Risk 2

Wednesday 10^th October 

It was great to be back with my designated project group. We had a bit of a chat to get reacquainted with each other and the subject matter. We went over the notes from the previous work sessions and added any input from the survey of friends and family we had done over the previous weekend about Risk, the conclusion of which was that we hadn’t been off the mark with our ideas of examples of risk that people will and won’t take in life and the effects of such.

So we decided to carry on developing scenes and concepts from the previous week though I was beginning to feel a little un-easy with establishing staging concepts too far, due to the limited amount of time we had for development and prop making, our complete lack of budget and also that we hadn’t yet seen the theatre space we would be giving the performance in. I tried to steer the group away from too outlandish concepts and to keep it all as easy to produce and minimalist as possible.

The main concept that was developed in the morning work session was that each member of the cast would be faced with a decision whether or not to take a risk in life, that we would see a short scene of something that happened to them in the past that pushed them to not take that risk and that decision would form the individual bar to their metaphorical cage. Later on in the performance piece the characters would discover that by not taking those risks they had trapped themselves in that cage and would have to learn how to break free taking the risk, embracing the unknown future and taking flight.

Towards midday we were allowed access to the ‘Hexagon Theatre’ (the space all the groups would be performing in on Thursday 18^th). Unfortunately we couldn’t access the lighting so the theatre was extremely dark and Alex W. and I had to reconnoitre by the light of a mobile phone and the tiny LED torch on the base of my lighter. One thing was blatantly obvious to us even in the dark, that the theatre was a lot smaller than we had expected, (the rectangular area upstage I strode out as being 4m wide by 1.5m deep there was a curved out area downstage (approximately 6m wide by 2m) but as the front row of audience seating was on the same level as the staging area we wouldn’t be able to use too much of it without getting too close to the audience.
The performance students left the theatre to carry on working and to lunch whilst ‘The A Team’ stayed to sit a while getting a feel for the space, looking at what lighting and A/V options we may be able to access and also talk to Amy about how we were doing with our groups and exchange ideas on how we could develop the production requirements our groups were asking for. 

I voiced my doubts on being able to produce the bars for the cage, bars that would grow from seeds of doubt planted by each character. We discussed the possible materials from which those bars could be made: scaffolding bars, (expensive and unwieldy);  ropes (as we couldn’t access the rigging and each bar needed to be raised individually this was quickly rejected); lights (not too hard to recreate if the bar originated from above but as it was a case of the opposite direction, it would mean sourcing extremely powerful yet small portable lights and also having to use hazing machines to be able to see the shafts of light properly, and thus this was also rejected for being way out of budget and timescale.) A possibility we came upon was to use bamboo poles which the actors could 'plant' themselves, (this was a good option as Alex N. has a number of bamboo poles at home that he could bring in and therefore would not cost a penny to produce). We also noticed that there was a projector in the rigging which could prove very useful for my group: a concept we had considered was to project pre-recorded video representing those memories that steered the characters towards not taking risks.
Armed with all our information we returned to our project groups to help make any adjustments and carry on steering them towards finishing scripts etc.

After lunch we all returned to the ‘English Suite’ (a space I am beginning to dislike as the acoustics in the room are strange and the smallest sound is greatly amplified and when there are groups of people all talking at once, music blaring, etc. it’s just too loud. That afternoon I was developing a serious headache and going into ‘grumpy bear’ mode).

Ellie gave us a short brief on how we should use Harvard Referencing in our blogs and written work. A subject I am sure to find very useful in the future. Ellie had just had some surgery on her mouth and was finding it difficult to talk over the class when they got a bit rowdy so I found myself having to bark at them to quiet down and concentrate on what was being explained to us, the acoustics seemed to work in my favour and even though I hardly raised my voice the class ended up in shocked silence. (I have a feeling that I’m going to become infamous amongst my peers for my ‘Drill Sargent’ discipline.) 

After the briefing I returned to my Risk group and relayed the information about the projector and the cage bars. They liked the projector and chose to run with that concept but rejected the bamboo pole idea, the group seemed to have their hearts set on using lights, so I had to put my foot down (maybe a little too firmly due to the headache/grumpiness) and explain that that concept was just too far beyond our means of budget and time. I did soften the blow by introducing them to the idea I had had that by combining a metal clang sound effect and miming a reaction to an imaginary bar shooting up to trap them they could quite easily produce the desired effect. Plus I believed that it would paint them in a good light to the audience by stretching their acting skills whilst not relying on elaborate props and staging. The group were convinced that this was the best option and so I measured out a space in our corner of the suite mimicking the Hexagon stage so we could proceed with blocking out the various scenes and get down to devising a solid script.

As the day’s work sessions drew to a close we decided that we would dedicate the next day to filming those ‘bad-memory’ videos so they could be edited over the weekend. I went to Ellie to ask whether we could borrow a video camera and explained to her what exactly we would be using the video for. She very kindly agreed to bring in the camera and explained what cable/memory card we would need to transfer the video for editing.

Production

Tuesday 9th October

Our first proper production team meeting was held in the Control Booth at Matthew Boulton Campus, not a space for the claustrophobic when we’re all in there but I’m sure once it’s all set up and we have added a few personal touches, it’ll be a nice cosy space.

At first we discussed the subject of what we would be naming our little production team, so at least we had something interesting to put on our hoodies and t-shirts other than ‘The Production Team’…
I made the suggestion of calling ourselves  ‘The A Team’, as if I had been born a boy the whole team would have been called Alex; we are the first team of this type, hence Alpha or A; and it’s also a nice little nod to our nerdy tendencies. My idea was well received so soon we’ll each be getting a specially made black hoodie (and maybe even a long sleeve t-shirt) so we can be easily identified on site.

We then had a short brief on the support we’ll be giving over the half-term week as the MB Hall hosts ‘YouTheatre’: a series of workshops and shows directed at young people.  Personally I wouldn’t mind sitting in on some of the workshops as they are of special interest to me including: make-up effects and stage combat.

After that it was time for individual tutorials with Ruth. A good opportunity to get to know our tutor a bit better, explain where we’ve been work/life wise, where we want to go and ask any questions that may have come up during the first week on the job.

 

After lunch we all went to room 021 to have a Meet & Greet with the cast of Snow Queen, the Christmas show we’ll be working on with the BTEC Level 3s. Interesting group of people, (if a tad young and rowdy), it’ll be a good challenge to get to know them and build a nice group work atmosphere. I look forward to getting down to work with them.

RISK - Part 1

Thursday 4^th October

A day all about ‘Risk’, the first project for the HND Year Ones.

We started off with Ellie giving the production team a stack of printouts of quotes about risk, from which we were to select those quotes we thought pertained most to the subject of risk. As with most internet search results many of the quotes actually didn’t have anything to do with risk other than they contained the word. So the two Alex’s and I set to the job by creating three piles of quotes: the definite 'yeses', the 'maybes' and the definite 'nos'. Once we had gone through all of the printouts, we went back and looked at the 'maybes' and debated whether each was a 'yes' or a 'no'.

Once we had organised them all, the pile of pertinent quotes were placed around the room for the performance students to peruse and then select one that spoke the most to each individual student.

Then each member of the production team would join one of the three groups of performers that Ellie had formed. I pretty much chose the group I would join at random but was quite surprised to later find that all the quotes they had selected had been ones I myself had chosen for the ‘yes’ pile and that all the quotes had a similar theme to them:

• Eve – Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free. (Paul Tillich)
• Billie – There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community. (M. Scott Peck)
• Laura – The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all. (Jawaharlal Nehru)
• Matt – The trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more. (Eric Jong)
• Leon – We know there is no such thing as freedom without the risk of failure. (Rick Perry)
• Jonathon – At the risk of sounding hopelessly romantic, love is the key element. I really love to play with different musicians who come from different cultural backgrounds. (John McLaughlin)

The group sat for a while and spoke about their individual quotes: why they had chosen them and how each quote spoke to them personally. It became obvious pretty quickly that there was a certain theme to the quotes that would be the central theme to the performance piece we would be making: That not taking any risk in life can actually be the biggest risk of all. That many people when they come to the end of their lives do not regret the things they have done in life so much as the things they haven’t…
Through this subject we came to the theory that people who never take any risks and always err on the side of caution do not seem to ‘get anywhere’ in their lives and don’t fulfil their potential. Becoming almost institutionalised in their safe (if not boring) little worlds and how in some cases this can be harmful and even fatal.
At this point a mental image came to me and I offered it to the group:  I have observed how in the cases of the more intelligent types of animals, (including humans), when they have been caged for long periods of time, do not seem to be able to function properly outside their cages. That they have become institutionalised and when given the opportunity to escape or are removed from their confinement, all they want to do is get back in.   
From this observation the group grasped upon the vision of a caged bird taking the risk to break free of its confinement and spreading its wings and flying off into the unknown.
From there the group decided on the purpose and theme of the performance piece: to hopefully persuade the audience to take risks in life, that sometimes one has to take a risk to be able to live life to the fullest and be free of the metaphorical cage society and indeed ourselves build up around us.
From there on it was all about figuring out how we would get the message across to the audience. What scenes and images we would use, what examples of risk would be most pertinent to the subject matter and also be obtainable to the target audience (In this case the 2^nd years).
As the work session came to an end we decided to each speak to a variety of friends and family over the weekend, asking them about what they thought of ‘Risk’, what risks they may have taken or hadn’t taken in life and which of those they may have regretted. Thus we could get a cross section of opinion on the subject and use the most common risks in the piece.

In general it was a great work session, with lots of creativity flowing around the group, as most of the group seem to be on similar wavelengths, there is a good sense of comradery and eagerness to produce the best performance possible.

1st days at Uni

Tuesday 2^nd October and Wednesday 3^rd October

So the first week of Uni. Very exciting and rather daunting, considering I hadn’t been in formal education since the 90s I was a little worried about how I’d fit in and how I’d adapt to the situation.
But after my first few days I think I’ll be alright… I think HND is the perfect system for me as it is a practical course based on learning whilst actually doing the job rather than getting stuck in a class room bogged down by thick, waffling text books of theory.

The first two days of our course were all about finding our feet: meeting the tutors who will be our guides for the next two/three years; getting to know our classmates and exploring some of the venues we’ll be working at during the course.

The tutors are all very nice, they all have a great deal of experience in the industry and are all still working so we can rest assured that everything we are taught is up to date and significant to what we are learning. These guys exude practical knowledge and natural authority, leading from the front so to speak, this was one of the things that had originally attracted me to the Royal Navy over the Army and Air Force, Officers are much closer to the level of the Junior Rates and are much more willing to get stuck in with the lower ranks and work things out together rather than just sit back ordering people around.
Our tutors come across as very approachable and if we’re having trouble with the work we can go to them and work it out, I’m sure that I’ll be doing this quite a bit on this first year of the course. Whilst I’m comfortable with the more artistic elements of Production Art when it comes to the technical elements of sound and lighting I haven’t the foggiest what anyone is talking about. (I don’t think I’ve ever heard that many acronyms in conversation before, not even in the Navy, and they really do love those abbreviations!!)

My classmates are a lovely bunch, I don’t think I’ve ever fit in/felt accepted by so many people in one go. There are people from all walks of life, ages, creeds and experience. We already seemed to be getting on but thanks to the ‘getting to know you’ exercises we participated in we’ve really come together well and there is a lovely team spirit forming that I hope will follow us on all the way through into our future careers in the industry.
Plus we are already planning regular get-togethers to socialise outside of class which I’m sure will strengthen our bonds even more.

This first week we spent time both at the Matthew Boulton Campus and the MAC in Edgbaston. At Matthew Boulton Campus we spent some time in the control room with Ruth and Anthony, a space that I’m sure will become very familiar to us and I think we’ll be able to personalise a bit so we can make it ‘our own’. (We need a fridge to store all the energy drinks and milk for tea/coffee that I’m sure us production artists will be consuming in great quantities!!).
At the MAC we have yet to visit the control rooms but I’m sure we’ll be getting there very soon.

So after our first week of classes the future is looking very bright indeed!!
BRING IT ON!!