Production Values

Lighting Design

The project I will improve for lighting design will be our first one Identity as we didn’t focus on what lighting was needed for the performance. The first sequence showed everyone walk to the middle of the stage to get their pictures taken. I would use a White spotlight flashing on the stage to depict the photography portraying a mood of a paparazzi to the show. In hindsight, making the scene alongside the music more faster. If it is slower than I will have three or two flashes of spotlight for each person that walks on.

Next when someone introduces their verbatim I will have a dim blue wash over the person who’s speaking, so I can caption their facial expressions. This will help the audience to understand whenever these people are speaking there is some importance to them coming on, giving them more attention to the audience.

When Shadhut’s act comes on I'll have a grey backdrop indicating an old charlie chaplin style to the performance. I will do this, because it is a great way to demonstrate that this is a street performance to the audience and everyone watching from behind. As a result creating an ominous vibe as the actors that are watching Shadhut are curious yet cautious in knowing what he is about to do next in his mime act.

  

  

C.V and Letter Application

Dear Sir,

My name is Mark Kamara and I am writing to let you know that I would like to be a part of your “Youth Performance Workshop Group”. I am a black British student of ethnicity in Westminster Kingsway College, and I study B-tech Level 2 Performing Arts. When I heard you were accepting Actors to audition I immediately took the opportunity and decided to write to you. I believe I’m a great listener, because I always follow the team's approval then my own. Furthermore discussing with me won’t be a struggle, because I will fit in everyone else’s ideas so we can feel much more like a team. I am very articulate and can enunciate my words very carefully that will engage an audience. I can showcase a wide range of emotions: Happy, sad, mean, worried, confused seeing the emotions behind the character underplaying their emotions using subtext. Moreover I am very passionate about acting and I will try my best to give it my all in the workshop, and will always strive to be better than I was previously. My talents I would say are singing and dancing as they are the two I feel I’m best at. I love doing drama, because it gives you a chance to express yourself through words and physical movements. One day I see myself  on T.V inspiring people through my acting or even making them laugh through a comedy, because it’s always been my dream of mine to act in many movies and see myself in every different character’s personalities in each role I receive.

Yours Sincerely,

Mark Kamara

Mark Kamara 

Email: markkamara23@gmail .com                                 Phone: 07534453925

Address: 19 Morphou Road 

                London 

                NW7 1ED                                                        Bio

                                                                              Eye colour: Brown

                                                                              Height: 5’9”

                                                                              Hair colour: Black

                                                                                        

Education: Edgware Primary school

                  Frith Manor Primary School

                  St. Mary’s St. John’s CE School

                  Westminster Kingsway College

Accents: English (Native) American (Californian)

Performance/play             Role       

“Romeo and Juliet”               Server

“Grease”                               Eugene

“Citizenship”                         Declerk

"The Flick" Avery

Film and TV

“Spotless”                            Extra                 

Citizenship - Presentation

Citizenship - Presentation

In class we have been asked to work on a 10 minute Citizenship presentation in a group. At first we were unsure if we were able to create a powerpoint slide for 10 minutes as we didn’t know if we could get to that time limit. I was placed in a group with Alana, Albiona and Ashleigh. I researched mental health, and I thought I had some good points to put on my blog. Alana worked on the slides and I worked on the script for all of us to say. To make our powerpoint presentation more interesting, me and Alana both had the same idea to make it into an interview with Mark Ravenhill. 

The Roles consisted of me: playing Mark Ravenhill  

Alana: Serious interviewer

Albiona: Comedy relief Interviewer

Ashleigh: Talk show host

Introduction

Ashleigh: Hello and welcome to my talk show where we talk to celebrities and get the inside scoop towards what they go through in their life.

Albiona: I hope we get to meet somebody interesting,

Ashleigh: This person is a writer who not only has written a contemporary play but many others and he supports difference. Alana would you like to do the honors.

Alana: Bring in our mystery guest guys.

[Audience cheers, Albiona and Ashleigh claps]

Mark Ravenhill walks across the stage and takes a seat next to Ashleigh and Albiona.

Ravenhill and Alana will talk about each slide in the conversation.

Overall, I thought we wouldn’t go to the maximum of ten minutes but ended up doing 12 and I find that I’m really happy with this result as all three of us were a bit skeptical. The conversation flowed nicely and I didn’t hesitate on my words. 

During this experience I found that I learnt a lot more about Mark Ravenhill, and the play of Citizenship, and It was also nicer to work better as a team than doing the presentation solo.  

Unit 2 - Staging and Props

Staging & Props

1.   

Who they are?

Set designers set up props across the stage, formally known as objects, assist the directors, producers, costume designers etc. Props designers are responsible for obtaining the props and placing them out on stage for the actors. Most props are movable so there isn’t designed place holder for individual props. Some designers research about details that can support the stimuli of the play and captivate the audience. These people are very creative and plan beforehand when outlining a scene or placing of each prop. They also have to make it durable for the actors. Most questions are asked like “How do we generate creative ideas”, and that all goes to how you are able to open your mind to new ideas that you are willing to learn and to listen to your co-workers. They want you to be adventurous, daring, supportive and to have a positive mind set. Your imagination helps your originality and your unique taste towards the performance. Overall planning is an exceptional skill to have when designing and outlining a stage.

2.    What they do?

Set designers are a group of people that are responsible for a visual concept of a stage outline or TV production, and they also organise a construction team that can also help them create props and other materials for the stage. They can also be called “Stage designers” their job can be identified by researching art history, background politics, historical information, etc. The working hours can take majority of their time most of their work is produced on weekends and take up a lot of their free time. The designers that work in Theatre work with dance companies and opera in different regional locations.

3.     Who do they work with?   

   Directors help other set designers by telling them what works in the scene, because they have a say on what can be final and what doesn’t work. The Set designers work with the costume designers that design the clothing of the characters, and they are key for how the stage can be portrayed.

For example, a character playing an old man. Costume designers work with people that are in charge of props as well as Set designers. This will highlight the character’s role and then they can be able to utilise the character’s traits.

4.    How much can they earn?

Set designers make a salary of $51,660 in U.S dollars back in 2010 although they can change depending on the box office of the show or how talented they are. Many productions for theatre plays are often smaller, especially live, so the pay will be a little less than the ones working on T.V sets. The film industry has a larger production format and marketers advertise their movies via, social media, YouTube, Bill boards, Film posters on buses and T.V adverts. Not only does marketing help the salary of set designers it’s also the location that has a substantial impact of how much they earn. For example, set designers in California and New York financially made even more than the rest of the country has gained. Theatres hire full time Set designers which is an advantage for them, because this won’t be a struggle for them to find employment. Normally T.V sets/Film industry recruits Set designers as this may be an exceptional route.

   

5.    How much do they train?

Firstly, College is the first step to training to be set designers, because you have to know if it is something you enjoy. The skills requirements allow you to be creative and co-operating with other people: mainly in a team. Most people decide to do internships during college, because employers will be looking for set designers with experience. This is to ensure they have a full production team. Students in College gain experience by completing internships with production or theatre companies. Some degree programmes require internships a part of their curriculum: assisting the production team with drafting, set construction and set painting are essential for all interns to learn and master as one of the first steps for their training.

 https://study.com/articles/Become_a_Set_Designer_Training_and_Career_Roadmap.html   

There are people that will choose different routes towards their destination of Set design such as volunteering or being an apprentice. Even phenomenal set design projects can be added to a portfolio. It is very key to build your portfolio that should be updated frequently, because it is always seen by employers that decide whether you get employed or not.

Set designers start as entry-level trainees learning basic skills and completing simple tasks, but some can jump ahead in order to develop and improve their portfolios. This will help them get recognition and increase their reputation in the industry. Slowly leading them on to complexed tasks and giving them a privilege to choose which types of set design suits them best. A bachelor’s degree can provide the training and experience needed in Set design.

https://study.com/articles/Become_a_Set_Designer_Training_and_Career_Roadmap.html

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenic_design

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/production-designer-theatre-television-film

https://study.com/articles/Become_a_Set_Designer_Training_and_Career_Roadmap.html

Production Values

Production Values

16th June 2020 Meet the troublesome kids of the Progress Class Welcome from all ages don’t miss out and join the fun Directed by: Rob & Shenagh Production: Becca and team

Starring Hanna Othmani Tlemcani Amelia Tolga Shadhut Ali Mark Kamara and many many more...

Time: 7:30PM                                                                  Kids: £2.50                                                                 Adults: £5.00

Location: Scene 22 - The zoo

If I was the director for this scene I will have a gate entrance towards the zoo showing many animals behind bars. I envision a fountain in the middle of the zoo where the scene starts off as the teachers telling the students about the inhabitants. There are 5 paths from the fountain leading towards the animals.These paths act as main entrances towards the zoo’s locations and there are many other paths that display different animals for example the lions,tigers, giraffes etc. The top entrance is an exit out of the zoo.  

The top right path leads toward the Aquarium where there are many fish tanks and an entrance where you can see the fishes inside their tanks. This is what I would imagine if you entered through the aquarium. The window glass will be filled with many sea creatures, and the floor will light up when someone walks across it. The colour patterns will change from Blue to Purple and to Violet and then lastly all three of them will blink at the same time. This is to depict a cycle for the lights which will also create an oceanic atmosphere.

  

The bottom right path that leads straight up to the The bird house will have a grassy environment where many Trees will be visible, and a stone path towards the brown house. The brown house has many windows and stairs that can also be an entrance to the outside.  Inside the house are many bird cages and houses for them. The smell of wildlife illuminating the room as the birds chirp away to the soothing music playing in the background. Next the calm relaxing music can be heard immediately as you walk through the double doors giving a clear vibe of peace and freedom for all the kids comfortable watching the birds.

   

The top left entrance will have many gift shops, and one will feature a cafe for adults to relax and chill. Furthermore the cafe will present clean wooden floors without a speck of dust, and arranged chairs of four and two per table with neatly stacked cutlery holders next to the cashier. The tables will have menus and napkins on the middle of the tables with automatic doors for the entrance. A fresh aroma will enlighten the scenery as the smell of croissant will captivate it’s customers. Also a strong scent of coffee can be smelt from outside There will also be tables outside and benches.

   

The bottom left path leading to the children’s zoo depicts a simple entrance revealing a wide collection of small animals. Moreover displaying furry animals for example: Rabbits, Gerbils, Guinea-pigs, Bantam hen all contained in an open pit where there will be hay on the floor. Some paths will have more sand than the last and there will be a high fence around the area as a sign of security, portraying a safe environment for the kids.

Unit 9 - Our Day Out

Unit 9

What is a Radio Play

A radio play is dramitised performance on acoustic that can not be visualised. This means excluding stage directions and facial expressions, the play relies on your voice change of vocal range. Music is also used to enhance the atmosphere for the radio, and can be played with sound effects enlightening the listener’s experience with the story and actor’s.

The radio play “I am Kanye West” sees a man named Toby who is from Newport believing he is Kanye West. The audio drama uses D.J remixes of songs and dialogue throughout the track. In the beginning of the play we hear a woman giving birth to a boy which the listener assumes it’s the Kanye West. Next we see Toby with the psychiatrist and he is shocked to know why he’s there. To the listener this would be amusing to hear he believes he lives the life of Kanye. The psychiatrist asks him some personal questions and he answers them as if he was the person. There are many sound effects that enhance the room in the audio: the office - where we can hear typing and the elevator which is being fixed. What I liked about the editing is they use the elevator noises to bleep out the swear words Toby would say.

Next they also do transitions with audio clips of dialogue in a high pitch tone or an instrumental to cut to the next scene. The life lessons this audio drama teaches you is about accepting your identity and also letting things/people go. I really liked how comedic the beginning when the doctor wasn’t accepting that Toby isn’t Kanye West to him letting his mother go. What I really liked about this scene was that Dr.Newman knew that Toby was hallucinating and pretended to be the mother to help him have reconciliation by telling him to “push me away". 
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0009kyq

Plot

The playwright for “Our Day Out” is named Willy Russell. This play takes place in the 1970’s and is about a school trip to Conwy Castle in North Wales. The students on the trip are a mixture of teens from 12 - 15 of Mrs.Kay’s Progress class and a select few of Mr.Briggs' class. The older kids are Reilly, Digga, Linda and Karen. The coach takes a few stops along the way first to the shop where the children are taking sweets. Next they stop at the zoo where the children are spread out looking at different animals, and Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Kay are drinking in the cafe. After the visit to the zoo, the zoo keeper yells at the teachers for not keeping a good eye on them, because half the kids stole most of the animals. He immediately stops the coach before they leave and makes them return the animals. The driver of the coach takes them to their original destination to Conwy Castle where each group of kids explore unsupervised. Later they head to the beach, and we see one of the students, Reily, making fun of a young teacher named Colin saying he can get with Susan, another young teacher. Unfortunately his teasing comes back to bite him in the back when Susan teases Reily with the words “I’m here big boy” making him uncomfortable. Susan shows him that he’s all talk and to stay in his league. Soon after one of the students Carol goes missing, and all the teachers spread out searching for her leaving Susan to look after the others. Mr. Briggs finds Carol on top of a cliff. She doesn’t want to leave, because she is depressed to go back to her home where she has an uneasy lifestyle and threatens to jump if Mr.Briggs gets closer to her. Carol wants to stay in Conwy where it’s nice and peaceful. Mr. Briggs promises to change his ways and be less serious if she gets down from the cliff. They both return side by side and with Mrs.Kay changing expressions from worried to relieved decides to end the trip. The kids are upset and unhappy (just like Carol was before she vanished) wishing they had more time. Unlike Mr.Briggs, he decides for all of them to go to the fair which makes the kids very pleased. In the final scene in the play Reilly is with Linda and Digga is with Karen. Mrs.Kay comments on how easy-going Mr.Briggs was with the kids and with evidence to prove it. He asks Mrs.Kay to give him the roll of film so he can develop it in a lab and slowly waits for her, Colin and Susan to leave as he destroys the undeveloped film never to be seen by anyone again.        

Themes

• Lack of Education
• High unemployment
• Drug use
• Poverty
• Humour
• Hierarchy between the teachers

The theme of this play is about lack of education as it tells us about the hard life that the kids have. The progress class is implied to be a separate class that is miles behind normal classes, because it is mixed between ages 12 - 15 as seen in the play. Within the Progress class, kids have trouble reading and writing, and it’s only when you achieve these targets you can ascend to regular classes and learn the subjects being taught. Unfortunately, these kids are seen in society as rejects, and not given the opportunity as normal kids are in society today, as a result affecting what they will become in the future. Moreover, casted out, never given the time to shine or role models to acknowledge them. As this takes place in the 1970s, the government places these kids in state schools and not caring what grades they will get. In addition, leading them to work in factories.The lack of education affecting young children like Liverpool in inner cities disrupts them ever having a suitable education.

Many children get exposed to addictive substances such as drugs. Andrews is a character who is addicted to smoking and is seen asking the older kids for a cigarette. As an audience we would know that one of his parents or both smoke cigarettes, and they don’t care that it is affecting their child. As an audience we are shocked to find a student could be addicted to smoking so much and is confronted by Mr.Briggs that lectures him on why smoking is bad for you. Although These scenes are played comedically to downplay the sensitivity of the topic, Russell also portrays a scenario of how drugs can impact a child at a young age.

 

When Carol is on the cliff and decides that she doesn’t want to leave home she thinks about having a peaceful life in Conwy makes the viewer feel bad that she doesn’t want to return to her old lifestyle where she is socially deprived and doesn’t have everyday appliances that a stable home has.This is seen in stage directions of the script where her school uniform is addressed as her “street outfit” and “Sunday best” meaning her family can’t afford to buy her proper clothes. This is establishing that her planning on living here was a cry for attention as this is telling the audience that she doesn’t receive any at home, because they are busy working and providing for the family. This can also be perceived as trying to start fresh with a welcome environment compared to her neighbourhood. The conversation would’ve played more smoother if Mrs.Kay was the one that found her, and it wouldn’t lead Carol to threaten to jump. Willy Russell purposely had the character of Briggs tend to Carol so that he could have a change of heart, learn to smile and have fun in the end.

Character

My character is Mr. Briggs and he is a strict teacher that accompanies Mrs.Kay, Colin and Susan for the trip. He believes the trip is a waste and it wouldn’t do the students any good. On the other hand, he didn’t go because the other teachers wanted him to, the real reason is the headmaster instructed that they need an assertive member of staff to keep a close eye out. Mr. Briggs is a traditional teacher who wouldn’t be carefree with the students, unlike Mars Kay. He has a short temper and believes his trust and respect should be earned. This puts him at a disadvantage, because he doesn’t want let loose showing his emotions. Furthermore, this would lead to him stressed out by the kids and not learning to take it easy. A drastic change goes to Mr.Briggs when he decides to take them to the fairground. This is all thanks to the conversation he has with Carol on the cliff which sparks a sign of character development for him. After the trip when everyone is parting ways its soon revealed that he goes back to his old ways when he destroys the piece of film that is evident of him being happy. 

Within the play there seems to be a hierarchy between the teachers, because Mr. Briggs appears he is above Mrs.Kay when he questions her way of teaching. Mrs Kay is laid back with the kids. As a result, they both always argue over their points and beliefs to handle the kids. Mrs Kay in the play is much older than Briggs, in her forties, but still takes it easy on them. Personally, I believe that Mrs. Kay has already been in the same shoes as Briggs and noticed that shouting at the kids won’t do them any justice so she decides to take a different approach. This is the reason why she acts so calmly.

Costume

• Grey blazer
• Grey/Navy Blue waistcoat
• Grey Trousers
• Pointed Black shoes
• White Shirt
• Blue Plaid Tie

The costume I would've had for Mr. Briggs would be old-fashioned. I see him wear a plain grey blazer and a waistcoat that matches his gloomy personality. I believe this look would suit his character better as he portrays a responsible role model to the kids. Moreover, wearing basic colours as his work clothes indicates his role for him to not stand out. Throughout the play it is shown that he would rarely volunteer for school activities or get involved with the other kids in the progress class, so it comes as a surprise when he joins the trip. As a result this contrasts his behaviour towards the teachers not respecting their values. On stage I would use this outfit as a way to not draw attention to myself, therefore this will give the impression to the audience that he just wants the day to be over and done with. 

Evaluation/Rehearsal

We have been assigned to read a play of “Our Day Out” by Willy Russel. My first initial thought about the play was that of a group of kids going on a school trip, but there was a bigger picture to it as these were unfortunate kids that didn’t have a better education. I was pleased to get Mr.Briggs, because I loved his character development throughout the play. The pandemic allowed us to work from home instead of in a close space towards each other, and we had to take some alternatives to bring the play to justice - by turning it into a Radio Play. During Lockdown we performed the play on a video conference on the app Zoom It was very hard performing the play, because there would be a lag sometimes in our meetings, and sometimes people didn’t know they’re cues which bugged me, because I knew when I came on. We changed the dialogue to fit our accents better so we wouldn’t speak in a Liverpool accent to London (Home).

 A few words we decided to change was:

Conwy - Hasting

Wales - Sussex

Birkenhead - Hackney  

We cut out some scenes in the play as we knew we couldn’t cover all of them and edited the ending scene to make it more shorter.

Normally I would perform next to a white wall, on the other hand the day we decided to record I had to go to my Auntie’s memorial service, who I was close to. In the beginning of the conference I should’ve informed my tutors prior, but thinking that the conference would end sooner was my mistake. As this would be the first time someone close to me passed away I thought I could multitask. Luckily the memorial service didn’t start and I managed to be there on time. It was also the reason for me wearing black. In the video meeting I was outside, trying not to pay attention to the background noise listening and saying all my lines articulately with a lot of energy and enthusiasm I had. Overall I thought the video call went excellent given the location and timing I placed myself in. What I will do next time is try to advise them beforehand on how long I would be able to do the conference. Maybe all the scenes I was in could've been done earlier ? 

The message the play conveys is to appreciate what you have, because others would be happy to experience all these materialistic items people take for granted. For example clothing, food, video games, roof over your head, packed lunch, Bag to place all your books in etc.

What you have learnt in terms of acting skills this year and how they have helped during this process. Maybe you have brought these to this project?

From the beginning of this year my acting has improved by allowing me to be more confident around others, and by participating in more activities that will help me with nerves when performing in front of an audience. For example “hot seating”, “This is not a spoon” and improv games to help with imagination. During the year I felt more able to give off ideas to people and contribute more in lessons. I have made a large group of friends since the start of the year and we always help each other out when we’re stuck on something we don’t know or to encourage one another before a performance. I used subtext for my final performance as my character comes off as sarcastic towards Mrs.Kay and thought it would be an exception to use it. Subtext is a very important skill and has helped me throughout the year. Tongue Twisters  has also helped me improve my articulation, and I now find it much easier to say longer sentences without mumbling. As well as breathing techniques which has helped me also to speak louder to a wider audience.