Durrington planning and performing

My group planned performance structure, how much of each songs, transitions between each songs, who would perform them (cast)
decided on 3 main duets (Galileo and Scaramouche - Under pressure, Killer Queen - Another, Brit Meat - Want It All) and 2 ensemble songs at beginning and end (We are the champions & Radio Gaga)
originally chose one cast, but changed to performing with double casts to give us all a chance of performing as we didn't know if there would be another, shared experience and adapted blocking/movement for addition of double cast
Worked well sorting out song with megan luke and holly, what bits one cast should sing and what the other should sing. We respected each other's opinions and cooperated well to ensure we were all comfortable with we were performing. It went smoothly as we found both of our casts found the the opposite half of the song in under pressure more difficult, so worked out well as we all got to sing what we preferred. Our strong communication helped us determine how we all feel about the plan.
discussed with workshop group and shared ideas on how we would perform the last ensemble by including them in after doing the workshop, which was getting them to devise movement that linked to keywords in given lines from Radio Gaga.


rehearsing

In rehearsals, me Megan and Luke and Holly worked a lot together, as we were our own small ensemble. We shared and respected each others opinions on how we should support each other well also in our other songs when practising singing them which helps strengthen our own duos as well as the other casts. the group performances comes together especially in the end when we all join together US holding hands. This creates unity and displays the bond between all ensemble members. Even though our duo performances our separate, we are still contributing to a group effort.

some bits we changed such as when me and megan aren't performing, we initially were clicking side to side in the upbeat section of under pressure. However discussing this with kim, it took focus away from the performers as we were technically offstage but had to wait at the back. We changed this to being neutral and crouched down. This gives equal attention to both of our sections, making it a fair performance where we all benefit the same amount from.

when practising radio gaga, talia and emily lead the choreography and guided us in learning the movements. They were thorough and showed a lot of patience and determination in making sure everyone understood the choreo well which sped up the learning process. We changed a movement near the end for the purpose of performing it at durrington, as we wanted to face them and make it more simpler than the box steps.

For We are the champions, this I feel would reflect us most as an ensemble, as it displays us entering the space with a friendly and positive attitude, hugging and sharing enthusiasm with each other as we sing. There is not much rehearsal to this and I think it's more about your performance skills over technical skills.

performance

singing under pressure, changed range on "pressure on people, people on the streets" lower as didn't' feel enough practice in head voice as less comfortable personally. As short time rehearsal for durrington, changed this to feel more confident performing and therefore interacting better with partner (Megan), delivering a stronger performance.
from previous performance at durrington gave me more ensurance on whatt to expect and i used this to ensure others in class that were more nervous and didn't know. When getting really into the character, you forget about people watching you and you ose yourrself more which is really important for nerves

ensembles went really wel as we al maintained the high energy and eye contact with each other supported our strong bond as a team. for workshop, was partnered with one of the Meats (Talia), eeeryone was mixed characters. This was helpful as we had to work with people different to us and may have different ideas and approaches. Our group were boosted by our enthusiasm which we definitely needed to get them on the same level to be creative and experimental. Our friendly and vibrant energy with a positive attitude I feel helped them come out of their shell and led us to creating ideas. This is a perfect example of the importance of working in an ensemble, is that your attitude/approach/energy etc. will travel through the rest of the group, whether it's negative or positive which will affect the outcome of the performance.

4th October S Club Presentation Evaluation

Contribution to the project
For this task, each person in our group (Bryleah, Holly, Luke, Talia, Sam, Jordy) had a specific band member that we  researched on, and collecting our information together, we performed a short play highlighting "what makes a band successful", including the history of how they came together, how they rose to fame and what they are doing in the present.

I was involved in many ideas on what facts and information we should include in our presentation. I researched the musical style of our group and how it changed along with the audience. I also prepared my content for my own band member. In addition, I explored how the group came to fame and details of their TV show.

Devising strategies
Our improv exercise we did at the start of the lesson I feel warmed us up for the presentation, as we did not create a script but more of a plan on what to talk about and act in sections. It also gives us a chance to be more free and naturally flowing with our dialogue.
When devising within the group, it was helpful as we all had different yet similar ideas which brought together a plan of our presentation


Research content
I feel we included a lot of factual info throughout the performance, including voice over narration and through our guideline script which we improvised on as well.


Discovered/learned working as an ensemble
From this, I learned that listening to everyone's opinions individually instead of talking over one another is helpful as we can collect a range of creative ideas to pick from for our presentaion. It's god for everyone to be heard and to experiment with ideas before dismissing them. It is also more difficult when you have a laerger amount of people, as you need to make sure everyone is equally included.

What went well
Our loosely set dialogue was effective as it gave us a chance to go off-script and improvise more, including possibly lines/actions we hadn't thought of before the performance. I feel as we were all one of the members of S Club, we managed to express their personalities to our audience and they responded well to parts that were supposed to be humourous/serious etc.

Even better if
We could have extended the presentation and mentioned what they were doing in the present time and their new career paths

Costume bible

Costume bible

• information in detail about costumes
• includes accurate measurements of character
• costume changes and plot
• plenty of research
• inspirations and starting points
• Samples/swatches of fabric and what to use
• created by the costume designer for a show
• detailed information about specific add ons
• sketches of costume and drawing
• where to source material and prices
• initial and final designs

What determines a costume design

• lighting - can change colour of costume - practicality - can reveal/hide
• context of production
• time period - suitable clothing for time period ~ links to social status
• character persona/role - mood/warmth of character could link to the colours (stereotypes)
• overall mood
• colour scheme
• Budget - working out how much you need for costume and balancing with other things needed e.g set design. comparing prices and potential in different materials.
• social Status - how character is measured against another character
• S/C/H/P
• practicality - suitability to what you're doing/where you're doing/ involvement e.g Quick costume changes, lots of movement, size of space etc.
• profile
• size/figure
• templates
• location
• Original costume - taking ideas from original design of original production - how much to use from theirs compared to own ideas

Under Pressure doublecast ensemble

Today we choreographed a chosen song from the WWRY set in our separate groups, which were with our double casts (Me and Holly with Luke and Megan).

We chose 'Under Pressure', as it involves the duet between Scaramouche and Galileo which works perfectly for our pairs. We decided to sing the parts for Scaramouche/Galileo in our double cast pairs, as well as singing as an ensemble for the choruses etc. This way we could bounce off each other's vocals and build our energy for when we have to perform these songs on our own. We switched between singing to our partners and singing to our double casts, which was effective as it further brought a sense of unity which is ideal for an ensemble; showing a connection between all members of the group.

When blocking the choreography, we made sure we used the whole space by spreading out, circling around the stage with our partners and would also rejoin in various formation, interacting with each other. Harmonies and solo lines were also chosen for each other. For example, Holly sings a short verse before I join her for the "let me out" line which is powerful and punchy. We also tried choosing solo lines for "Pressure on people - people on the streets", however we didn't sound strong enough on our own so we decided to sing it together. This gave an idea for the actual performance, where we could have offstage singers who would join in for certain lines that needed a more wholesome sound, such as this line in particular.

We interacted well with the audience by directing lines and our eyeline towards them to transfer our energy to them as they focused on us. The chemistry between our partners and our double casts were strong as we had eye contact and sang to each other. I think we could have had stronger and more exaggerated facial expressions, as this is such an expressive, passionate song about being coerced.

When watching other groups' performances, we also found the energy was very high and powerful which brought the ensemble together particularly in Emily's group who performed 'I Want It All', where their collective spirit grew stronger as the song reached it's climax. I thought with Bryleah's group they also had a lot of energy and a strong contrast of the characters, with great use of facial expressions. Sometimes I felt some people were more involved than others, which can affect the overall balance of an ensemble.

reality show research

Building social profile and developing skills

Building a social profile - Twitter

1. Avatar photo - A professional, clear photo of your face that can be displayed in the small box on your page. The point of your account is for someone to see your face. Who you are, and what you look like.
2. Tweeting and sending messages during peak hours - best opportunity to be seen, read ~ enjoying your content and becoming a follower (can measure how much activity on your tweets/profile by clicking "View tweet activity" - shows how many likes/follows from specific tweets/profile clicks/detail expands). Structure tweets around schedule
3. Bio - sum up who you are in short space, be clever with it. Gives chance to add any urls to promote your other sites e.g Facebook/blog. If can't think of own description, find a famous quote that works for you
4. @message top users/large following. Chances can be slim with some, but if you get retweeted/liked/followed etc. your post can be seen my tons of people. Sometimes just @messaging other aspiring actors like yourself and people who would support you.
5. Ask questions/create polls to try and engage with loads of people. Quizzing on popular/controversial subjects and spark a chain of interactions/responses and create twitter traffic
6. share interesting links to articles/sites - Website stumbledupon.com one of the sites that have large collection of web recommendations
7. Have a more targeted audience - If you have knowledge about something go with it e.g Knitting, call yourself a pro at it and  go with it. For acting/performing arts, base your tweets on that, aim for the audience.
8. Repeat tweets at peak times, for better chance at more people seeing it - tweet your best/most informative tweets and repeat few hours later, but don't over use. Stick to method
9. Tweet photos as they grab attention quick and easily - get app on your phone, to post on the go.
10. Use other internet outlets to promote your twitter account, vice versa. FB, blog. Free advertising

Taking extra classes

ACT in Brighton - Offer Summer schools for adult actors for a chance to develop and improve skills.

ACT in Brighton - Offer audition and acting coaching, preparing you for real life events as well as improving your vocal and physical techniques

City Academy in London - Offer specific accent training surrounding American accents as this is the most common and useful collection of accents

City Academy In London - Offer specific training in all areas, including Screen Acting and the level you are currently at. 

City Academy In London - Detailed analogy of course content and shows the stunning studio space

City Academy In London - Offers private singing lessons as well as group lessons with different styles you mant want to learn/develop e.g jazz, gospel, opera, pop/rock, musical theatre etc.

Student Films: These also are often a low budget, unpaid participation, you benefit still from being able to use the content to promote yourself. It can go onto your CV and show your involvement with a variety of productions big and small.

Social Media plan

• create new twitter/instagram account - links to each other and website
• follow other amateur actors as well as ones you aspire to and are inspired by/interested in - also follow directors, small production accounts etc.
• frequently post (headshots, scenes, show photos, clips, showreels)
• once photos taken with bryleah, can post
• wednesday's and sunday's post - late afternoon/evening

• Sort out website

-Top 10 tips for website:

1. Have a clear and neat layout

2.Have gallery of headshots

3. Information explaining what you do, what you've been in

4. Contact information

5. Clips/videos of performances

6. Links

7. Skills (cv) 

• fill with photos and headshots
• more info on skills

Cosumes for Khashoggi and Killer Queen

The design I have gone for reflects Khashoggi's cold, harsh persona, His sunglasses shield his identity which reinforces his character more as a soulless being. is black suit and hat exhibits his profession and the gloves I feel resemble what a hitman would wear, as he is 'taking out' people who rebel against the society.

I had two ideas on Killer Queen's possible image. In one, she was portrayed in a large glamourous gown, wearing a frizzy large wig or back combed hair with a crown on. I think this visually really represents a 'queen'. However the colours would be dark tones, with dark heavy makeup in addition. This twist would then be original to the character.
Another idea was she could be in a corset with tights and boots, with a long jacket around her and her hair slicked back in a high ponytail. Her makeup and hair would be a metallic style, e.g silvers/golds/sparkly shades etc. This design brings it back to the fact they are in the future, where everything is seen as technology dominated, and mechanical/robotic refrences have been mentioned in the text.

I aim to work on and improve my sketches and hope to add watercolours and bigger, more polished designs.

Research on We Will Rock You

We are going to be performing "We Will Rock You", a Queen musical that was first staged in 2002.

The story takes place 300 years into the future from now, in a place once filled with a variety of tuneful, authentic sounds. Globalsoft is a company that has taken over which is now known as 'Planet Mall', where live instruments are banned and only allows digitally formed music. The head of this corporation is Killer Queen, along with sidekick chief Kashoggi and served by the Secret Police. The "Gaga kids" live in a world of constant commercials, brainwashed.

2 outcasts and rebels. Scaramouche and Galileo escape from the Police after being detained and hospitalised, and soon come across the Bohemians, others who are also trying to rediscover past music. However their only evidence is scraps of old books and posters. They have created instruments from junk, attempting to recreate what was once here, the times known as Rhapsody. The bohemians have been waiting for someone to recall old music and find instruments hidden by the rock band Queen hundreds of years ago. This soon appears to be Galileo.

Main themes:

• individuality: explores the risks of a place where everyone is the same and is conformed. 
• value of live music: the creativity and discovery of music in its own, rather than profit
• Radio gaga: WWRY storyline's starting point was from the hit song 'Radio Gaga'. The song is about music that has no real emotion or purpose attached to it, and is just one of many mainstream songs put together. This reflects the 'Gaga kids' in the musical, who are all brainwashed from soulless music. 
• internet: when linking to the musical, the internet is a main engine used to control the citizens in Planet Mall, and create digitally formed music. The internet ccan be used for marketing and links to the theme of consumerism
• consumerism: this is a main highlight of the show as it portrays how the promotion of merchandise and pop culture through commercials etc. can manipulate and change the way people think, feel about things and act. This could link to trends that carry through countries whether it's a type of music, a specific game, or a fashion trend.
• futurism and science fiction: the storyline was set 300 years into the future, and displays a possible new world. Planet Mall is a example of a disaster. The previous themes link to this as WWRY could be a sort of predicted insight into what the future will be like socially/politically/historically if these topics aren't discussed or acknowledged. 

Actor websites

http://argtalent.com/angela-griffin/ - Angela Griffin

Angela Griffin is a British actress. Her website is located on her agency's site rather than a solo site. It consists solely of her work in a CV-style. Although it lists all her work in Television, Film, Theatre and Presenting, there isn't any elaboration on them and about the actress in general. There is a lack of detail in other areas of Griffin's life, for example a biography. The page is limited to one headshot, which should at least be in a black and white tone for more professional quality.

http://www.thandie.net/ -Thandie Newton


Thandie Newton's website shows personal information of the actress including her charity work and her activism. This can reflect the type of person she is and what her personal life holds. It provides updated news posts. There are no professional headshots on the site, only photographs from paparazzi, from screen and promos. The design for the site could be more modern and updated as it is quite plain, referring to the text style and dull layout/colours.

http://www.minni
edriver.com/ - Minnie Driver

Minnie Driver is a British artist and actress. Her site offers songs for free which will attract people to listen and interest in her work. There is a lot of information and content in clear tabs on the website (Tour info, galler'y of photos and biography). There is no contact info anywhere on the site or any direction towards retrieving contact info. Her singing career dominates the site more than her acting work. Even though there is a 'Tour' tab and in her biography it states of shows she's been in such as 'Good Will Hunting', the home page seems to be dedicated to her artistry.

21st Sep

We started by doing improv games. Improv techniques are something I need to improve on and be more confident with as it deals with pressure, and quick reactions and thinking up something quickly to naturally respond to a situation you're in or a person you're with etc.

One of these games was called "Park Bench". A character that you create must keep the person sitting down from leaving while they attempt to exit, and when they do the cycle repeats. My character was an energetic child, who had a sugar rush and has lost their mum (ran away from their mum). This excersise really helped me to think outside the box and respond rapidly while embodying the character I had to promptly envision and perform

What makes musical ensemble 

2 key things I feel I used in my previous productions was

1. Commitment - I was always felt devoted to my productions in every role I've had. Whether it's characters I was not entirely comfortable with or characters I really enjoyed being. Commitment is important because if everyone is, there are no gaps/delays, issues or miscommunications, which can happen if there are people who are not as involved as others. A key factor in the commitment is in rehearsals, which can drag and be repetitive but are necessary for a group performance

2. Have Fun - I enjoyed parts of every production I've performed in, especially the rehearsals and building process of the Rent musical. I feel if everyone is enjoying themselves and is positive, then things run smoother and calmer which is the needed atmosphere.

2 key things I feel I didn't use in my previous productions were

1. Taking enough risks - Although I have done and achieved much more than I thought I ever could through these productions, I still want to take more risks for myself rather than being pushed by others. I need to take risks within myself and also share ideas of new possibilities we could use as a group.

2. Believing In Self - Like above, even though my confidence is slowing growing especially in auditions, I still need to truly believe in my own abilities and what I could achieve if I took more "risks". 

RESEARCH S CLUB 7

Research on Jo Omera and band:

• Lead vocalist of S Club 7 - Previous to this band, she had formed a band called '2-4 Family' with Jay Dogg, Joseph Jazz and Essence Woods in 1998. She sang lead in this group as well, while the others rapped
• After auditioning for soon to be S Club 7, she was successful and left her former group
• S Club's members included Paul Cattermole, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. Below, in their first interview, they describe the strong 'chemistry' that the members had with each other from the start, an instant bond. This foresees their successful career as they all accept each other as part of the new band, which means they will be good working together as a team. In addition, Paul and Hannah dated from 2001 to 2006. The uniqueness of each individual in combination separated the band from many others. One group they could relate to was Spice Girls, as everyone had something special about them that engages audience to grow to them. In the bottom video (bottom of post), the interviewer mentions how they "replaced the Spice Girls".

• S Club became popular after starring in their own TV series 'Miami 7' on CBBC. Each episode would feature their songs that they would be performing in the show. This ended up moving to 'Fox Family' American TV channel (now ABC Family), where they gained 90 million viewers from over 100 different countries. 

As mentioned earlier, the relaxed enjoyable atmosphere in this fun interview on CBBC, displays the chemistry of the band. The interview itself also shows how it is targeted towards kids considering the channel they're on, which is their main audience in general.

• During 5 successful years, they had 4 UK no.1 singles (Bring It All Back 1999, Never Had A Dream Come True 2000, Have You Ever 2001, Don't Stop Movin 2001) and had sold over 14 million albums worldwide. Their first 2 albums 'S Club' and '7' genre was full of teen pop/pop and disco.
• They performed live on stages to very large audiences, initially to young children to more mature audiences

• Also discussed in the first video (at top of post), band rehearsals overall went smoothly. They mentioned how they would support one another as it was often 'nerve-wracking' on set. As it was all new to them and they were just a bunch of kids, they all needed each others' help and encouragement. Sometimes they would argue now and then, but a balance can be a healthy process in rheearsing as you learn to resolve your issues. Generally, rehearsals would be positive where there would always be joking and laughs here and there between the members.

Technical rehearsals

• Their musical style changed overtime, from 90s pop to an RNB influence, particularly in the third album 'Sunshine'. This I feel changed their audience who initially were predominantly children and teens (establishing from a kids channel), to appealing to an older crowd.

'Show Me Your Colours' is a song from the album 'Sunshine'. This R&B ballad shows the alteration in music style. This may have been the band adapting to the popular trend at that moment, or simply a shakeup and preference in style.

• They won many awards including 2 Brit awards and and Record Of the Year
• In 2002, Paul Cattermole left the band which in result altered it's name to 'S Club'. He had gone on to join a metal rock band called 'Skua'. This suggests he left due to the change in music style the group had taken. 1 year later, the group split. This senses that the departure of one member imbalances the group as a whole, and can slowly fall apart. It can suggest that every member had an equal importance therefore affecting the group, or that he was the 'glue' that held S Club together.

In this interview, they discuss their mutual reasons for the band splitting, that they have 'achieved' what they wanted to.

• Jo signed a solo recording deal with Sanctuary Records, the label behind bands like KISS. She had a debut single 'What Hurts The Most' which was no.13 in the singles chart. She later left the label due to struggles at being a successful solo artist. This implies that all members individually added something special to S Club making it triumphant, that their unique personality/skills contributed in some way. 
• In 2014, A Club 7 rejoined for a performance for Children in Need. A year later the reunion tour 'Bring It All Back' followed

Overall, the massive success of S Club 7 throughout their career comes down to the strong friendships/relationships between each other, as with this they were able t communicate and support each other effectively, which gave them that mutual strive to work hard, stay invested and committed to the group, and see everyone as equally important in the band. These major elements are what make a successful musical ensemble.

15th september

Killer Queen is the powerful mastermind of Globalsoft, who Khashoggi works for/with to ensure all live music and instruments are banned. The villain of the plot, hence her accurate title. her reign of terror makes sure everyone is kept in line, or they are brainwashed.
khashoggi is the

head of the secret police, and devoted to stand by the queen's side. he is described as "heartless" and cold as he initially never was brainwashed when he chose to stand with the boss.

Killer queen's role's effect and contribution to the plot is that she represents a leader with too much power, creating their own rules and forcing a way of life on everyone under her, and any deviation from the social norm would be punished.
Khashoggi's contribution is that his character transitions into a weaker version, and as a result of Galileo and Scaramouche escaping the heartbreak hotel,  the queen turns on him and he gets brainwashed, becoming just like the gaga kids etc.

Killer Queen and Khashoggi's relationship together was strong and a sort of partner-in-crime connection. This however fizzled when the incident happened, which is interesting to see how quick she cuts him off like there was no real friendship etc. The queen stands by herself. Relationships with the yuppies can be seen as similar. The yuppies are infatuated by her and obey her commands which is clearly from the brainwash. I feel the queen sees them nothing more than her minions that carry out her orders while she watches over. The bohemians are the seekers of rebellion against the queen, bringing her and her minions down, which is the same feelings she has against them, to end their fight and create a few more gaga kids and yuppies and continue her leadership over planet mall.
Khashoggi's relationship is only significantly obvious with the queen and the secret police. His relationships mimic those of her's when exploring the bohemians, yuppies etc.