Evaluation of the process:
I personally think it was a very interesting process. Site specific is a lot harder than it looks, so it has been very challenging for me. Also having taking on a more dominant role of directing with Nathan is also new for me which was also more difficult than it looks. I think with my scene we came a long way to get to where we are now because it was solid for a while, the idea changed a few times compared to how it started. I think directing on your own is completely different than directing with a partner as you both have different opinions and outlooks on what works in the piece and what doesn't, what we like and dislike, and everything in the scene itself. Working with first years was great because it was a chance to see what they can do and how well they take direction/criticism. It was a little difficult sometimes to get them to do what we want them to do. Also having a member leave was a lot harder because at first, our scene only needed around six people. But we were having actors come in and fill in for parts to help us in the scene, but because we wouldn't see them until the night, it was really hard to rehearse because it involved us having to get Amber and Nathan to say everything when we thought about some of the other actors saying a few small parts as well/nothing too much. We have had a feeling that when it gets to the night of the performance, our scene will change slightly due to having more actors/adrenaline and an audience. For research with our first idea including the baby, we looked at Ebola (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34728583 ) & http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/baby-and-maternal-deaths-soar-in-sierra-leone-amid-ebola-fears-researchers . I watched the film 'World War Z' as well. To help with the idea of when we had a baby in the scene I watched this part of "Sophie's choice".
Show Day prep:
We had a lot to get through as we needed to make the set the way we wanted it and brief our new actors. Ella also took us to our site so we could brief the camera men about our scene so they know where to do the camera angles. She also told us that our scene has got bigger and we have way more props and costumes. We was given two bats and we wasn't sure why, but when we got to the site Ella explained what would happen and instead of me getting shot, I would be getting whacked round the head with a bat.
So now the scene goes like this:
- People are called in and too stop for their own safety
- Nathan explains who they are and what is going to happen
- I will be coughing in the audience
- Eventually Nathan will notice and bring me out
- Other CDC members will be checking other audience members
- Army officers will be standing around with torches
- Nathan will call for assistance and I will be taken behind the plastic sheeting and whacked with the bat
- Blood will splatter on the sheet
- I will be dragged to where the other body bags will be placed
- That is then the cue for the audience to leave when the other CDC members and army officers shout that there is nothing too see here.
So then we went down to our set and started to build our set and we had some help of a man who was acting in the project. So our site went from this:
(This is where I will be taken)
(This is where the body bags will be)
(This is where the military truck will be)
(This is the inside)
(This is a pathway where audience can come from)
TOO THIS:
We also had to brief our actors, it was quite hard to brief them and took a while, we had to do it a few times. One of the actors mentioned me being bitten by a zombie instead because zombie's got bought into our scene, but I said that changes our whole story line and were not sure if the zombie's are allowed to touch us. Eventually it came onto the first group of people, the first time we performed the scene it was so rushed and our actors didn't do anything that we wanted them to do so afterwards we briefed them again just to make sure everyone was completely sure. At some points the scene went messy and other times it went so well. It really depended on the audience we had. I felt as the night went on, the scene got so much better but we also got so tired. There wasn't many connections from the company on what time to finish, whether we could take a break or anything to be honest. It was a really tiring night and I didn't realise site specific would be so tiring, but I guess repeating the exact same scene the whole night can really wear you out. There was many drunk players this made it more difficult to act because they would realise that I wasn't with them before and that would give away the entire scene before we had even started, some of the audience members made comments on how the storyline is so obvious and all that but I just had to ignore it, as did everyone else and just carry on with the scene anyway.
I would do it again, but I would have the scene nailed down way sooner than we had. To be honest, I loved our scene now that I look back but it took a long way to get like that in the short time we had to change it from our original idea. I have learnt a lot from this unit such as how to get an audience's attention, how to go really far in a performance and not hold back and just to be more serious and natural as I haven't always been casted in such serious roles and plays.
I used skills of naturalism and being serious in my role. I usually have a problem with laughing when I am nervous or uncomfortable but I managed to sustain that. I think this role was hard for me to take on because it is so different to anything I have ever done before but I think I did well to produce the character.
Evaluation of performance:
my self evaluation:
our group evaluation:
I think for our scene the overall effect was that, even though I wasn't causing any harm I was still an issue and they handled me with no sympathy. It shows how real it can be with society that it's what has to be done sometimes no matter how innocent somebody thinks they are.
I understand that performing in a site specific performance you need to constantly be on the ball and you always need to have 100% energy. You have to perform the same scene so many times, which means you have so many times to get it right or improve it but you still need to give it your all the entire time. You cannot come out of character for one second because you will most likely have to do the scene straight after you finished it. The scene and acting needs to be delivered better every time. By having the chance to do the scene so many times, you have the chance to change it up a bit and try new things to see what does and doesn't work.
Learning outcomes:
1. Know the nature of site specific performance as an art form:
Site specific is specific to the site of the performance. Style of performance and the audience participation. The nature of the audience engagement.
2. know the legislative requirements related to a site-specific performance:
The legal requirements are risk assessments, site restrictions, site inventory, health and safety requirements, first aid requirements, security, regulations re use of value/insurance, legal issues re use of space.
Rehearsal process', and development (R+D) / research and development.
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