three, and he will have a deeper accent. Halmburg has a few monologues in act one, to which he addresses the audience, and I want him to come across as officious and empowering at first, but as the last monologue comes, I want him to seem beaten by this case, as if he is struggling but trying not to show it, before making it a personal vendetta to find the killer.
One activity that has helped me develop my understanding this week is the lifts in the physical movement pieces. I felt that the choreography we created for each piece works well, and with these i have learnt how to lift another actor safely and subtly without much effort. In the 'Closer' movement piece, Danny and myself lift Liam by his chest and upper back into the air. He charges at us in an upright position, and without too much strain we lift him high into the air and launch him backwards. This is through the momentum that Liam creates from running, and Danny and I have learnt how to utilise it to have the best effect in the lift. Similarly in the snowball fight piece, we use Liam's momentum to execute the lift easily and successfully.
As well as this, when running through the script at the end of the week, I tried to get a rougher Scottish accent for the character Halmburg, to further differentiate him from Jocke and Dad, my other roles. I have decided that Jocke should be the oldest character of the three, and he will have a deeper accent. Halmburg has a few monologues in act one, to which he addresses the audience, and I want him to come across as officious and empowering at first, but as the last monologue comes, I want him to seem beaten by this case, as if he is struggling but trying not to show it, before making it a personal vendetta to find the killer.
One activity that has helped me develop my understanding this week is the lifts in the physical movement pieces. I felt that the choreography we created for each piece works well, and with these i have learnt how to lift another actor safely and subtly without much effort. In the 'Closer' movement piece, Danny and myself lift Liam by his chest and upper back into the air. He charges at us in an upright position, and without too much strain we lift him high into the air and launch him backwards. This is through the momentum that Liam creates from running, and Danny and I have learnt how to utilise it to have the best effect in the lift. Similarly in the snowball fight piece, we use Liam's momentum to execute the lift easily and successfully.
This week I continued researching accents. I re-watched the
accent video that I posted on my blog. I have worked on tapping my R's as the
video informs, and have seen a slight improvement in my accent. I will revisit
the video and others as the weeks progress.
Strengths of this week: We rehearsed every physical theatre
piece in the production, as well as choreographed a new piece for act 1 scene
11, just after my character, Jocke, is murdered by Eli. This meant that we
weren't just rehearsing our lines but were creating and improving movement
pieces which I feel are now at a very high standard.
Weaknesses of this week: We took a while to deal with a certain bit of the choreography which was out of time every run through in the Closer movement piece. This meant that that became the focus of the beginning of the next lesson. However once it was addressed the piece looked more slick and less random, which was the initial worry. I feel that we were professional in our approach to dealing with this issue of timing, and the fix that we found works. To address the timing we all return to our sporadic actions and wait for Amanda to do her movement three times, then we all return to the uniformed movement piece.
Weaknesses of this week: We took a while to deal with a certain bit of the choreography which was out of time every run through in the Closer movement piece. This meant that that became the focus of the beginning of the next lesson. However once it was addressed the piece looked more slick and less random, which was the initial worry. I feel that we were professional in our approach to dealing with this issue of timing, and the fix that we found works. To address the timing we all return to our sporadic actions and wait for Amanda to do her movement three times, then we all return to the uniformed movement piece.
In future rehearsals, I would like to measure the space
accurately so that we know exactly what we are working with. I also feel that
we should do a run through of act one without scripts soon so that we can have
an even deeper focus on staging the scenes and address any issues with staging
afterwards. I will aim to learn my Dad and Jocke scenes by the end of next
week. This will allow me to work on actions that I would make as those
characters, without one hand being occupied with a script.
Week Beginning 20/10/12
We had a big discussion this week on what songs should be used for the gym sequence to make it more of a movement piece. Alongside this came the idea of an interval, in which my input was made. I decided that we should have an interval in which we don't stop acting. Similar to the beginning of the production, where each actor takes on a character that either relates or does not relate to the others that they play in the production, and move around the performance space, we do this again but in character this time. I, for example, am going to play Halmburg, showing his stress and anxiety relating to the case he is dealing with. Before the end of the interval, I suggested that the set for scene 2 of act 2 is placed, and Connor and I take our positions and mime in role. This then makes the scene flow better as it joins in as if we have been having a conversation the entire time. Throughout the interval, I found three songs that we could use to act as house music, however they relate to the narrative and the other tracks that we have used, and keeps the atmosphere alive. I also suggested that the audience could explore the 'town', and step into the performance space for the interval, to see the scenery up close. In furthering the production, I feel that we should rehearse this interval, to make sure we have a rough idea of what we are doing, and if the audience to enter the space, perhaps we could interact with them silently, and acknowledge their presence in character, as if they are towns people. This again helps with my characterisation, as in Act 1 I address the audience multiple times as if I'm talking to a hall of school children, or on the news, and as my work colleagues later on.
On Friday, we had a lighting workshop. Prior to this, I did not have much experience in lighting for theatre, I had a little bit of experience in sound but lighting was new to me. The workshop allowed me to appreciate the work of the crew in a production, as well as better my understanding of the use of colour and lighting designs to create a desired effect. For example, we are using LED Par Cans that are daisy-chained together, to give us the opportunity to change the mood of the scene taking place in an instant. We would likely be using a harsh red LED light setting for the murders at the end, with Eli saving Oskar from drowning.
With regards to research, I watched another film based in Scotland to better my accent. I watched a film called Filth, in which James McAvoy plays a detective gunning for a promotion to win back his wife and daughter. His aims are somewhat similar to Halmburg, in that he wants to complete the case and earn something from it, and the more the case takes hold of him, the more ruthless and relentless as a police officer, and a person, he becomes. The accent used by Bruce (James McAvoy) is something I will listen to to keep my accent up to scratch, and to ensure that it is both clear and not too distant from the Scottish dialect itself.
This week gave us even more movement pieces to work with, with the gym sequence being revised to a certain rhythm (Remember the Name - Fort Minor INSTRUMENTAL). This allowed us to improve our timings when doing movement pieces, which I feel as a cast have improved greatly. Also, this week allowed me to work on the scene with Connor (Act 2 Scene 2). I felt that at first this scene was weak, as I hadn't characterised myself to my own satisfaction. However, upon re-visiting the scene and implementing the ideas I had from the interval, and the direction from Miss Cordell in how the set should look for this scene, I was able to attain the level of characterisation I desired, and felt that I reached his emotions as a character as well. The emotional relatability of this character is apparent, as he is a man struggling to achieve personal goals in his work, and it affects his home life as well. He becomes emotionally involved in the case, and the situation he finds himself in emotionally can be relatable to the audience, keeping them engaged, as they can experience similar problems in their day-to-day work.
Week Beginning 3/11/14
There were 2 suggestions that I made this week that I felt would assist in the characterisation of Eli. With Eli, Amanda pinpoints the voice and its intenations accurately, making her seem slightly supernatural without it being a giveaway until the audience are shown her bestial side. However, in her violent acts, such as killing my character (Halmburg) and the death scene of the three bullies in the closing scenes of act 2, Miss Cordell and myself made suggestions in making Eli more animalistic. Amanda's approach to killing me seemed too fast, and not gruesome enough in my opinion, as she bit me and I died straight away. I suggested that we alter the death sequence, so that it makes Eli seem even more animalistic, and would in turn help Amanda in her target for this week in making her movement more fluid and less rigid. The new way that she kills Halmburg off will need Amanda to throw herself in making her character has freakish and unstable as possible, with the bloodlust being the main objective. The death becomes more gory and violent with the movement given to Amanda, and therefore inspires me to approach the death with confidence in screaming and squirming for escape. The whole death scene becomes more realistic, as much as it can be with the supernatural aspect reigning supreme, and more shocking for the audience. As much as Halmburg intrudes in the relationship between Eli and Oskar, he is in reality a 'good guy', who is just simply looking to do his job and solve the murder case.
The other suggestion that I made was that in the movement sequence where Jimmy, Johnny and Micke are murdered by Eli, Johnny's death could be more violent, and slowed down to show the redemption and revenge for Oskar's suffering, led by Johnny throughout the narrative. I suggested that he be brought to the front of the stage so that his death was in front of the audience, and they can witness up close, the suffering he has to undergo as a result for the torment he gave Oskar. This will amplify the effect that it has on the audience, in that they are aligned with Oskar and forced to hate the bullies, but at this point they are almost made to feel sorry for Johnny, his violent end to life is in their faces, and they cant escape it, and he cant either. The entrapment feeling only worsens the feeling for the audience, and I believe that the feeling of being uncomfortable should occur here to ensure both the engagement from the audience but also their fear for Oskar in the next scene, as the enigma of what lies in Oskar's future leaves the audience in a state of fear for his life. This scene amplifies Eli's violence, and will allow this fear factor to have more depth.
This week we also attempted to run the production without scripts where possible, and this helped me in giving me more motivation to get my lines learnt, as I found that in the monologues that I had learnt, I gave it more emotion, and felt more as one with the character of Halmburg. It also made the death scene with Jocke easier as I could move more freely around the stage, and carry Amanda more effectively.
By the end of next week I aim to do some research into the films, to work on characterisation and to see how the story is told in film style, as when we first started rehearsals for 'Let The Right One In', I made the point that the scenes seem to jump in a filmic style. For example, the opening seems to jump from Hakan's attack on Torkel, to another narrative strand, then back to the death of Torkel in a manner similar to films where they run scenes side by side and switch between them. The overall manner of the production suits both film and theatre well, and I will therefore apply some research time into watching the films, to better my understanding of the narrative and the characters in the show itself.
In developing the production further, I feel that we should all have our lines learnt by the end of next week, as we can then consider costumes and props, as many of us have multiple roles, and will need to carefully plan which side of the stage we exit, with consideration of the costume changes for each role.We will also need to consider what costumes we use with the use of blood packs in mind, as we need to be able to use the costume again for the 2nd performance.
Strengths of this week: knowledge of act 1 lines was adequate, but with improvement will make the production and the rehearsals more professional and smooth. Also the general focus on each scene was strong this week, in ensuring that each movement and line was mimicked in the way that we staged them in the initial blocking stages of the production.
Weaknesses of this week: knowledge of act 2 lines was poor in comparison to act 1, and therefore is a definite aim for everyone for the next week, as once we have those lines learnt, we can focus on other things.
Week beginning 10/11/14
This week was constructive in the technical side of things, and characterisation. The blood workshop allowed us to get a clear understanding of how to create the blood-like colour, and how to safely attach it to a character's neck and slice the pack open to create a realistic blood-pour, to instil shock and horror into the audience. Normally when performing, blood is not used due to the mess it can create, but I personally feel that in this production it is vital to illustrate the murderous acts effectively, and to add to the realism to a narrative that has a supernatural, unrealistic taint to it throughout. Tying this with characterisation, we can effectively portray a death scene with the addition of blood, as it creates the atmosphere that enables the death to be shocking yet realistic.
We also helped Amanda (Eli) in jumping with an animalistic motion, as the character needs to be able to create a freak of nature in her movement without stating the bestial aspect of her narrative strand straight away, the audience should just get hints of what Eli really is before it is revealed. The jumps have to look bestial and supernatural, but need a silent landing to add to the aspect of being abnormal and off-key with reality.
This week I researched the song to which Liam (Oskar) wants a movement piece that represents his nightmare, just after the scene where his mum joins him in his room. This nightmare aligns with the Fallout Boy song "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark", which has a repetitive drum beat and build ups that work well with physical movement pieces. I researched this song, and choreographed more of the routine, after the movement that we had created so far in the lesson on Friday. I constructed movements up to the end of the first chorus, or where it should be (as we are using an instrumental). The song itself fits with the other songs as it has no words and is subtle in the right places, but the drum beat distorts it from the other songs we use for the surreal scenes, and therefore helps to illustrate the nightmare state that Oskar finds himself in at this point in the narrative. These were my notes for the choreography:
Sleep choreography for first 20 seconds
6 seconds in the choreography actually starts Turn to the left for first count of 8
Lay flat facing up for next count of 8
Turn to the right for next count of 8
Lay flat facing up for next count of 8
On three drum beats, slam right fist to floor, then left, then raise upper body slowly to seated position.
Head rises slowly until next beat of three, where we quickly grab our heads and throw them to the left, then the right, then back to the left on the drum beats again.
Hands to the right on floor, slowly turn 180 degrees on floor, then place feet on floor, rise to standing position, ready for the next drum beats to come in
Stomp right foot, then left foot, then throw upper body into a more upright position, with better posture on the three drumbeats.
Next drumbeats throw right arm down, then left arm, then raise both arms up to 90 degrees position facing down.
Slowly turn facing the middle, with Liam (Oskar) entering the middle, we slowly approach him as he tries to push us away.
On the build up to the drop in the music, all outside cast members raise their fists, left in front of the right fist, and slowly walk backwards a few paces
Sprint to Liam and lift him up, Harry and Danny on thighs and Steve and Ali on shins, launch him into the air on where the lyrics "light 'em up" would be.
On second drum of chorus, bring arms back down to fists like before
Third drum - arms by your side
Fourth drum, vampire bite like in 'Closer' movement
Fifth drum, throw to the left
Sixth drum, one step closer to Liam, who is cowering on the floor throughout previous moves
Seventh drum, another step closer, liam kneeling facing the front
Eighth drum, Liam throws right arm out
Ninth drum, Liam throws left arm out
Tenth drum steve grabs Liams right arm,
Eleventh drum, Ali grabs liams left arm
Twelth drum, Danny places right hand on right side of liams head
Thirteenth drum, Danny places left hand on
Other side of liams head
Fourteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to the right,
Fifteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to the left
Sixteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to face the front
Seventeenth drum, Liam makes a silent scream, facial expression to illustrate his torment in the dream
This research allowed me to appreciate the effort that choreographer's go into to achieve their ideas visually, and the time it takes to create movements to music. My choreography is much simpler than that of professional choreographer's as well.
Strengths of this week: The blood workshop was ideal, as we understood where in the narrative these would be used most effectively, and I personally learnt how to create the blood packs, which can be useful for future use in the industry.
Weaknesses of this week: I could not find any weaknesses for this week.
For the next few lessons, we should finish the choreography to 'Oskar's Nightmare', testing the choreography I created at home, and finishing the piece with Oskar back in bed, informing the audience that it was just a dream. We should also perhaps start working with some of the set in place to ensure that we know how our scenes will work with the trees for example. This will prevent any hesitance in the final performances.
Week Beginning 20/10/12
We had a big discussion this week on what songs should be used for the gym sequence to make it more of a movement piece. Alongside this came the idea of an interval, in which my input was made. I decided that we should have an interval in which we don't stop acting. Similar to the beginning of the production, where each actor takes on a character that either relates or does not relate to the others that they play in the production, and move around the performance space, we do this again but in character this time. I, for example, am going to play Halmburg, showing his stress and anxiety relating to the case he is dealing with. Before the end of the interval, I suggested that the set for scene 2 of act 2 is placed, and Connor and I take our positions and mime in role. This then makes the scene flow better as it joins in as if we have been having a conversation the entire time. Throughout the interval, I found three songs that we could use to act as house music, however they relate to the narrative and the other tracks that we have used, and keeps the atmosphere alive. I also suggested that the audience could explore the 'town', and step into the performance space for the interval, to see the scenery up close. In furthering the production, I feel that we should rehearse this interval, to make sure we have a rough idea of what we are doing, and if the audience to enter the space, perhaps we could interact with them silently, and acknowledge their presence in character, as if they are towns people. This again helps with my characterisation, as in Act 1 I address the audience multiple times as if I'm talking to a hall of school children, or on the news, and as my work colleagues later on.
On Friday, we had a lighting workshop. Prior to this, I did not have much experience in lighting for theatre, I had a little bit of experience in sound but lighting was new to me. The workshop allowed me to appreciate the work of the crew in a production, as well as better my understanding of the use of colour and lighting designs to create a desired effect. For example, we are using LED Par Cans that are daisy-chained together, to give us the opportunity to change the mood of the scene taking place in an instant. We would likely be using a harsh red LED light setting for the murders at the end, with Eli saving Oskar from drowning.
With regards to research, I watched another film based in Scotland to better my accent. I watched a film called Filth, in which James McAvoy plays a detective gunning for a promotion to win back his wife and daughter. His aims are somewhat similar to Halmburg, in that he wants to complete the case and earn something from it, and the more the case takes hold of him, the more ruthless and relentless as a police officer, and a person, he becomes. The accent used by Bruce (James McAvoy) is something I will listen to to keep my accent up to scratch, and to ensure that it is both clear and not too distant from the Scottish dialect itself.
This week gave us even more movement pieces to work with, with the gym sequence being revised to a certain rhythm (Remember the Name - Fort Minor INSTRUMENTAL). This allowed us to improve our timings when doing movement pieces, which I feel as a cast have improved greatly. Also, this week allowed me to work on the scene with Connor (Act 2 Scene 2). I felt that at first this scene was weak, as I hadn't characterised myself to my own satisfaction. However, upon re-visiting the scene and implementing the ideas I had from the interval, and the direction from Miss Cordell in how the set should look for this scene, I was able to attain the level of characterisation I desired, and felt that I reached his emotions as a character as well. The emotional relatability of this character is apparent, as he is a man struggling to achieve personal goals in his work, and it affects his home life as well. He becomes emotionally involved in the case, and the situation he finds himself in emotionally can be relatable to the audience, keeping them engaged, as they can experience similar problems in their day-to-day work.
Week Beginning 3/11/14
There were 2 suggestions that I made this week that I felt would assist in the characterisation of Eli. With Eli, Amanda pinpoints the voice and its intenations accurately, making her seem slightly supernatural without it being a giveaway until the audience are shown her bestial side. However, in her violent acts, such as killing my character (Halmburg) and the death scene of the three bullies in the closing scenes of act 2, Miss Cordell and myself made suggestions in making Eli more animalistic. Amanda's approach to killing me seemed too fast, and not gruesome enough in my opinion, as she bit me and I died straight away. I suggested that we alter the death sequence, so that it makes Eli seem even more animalistic, and would in turn help Amanda in her target for this week in making her movement more fluid and less rigid. The new way that she kills Halmburg off will need Amanda to throw herself in making her character has freakish and unstable as possible, with the bloodlust being the main objective. The death becomes more gory and violent with the movement given to Amanda, and therefore inspires me to approach the death with confidence in screaming and squirming for escape. The whole death scene becomes more realistic, as much as it can be with the supernatural aspect reigning supreme, and more shocking for the audience. As much as Halmburg intrudes in the relationship between Eli and Oskar, he is in reality a 'good guy', who is just simply looking to do his job and solve the murder case.
The other suggestion that I made was that in the movement sequence where Jimmy, Johnny and Micke are murdered by Eli, Johnny's death could be more violent, and slowed down to show the redemption and revenge for Oskar's suffering, led by Johnny throughout the narrative. I suggested that he be brought to the front of the stage so that his death was in front of the audience, and they can witness up close, the suffering he has to undergo as a result for the torment he gave Oskar. This will amplify the effect that it has on the audience, in that they are aligned with Oskar and forced to hate the bullies, but at this point they are almost made to feel sorry for Johnny, his violent end to life is in their faces, and they cant escape it, and he cant either. The entrapment feeling only worsens the feeling for the audience, and I believe that the feeling of being uncomfortable should occur here to ensure both the engagement from the audience but also their fear for Oskar in the next scene, as the enigma of what lies in Oskar's future leaves the audience in a state of fear for his life. This scene amplifies Eli's violence, and will allow this fear factor to have more depth.
This week we also attempted to run the production without scripts where possible, and this helped me in giving me more motivation to get my lines learnt, as I found that in the monologues that I had learnt, I gave it more emotion, and felt more as one with the character of Halmburg. It also made the death scene with Jocke easier as I could move more freely around the stage, and carry Amanda more effectively.
By the end of next week I aim to do some research into the films, to work on characterisation and to see how the story is told in film style, as when we first started rehearsals for 'Let The Right One In', I made the point that the scenes seem to jump in a filmic style. For example, the opening seems to jump from Hakan's attack on Torkel, to another narrative strand, then back to the death of Torkel in a manner similar to films where they run scenes side by side and switch between them. The overall manner of the production suits both film and theatre well, and I will therefore apply some research time into watching the films, to better my understanding of the narrative and the characters in the show itself.
In developing the production further, I feel that we should all have our lines learnt by the end of next week, as we can then consider costumes and props, as many of us have multiple roles, and will need to carefully plan which side of the stage we exit, with consideration of the costume changes for each role.We will also need to consider what costumes we use with the use of blood packs in mind, as we need to be able to use the costume again for the 2nd performance.
Strengths of this week: knowledge of act 1 lines was adequate, but with improvement will make the production and the rehearsals more professional and smooth. Also the general focus on each scene was strong this week, in ensuring that each movement and line was mimicked in the way that we staged them in the initial blocking stages of the production.
Weaknesses of this week: knowledge of act 2 lines was poor in comparison to act 1, and therefore is a definite aim for everyone for the next week, as once we have those lines learnt, we can focus on other things.
Week beginning 10/11/14
This week was constructive in the technical side of things, and characterisation. The blood workshop allowed us to get a clear understanding of how to create the blood-like colour, and how to safely attach it to a character's neck and slice the pack open to create a realistic blood-pour, to instil shock and horror into the audience. Normally when performing, blood is not used due to the mess it can create, but I personally feel that in this production it is vital to illustrate the murderous acts effectively, and to add to the realism to a narrative that has a supernatural, unrealistic taint to it throughout. Tying this with characterisation, we can effectively portray a death scene with the addition of blood, as it creates the atmosphere that enables the death to be shocking yet realistic.
We also helped Amanda (Eli) in jumping with an animalistic motion, as the character needs to be able to create a freak of nature in her movement without stating the bestial aspect of her narrative strand straight away, the audience should just get hints of what Eli really is before it is revealed. The jumps have to look bestial and supernatural, but need a silent landing to add to the aspect of being abnormal and off-key with reality.
This week I researched the song to which Liam (Oskar) wants a movement piece that represents his nightmare, just after the scene where his mum joins him in his room. This nightmare aligns with the Fallout Boy song "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark", which has a repetitive drum beat and build ups that work well with physical movement pieces. I researched this song, and choreographed more of the routine, after the movement that we had created so far in the lesson on Friday. I constructed movements up to the end of the first chorus, or where it should be (as we are using an instrumental). The song itself fits with the other songs as it has no words and is subtle in the right places, but the drum beat distorts it from the other songs we use for the surreal scenes, and therefore helps to illustrate the nightmare state that Oskar finds himself in at this point in the narrative. These were my notes for the choreography:
Sleep choreography for first 20 seconds
6 seconds in the choreography actually starts Turn to the left for first count of 8
Lay flat facing up for next count of 8
Turn to the right for next count of 8
Lay flat facing up for next count of 8
On three drum beats, slam right fist to floor, then left, then raise upper body slowly to seated position.
Head rises slowly until next beat of three, where we quickly grab our heads and throw them to the left, then the right, then back to the left on the drum beats again.
Hands to the right on floor, slowly turn 180 degrees on floor, then place feet on floor, rise to standing position, ready for the next drum beats to come in
Stomp right foot, then left foot, then throw upper body into a more upright position, with better posture on the three drumbeats.
Next drumbeats throw right arm down, then left arm, then raise both arms up to 90 degrees position facing down.
Slowly turn facing the middle, with Liam (Oskar) entering the middle, we slowly approach him as he tries to push us away.
On the build up to the drop in the music, all outside cast members raise their fists, left in front of the right fist, and slowly walk backwards a few paces
Sprint to Liam and lift him up, Harry and Danny on thighs and Steve and Ali on shins, launch him into the air on where the lyrics "light 'em up" would be.
On second drum of chorus, bring arms back down to fists like before
Third drum - arms by your side
Fourth drum, vampire bite like in 'Closer' movement
Fifth drum, throw to the left
Sixth drum, one step closer to Liam, who is cowering on the floor throughout previous moves
Seventh drum, another step closer, liam kneeling facing the front
Eighth drum, Liam throws right arm out
Ninth drum, Liam throws left arm out
Tenth drum steve grabs Liams right arm,
Eleventh drum, Ali grabs liams left arm
Twelth drum, Danny places right hand on right side of liams head
Thirteenth drum, Danny places left hand on
Other side of liams head
Fourteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to the right,
Fifteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to the left
Sixteenth drum, Danny throws liams head to face the front
Seventeenth drum, Liam makes a silent scream, facial expression to illustrate his torment in the dream
This research allowed me to appreciate the effort that choreographer's go into to achieve their ideas visually, and the time it takes to create movements to music. My choreography is much simpler than that of professional choreographer's as well.
Strengths of this week: The blood workshop was ideal, as we understood where in the narrative these would be used most effectively, and I personally learnt how to create the blood packs, which can be useful for future use in the industry.
Weaknesses of this week: I could not find any weaknesses for this week.
For the next few lessons, we should finish the choreography to 'Oskar's Nightmare', testing the choreography I created at home, and finishing the piece with Oskar back in bed, informing the audience that it was just a dream. We should also perhaps start working with some of the set in place to ensure that we know how our scenes will work with the trees for example. This will prevent any hesitance in the final performances.
Week beginning 17/11/14
After working on creating another movement piece last Friday, I went home and choreographed more of the movement up to the end of the first chorus. I taught these movements in the first lesson back, and we then practised the entire choreography before bringing the physical movement piece to an end, with Oskar being placed back into his bed, illustrating that it was all a dream. Later in the week, we assisted Liam and Danny, who are studying the Set Design unit for the Triple award of the BTEC, in creating the four trees that they planned on having for the production. We wrapped chicken wire around crumpled balls of paper, which gave the chicken wire stability when packed tightly throughout the chute of wire. We tied the wire to itself to prevent it coming undone, and by the end of the lesson, we had four trees ready for the mod rock plastering. On the last lesson of the week, we ran through all movement pieces to ensure they were still fresh in our minds,and also started applying the first layer of the mod rock plaster to the first tree. The construction of the trees helped us as a company to realise that although the trees are large and stable, they will be prone to falling if any harsh contact is made with them, and so I reflected over what I do in the production (in the movement pieces and in the scenes themselves) to ensure I would not accidentally come into contact with the trees. Hopefully the trees will all be plastered and painted by the end of next week, so that we can hoist them up to work with them when we do a full run of the show.
The tree construction has helped me to understand other approaches to tasks like these. For example, we originally rolled the wire without the paper, and then stuffed the paper in from each end, but it was quicker and more sufficient to roll the wire around the pre-set paper balls. Also I learnt about mod rock plastering, and how to apply them to these designs in the right fashion to maximise effectiveness. Personally I enjoy doing the construction of the set,as I get an insight into the life of stage technicians and designers for theatre, which I feel is useful for a performer to have a knowledge of. It allows you to give the career path that others may take more appreciation, as it helps you realise how much work goes into a production both on and off-stage.
The tree construction has helped me to understand other approaches to tasks like these. For example, we originally rolled the wire without the paper, and then stuffed the paper in from each end, but it was quicker and more sufficient to roll the wire around the pre-set paper balls. Also I learnt about mod rock plastering, and how to apply them to these designs in the right fashion to maximise effectiveness. Personally I enjoy doing the construction of the set,as I get an insight into the life of stage technicians and designers for theatre, which I feel is useful for a performer to have a knowledge of. It allows you to give the career path that others may take more appreciation, as it helps you realise how much work goes into a production both on and off-stage.
This week, when rehearsing my lines, I tried my monologues in different tones and actions to convey my message in each monologue, as planned from my weekly targets blog. My character’s objective and mannerisms shift in each monologue, and I tried to factor this in when rehearsing.
Strengths of this week: On a personal level, this week gave me an insight into the work that choreographers do, and I gained personal enjoyment from seeing my visions come to light when teaching my ideas. I also felt that the set construction gave me an understanding of the practical work that stage crew and technicians do, and I felt that I would like to do more of the practical work in the future, to further my understanding and to better appreciate the work of everyone involved in theatre.
Weaknesses of this week: When revising my lines, I did not know them as well as I had hoped, and so I will be rehearsing them in my spare time between rehearsing for my auditions which are allocated throughout December.
My recomendations for developing the production further would be to do a full run with scripts down next week, and also to finish the construction of the four trees so that we can do this rehearsal with more spacial awareness.
Strengths of this week: On a personal level, this week gave me an insight into the work that choreographers do, and I gained personal enjoyment from seeing my visions come to light when teaching my ideas. I also felt that the set construction gave me an understanding of the practical work that stage crew and technicians do, and I felt that I would like to do more of the practical work in the future, to further my understanding and to better appreciate the work of everyone involved in theatre.
Weaknesses of this week: When revising my lines, I did not know them as well as I had hoped, and so I will be rehearsing them in my spare time between rehearsing for my auditions which are allocated throughout December.
My recomendations for developing the production further would be to do a full run with scripts down next week, and also to finish the construction of the four trees so that we can do this rehearsal with more spacial awareness.
Sunday 5 October 2014
Rehearsal Diary
Friday 10th October
After discussing the tables shown above and what each light did, we took control of the lighting desk, and discussed the designs of the show for specific scenes, such as what scenes would have the daisy-chained LED's glowing red for danger and death, for the murder scenes in particular.
- ran through all the movement piece
- started applying first layer of mod rock plaster to first tree
- discussed Halmburg
- rehearsed knife sequence
- revised and improved snowball fight
Tuesday 14th October
- ran fight sequence at the end, I took photos
- choreographed new movement piece after scene 11 in act 1
Wednesday 15th October
- ran all physical movement pieces
- finished choreographing Kings of Leon physical movement piece
Friday 17th October
- Ran Closer physical movement piece
- ran show with scripts to Mum and Halmberg scene
Tuesday 21st October
- discussed interval ideas
- re-staged act 2 scene 2
- ran snowball fight physical movement piece and bullying scene that follows it
I came up with an idea for the interval, and what the cast could do during it. Much like the beginning of the production, where we all have characters and cross the stage slowly to open the show, we could do this again, this time as specific characters such as Halmberg, Hakan, Micke and the others. We each would have a purpose, and would interact if necessary. The audience will be allowed to move around and get a drink or use the restroom much like an interval normally is in the theatre. I also thought that the audience can have permission to explore the town that we have created in the small space provided. They can view the scenery and the set that is on stage, but up close. The bed and chair for Act 2 Scene 2 will be set within the interval, as cast members cross the stage, making it subtle and seem to appear naturally. Connor and I will be in place for that scene within the last few minutes of the interval. I will act as though I'm interviewing him, but this would be in mime. Once the interval ends and Act 2 begins, Connor and I will freeze, and once our scene starts we will do the dialogue as if it is mid-conversation, to illustrate that I have been interrogating him to no avail.
We also then re-staged this scene, so that I could characterise Halmberg properly for this scene, and so that we could work out a new way for Eli to enter the scene instead of 'climbing the wall', as this wouldn't be possible with our set design and space. I have made annotations in my script for this scene and how I will act with character's thoughts and objectives. My line "Are you involved in some kind of cult?" seems like a ridiculous question, but is understandable in the circumstance that all the killings have been ritualistic and Halmberg therefore questions not only the mannerisms of the murders but also the sanity of Hakan. How psychotic can this man really be?
Wednesday 22nd October
- discussed songs for gym sequence - Fort Minor 'Remember the Name' instrumental
- discussed songs for interval - songs I found for gym sequence were used for this as they fit better
- revised gym sequence, implementing myself and Steve as classmates
- rehearsed act 2
Friday 24th October
- lighting workshop
Tuesday 21st October
- discussed interval ideas
- re-staged act 2 scene 2
- ran snowball fight physical movement piece and bullying scene that follows it
I came up with an idea for the interval, and what the cast could do during it. Much like the beginning of the production, where we all have characters and cross the stage slowly to open the show, we could do this again, this time as specific characters such as Halmberg, Hakan, Micke and the others. We each would have a purpose, and would interact if necessary. The audience will be allowed to move around and get a drink or use the restroom much like an interval normally is in the theatre. I also thought that the audience can have permission to explore the town that we have created in the small space provided. They can view the scenery and the set that is on stage, but up close. The bed and chair for Act 2 Scene 2 will be set within the interval, as cast members cross the stage, making it subtle and seem to appear naturally. Connor and I will be in place for that scene within the last few minutes of the interval. I will act as though I'm interviewing him, but this would be in mime. Once the interval ends and Act 2 begins, Connor and I will freeze, and once our scene starts we will do the dialogue as if it is mid-conversation, to illustrate that I have been interrogating him to no avail.
We also then re-staged this scene, so that I could characterise Halmberg properly for this scene, and so that we could work out a new way for Eli to enter the scene instead of 'climbing the wall', as this wouldn't be possible with our set design and space. I have made annotations in my script for this scene and how I will act with character's thoughts and objectives. My line "Are you involved in some kind of cult?" seems like a ridiculous question, but is understandable in the circumstance that all the killings have been ritualistic and Halmberg therefore questions not only the mannerisms of the murders but also the sanity of Hakan. How psychotic can this man really be?
Wednesday 22nd October
- discussed songs for gym sequence - Fort Minor 'Remember the Name' instrumental
- discussed songs for interval - songs I found for gym sequence were used for this as they fit better
- revised gym sequence, implementing myself and Steve as classmates
- rehearsed act 2
Friday 24th October
- lighting workshop
Tuesday 4th November
- ran act 1 scripts down
Wednesday 5th November
- Ran act 2 with attempts at knowing our lines
- discussed Halmberg's death and I re-choreographed it
Friday 7th November
- rehearsed Halmberg death scene
- ran act 2
- revised the death scene at the end where Oskar is drowning
- I suggested changing Jonny's death, make it bigger and more vicious
Tuesday 11th November
Tuesday 11th November
- blood workshop
Wednesday 12th November
- blood workshop
- jump practice for Eli (Amanda)
Friday 14th November
- started choreographing Oskar's dream to 'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark' by Fallout Boy
Tuesday 18th November
- I taught choreography that I created at home for the Fallout Boy sequence
- we then choreographed more before deciding that after the last move in the constructed sequence, the music will fade and we leave Liam back in his bed, awoken from his nightmare, back in reality
Wednesday 19th November
- created the four trees for the set (chicken wire with paper crumpled into balls to stuff the trees for strength and stability) - ready for mod rock plastering
Friday 21st November
Wednesday 12th November
- blood workshop
- jump practice for Eli (Amanda)
Friday 14th November
- started choreographing Oskar's dream to 'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark' by Fallout Boy
Tuesday 18th November
- I taught choreography that I created at home for the Fallout Boy sequence
- we then choreographed more before deciding that after the last move in the constructed sequence, the music will fade and we leave Liam back in his bed, awoken from his nightmare, back in reality
Wednesday 19th November
- created the four trees for the set (chicken wire with paper crumpled into balls to stuff the trees for strength and stability) - ready for mod rock plastering
Friday 21st November
- ran through all the movement piece
- started applying first layer of mod rock plaster to first tree
Wednesday 1 October 2014
Music for Knife Dance
Revolution Arts: Music for Knife Dance - Let the Right One In
This is the music we are using for Act One - Scene Six, to which we have devised a set of movements that will all be performed at exactly the same time, much like the show itself. This movement piece will add performers after each routine, so that it builds up so that nearly the entire cast is on stage repeating the stabbing movements in synergy. The track loops around three times to make sure that everyone is involved. The rhythm itself comes across as vicious and works well with the actions that the cast make on stage, with violent stabbing actions and aggressive facial expressions.
This is the music we are using for Act One - Scene Six, to which we have devised a set of movements that will all be performed at exactly the same time, much like the show itself. This movement piece will add performers after each routine, so that it builds up so that nearly the entire cast is on stage repeating the stabbing movements in synergy. The track loops around three times to make sure that everyone is involved. The rhythm itself comes across as vicious and works well with the actions that the cast make on stage, with violent stabbing actions and aggressive facial expressions.
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Accents
For this production we have decided to focus our voice work with a Scottish accent, as the company that the class saw were Scottish, and it appealed to the students. To do this, I have been researching various videos to help replicate the tone and pace of the accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mALkCGVA2BU
This video features an actor and voice coach who takes the audience through dialect and vowels and how they sound for a general Scottish accent. This is marked 'general' because accents differ from all over Scotland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mALkCGVA2BU
This video features an actor and voice coach who takes the audience through dialect and vowels and how they sound for a general Scottish accent. This is marked 'general' because accents differ from all over Scotland.
After watching Trainspotting, the Scottish accent also seemed to be more natural, from hearing it the entire time throughout the film. To ensure that I have nailed the accent, I will watch this film again at a later date, nearer the time of the performance to keep the accent updated.
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