CityScape Planning!

I know I've already posted about actually filming the project which really does come after the planning section but hey. What's the fun in doing things in order, right...?

(My Project Book ;) )

As it turns out, planning a film is... hard. Planning a film by yourself? VERY STRESSFUL!
Because aside from writing a script and putting ideas onto a page (which my lovely writer, Rena Freefall, kindly did for me), a hell of a lot of through has to go into the actual making of a film. 

Finding actors is difficult - the fact that my lead actor dropped out in the last week leaving me actorless for a short while almost gave me a heart attack.
Sourcing props is very expensive.
Planning how long filming will take/what shots to use is nigh impossible given that there are a lot of external factors to take into account for an indie film as unlike big budget films, we don't have the luxury of telling the public to get out of the way. Which isn't usually a problem - except I was very determined to have my film take place in the midst of London's biggest and brightest, and therefore busiest spots.

However, all that aside, I loved it. Every stage of it. From telling my idea to a writer, to seeing it written on a page, to finding places to make the story come alive, to facebook stalking all my guy friends to finding a replacement actor. To drawing hilarious stick-men storyboards (which I really wish I had taken a photo of now to show you, because they really were appaaaaaaallingly drawn....) to doing time sheets and prop sheets and costuming. It was... amazing. To be completely in charge of my own project for the first time really was an amazing experience - and even more of a learning curve!

I am not expecting this film to be anything great, or to get anywhere or for anyone even to watch it (outside of myself at least 101 times to over analyse it of course...).
But that's okay. Because that's not what this project was about. 

This project was about me proving to myself that I could direct, produce and film a short film. That I am capable of doing all these things, even if it is going to be an extraordinarily amateur film. But that's okay. Baby steps right? 

All of this being said however, I do intend to make this the very best that I can, because a lot of work went in to it, not just by me, but also by my lovely actors, cameraman, writer and the music guy. 

So. Here's to another Indie Film :)

Until Next Time~

Punchdrunk: The Drowned Man

The Best Theatrical Experience.

The Drowned Man, by Punchdrunk has become somewhat of a legend among aspiring theater students as it is not only entirely unconventional, but is also an entirely interactive and immersive experience. 

From before you even enter the studios where the piece is set, you feel the buzz and excitement all around you from the other audience members, all apprehensive, nervous and yet strangely excited. You have to queue to get in and they require you to leave all bags in their bag storage area, for reasons which become obvious once you enter the main stage performance space.

The studio is built up of four different floors. You enter the performance via the elevator after being given a mask which you are to wear for the duration of the performance. The Gatekeeper gives you a bit of an idea of what you are about to experience whilst encouraging you to stay away from friends and experience this performance by yourself. This may seem daunting, given the creepy music and dark hallways, however I found it to be highly beneficial to split up from my friends as this helped add to the realistic feel of the performance. 

The first floor, from what I could see was only props which you were allowed to touch and examine as you liked. The belonged to the characters of the play and every detail was absolute perfection. You could spend hours trawling through the different rooms, exploring the lives of the characters through their possessions.

However the main action happened on the upper floors. Characters were scattered around the building in different rooms and each of them had their own, highly detailed story. There were two 'main' storylines, the William and Mary story, and the Marshal and Wendy story, one of which was an inversion of the other. 

The characters all interacted with each other at one point or another, using a mixture of dialogue and contemporary dance to convey the emotions and aims of each scene before they would split off. The wonderful thing about this was that you could follow any characters you liked!

After examining the first floor for a length of time, I then found William and Mary and decided to follow their story line for a while, swapping between following William and Mary and some other of the main characters until that storyline was finished (each story looped 3 times). After that, I followed random characters, which turned out to be highly confusing at first, as I had no idea who they were in relation to anyone else, but somehow found Marshal, entirely by accident, and managed to catch the end of his story with Wendy before everyone was gathered together for a truly haunting ending.

The experience was entirely amazing. Props, set, costume, performance... everything was done in so much detail that the world and stories truly came alive in that space. I would say that it is not only one of the best performances, but also one of the best experiences I have ever had and has also given me an idea for a new project I would like to do! (When I eventually get money that is...)

Anyway, The Drowned Man is only on for another few performances, so if I were you, I'd get down there straight away!

Tickets can be found HERE.

Other than that, that's all from me for today. Catch you soon :)

xxx

'CityScape' Filming!

From behind the camera...

[Messing around backstage!]

Acting is a passion of mine, as you might have gleaned from my blog. In fact, creative endeavors in general seem to dominate the majority of my life, whether it be acting, drawing/painting, writing, singing, piano playing and, as of recently, also directing. 

[Roses, in a flask!]

One of the great things about having been part of more experimental theatre companies from a young age with a focus on devised work is that, whilst you develop important acting skills, there are many opportunities to develop one's ideas and experience some directing. 

[On location - can you guess where? ;)]

So last January, I set myself five resolutions. One of which was to make my very own short film, which as of yesterday I have finally managed! (Well kind of... I still have all the post-production to do, which is obviously a massive ordeal!). But for me this has been a great learning curve so far, from all the ordeals of the last post, through all the unexpected problems during filming. However I am really happy with the footage so far and can't wait to start putting it all together. But first... About Filming!

Introducing the Actors:

[Lead Actress: Anoushka Probyn]

[Lead Actor: Thomas Kirby]

The premise of the film is that it is essentially a love chase round London's brightest sights. It will be a short artsy/fashion film which I intend to be only a few minutes long (five at maximum). 

[Best. Steak. Baguettes. Ever. #Camden]

[Food Break!]

[Tea Break]

[Drinking]

[MORE FOOD!]

It was a very fun experience for me and I feel that I have learnt a lot from this! And whilst I found cinematography to be a fun experience, I felt that being behind camera and focusing on footage distracted from my ability to direct. Next time I will definitely find a cameraman/woman to help! Also someone to properly do cinematography as that is definitely not where my talents lie!. I would also bear in mind that sometimes, the general public just get in the way... 

However in whole, I'd say it filming was a success! Now onto postproduction! :D

THAT'S A WRAP! ;)

xxx

CYAC: Advent Avenue

                                                      Merry Christmas Everyone~

                              

                                                     (Cast of CYAC and director, Paul Mayers)

So, another Christmas show has come and gone again and with it, my penultimate term with Contact Theatre's CYAC. 

Needless to say, it was a terrific, and spectacular performance that not only showed off the sheer range of talent CYAC has to offer, but also provides the audience with one hell of an experience! The show ended up being some what like an episode of Corrie, but with even more drama! The play was split into five different stories, however each of them intermingling with the overall theme of children playing in an attic. My story was, I have been told, the most chilling of the whole play, which is not only a compliment but also an absolute delight to hear! 

                                

                                                                        (The Big House)

My character, Ruth from the Big Housr sets out to ruin Christmas for her ten year old younger brother, Edward (played by the wonderful Mr Eddie) by revealing to him that Santa isn't real during the very last moments of Christmas Eve! Add that to a drunken father and a mother who is more bitter about the way her life has ended up than most Disney Villians, it's safe to say this was a dark story. Oh, and did I mention my father was having an affair with the mother of the Small House? Dramatically, we played with tension and subtext to create a multitude of moments that were almost so ridiculous you wanted to laugh, but at the same time, is so awful that laughing would be a really terrible thing.... 

For me, creating this balance between funny yet awkward was brilliant fun and I learnt a lot about how powerful silence is!

Through this play, I met a hell of a lot of people with so much talent and even more enthusiasm for acting that it really has been a brilliant learning experience for me. The role of Ruth was initially challenging as I rarely had any lines, so all my characterisation was through my physicality. This isn't something particularly new to me and I feel that I was able to convey the character's feelings at all times :) 

The Cast of CYAC

                                

My father, played by Ross Macaffrey and my mother, played by Hannah Foster

So, once again, I would like to say a HIGE thank you to the Contact team for choosing me to be a part of this truly magnificent group and, although I am having to take a break before my final term (due to my compulsory year abroad for Uni), I look forward to the day I can reclaim my spot as part of CYAC. 

Thank you for reading and I hope to post again soon! 

Xxx

School for Scandal

(Flier) 

School for Scandal, an 18th C play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan has been revitalised by the Warwick drama group. Now set in present day New York, the play brings all the fun from the play into a Gossip Girl-esque play, equipped with preppy uniforms, status headbands and many a sarcastic comment. 

The play is a comedy, exploring the various relationships and deals between the characters to weave a story full of misunderstandings and schemes gone awry. It also teaches of how appearances can be most misleading. 

The script seemed to me to be predominately as written, the clash of centuries very obvious, however I feel that this added to the charm of the piece. It was a very refreshing and fun play to watch eliciting more than a few laughs from the audience! 

The cast were perfect on every front for each of the roles and it was great to see such a wide variety of characters played. 

The play was put on as part of a new scheme at Warwick University, with each of the plays in this project being given £25 and three weeks to put on a performance. I think that everyone involved, from cast to crew, did amazingly well, and for that to have come from a mere three weeks of work is simply amazing! 

As per usual, well done to director Olivia (Cole), and producer Emily Nabney! I cannot wait to see the next performance, whatever that may be! 

Until next time... 

XOXO

CYAC: Advent Avenue ~

(CYAC dress up)

Phew! Almost the first weekend of December! After two weeks of daily five hour rehearsals, we are almost in the last stretch of rehearsal for our CYAC (contact young actor's company) and boy, are we excited!! 

Advent Avenue, directed by Contact Theatre's very own Paul Mayers, is about 

'Christmas Eve on Advent Avenue, and all of the children have been banished to the attic, where they gather amongst the spider-webs, boxes and broken TVs. It’s a place where their imagination can come alive, but someone is watching from the shadows. Tonight something is going to happen that will change everything...'

'In a performance that blurs the boundaries of the real and the imagined, Contact Young Actors Company will show you the secrets of Advent Avenue, from the awkward office party and the cosy family feast to a banging drunken brawl. Until, finally, the future of Christmas is revealed.' 

A predominately naturalistic performance,  Advent Avenue is, so far, an entirely new experience for me, providing me with such great acting skills! The whole show is entirely self devised and as there were no 'set characters' like there are in Commedia, I originally found this project to be very difficult. With only the poster and some very cryptic hints from Paul as to what our performance will include, we began to imagine what would happen onside the different buildings, how the relationships between the different characters function and from little snippets of scenes that we create, we can deduce the bigger picture of what life is like on Advent Avenue. Slowly but surely, we are starting to shape our characters, initially having only a few vague characteristics before moving on to figuring out why they have these character traits. Essentially? What makes these characters tick. 

My character, Ruth, is from the 'Big House'. She lives with her dad, mum and you get brother. She is roughly 14 years old in the play and is so far proving to be a very fun character to play. At first I was worried that I was just going to play myself as I felt that I didn't know who my character was. However, last week, something 'clicked', and I found a personality for her. She still shares some similarities with me, however it's by focussing on her differences and aims that I managed to finally cultivate this darker-than-I-could-have-imagined character. And I absolutely love the role! 

It is also very interesting to see how other people's characters and scenes are developing as having been there from the beginning of the process, to see the progress that everyone has made and how everyone is working together to create such truly wonderful pieces of theatre is just.... It is trip inspiring for me to be able to witness, and of course spurs me on to do even better. 

Once again, I am hit with an overwhelming realisation that every time I go into rehearsal, I am surrounded by such a wealth of raw theatrical talent, and I am thankful that I managed to be a part of this theatre troupe! It is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life this far and I find myself already worrying about how fast I seem to be going through the terms! 

And now, all I can say, is that I am so very excited for this show!!! Bring on Christmas!! 

(For more information and tickets, please go here: http://contactmcr.com/whats-on/6634-cyac-advent-avenue/ )

Xxx

MIPP at the Fusilier Museum~

[Rehearsals]

It had been a crazy busy week here in Manchester and although reading week was supposed to be about catching up with uni work, deadlines and, believe it or not, reading, I have been involved in more acting projects in this past week than ever before!

As indicated in my last post, I was part of a theatre company called 'MIPP', otherwise known as 'Make it Public Productions' (twitter - @MIPPManchester), which is a new theatre group here in Manchester. The aims are 'to create theatre everywhere and anywhere', and for the past month, we had been working towards two productions, 'The Night of Neon' and now this. 

Last Wednesday (30/10/2013) I was involved in yet another production for MIPP which was held at the Bury Fusilier Museum(Twitter - @FusilierMuseum). The piece was for the museum's 'Family Day', which is centred around inspiring children to come and visit the museum and possibly get a little more knowledge about what the museum has to offer, not just in terms of historical knowledge but also the creative outlets available. 

The pieces we created followed a general theme of Past, Present and Future and used a total of 5 actors, myself included, to devise 9 separate pieces of theatre inspired around the museum's past, present and future. 

At the very beginning of the process, we were given some source material (namely memories and anecdotes from people who were involved with the museum) and then those stories were then narrowed in to 9 titles, each of which were delegated to us to devise some theatre which is not only suitable for but also engaging to children.

Needless to say this was rather difficult for me, as I- a true Londoner through and through, had only visited the museum a handful of times before being told to bring these stories to life. The titles I was given were 'Lowry Taught Here' (Past), 'When I grow up' (Future) and 'What the building will become' (Future). We worked in pairs to create the pieces and were also given 3 wooden blocks each, which we could use either as staging or as props.

The Museum was very very loud, which created a huge problem as we then had to shout our lines in order for them to get heard by the children, which therefore made the first piece ('Lowry Taught Here') not just inaudible and therefore confusing for the audience, but also, I felt, more than a little boring, due to the very textual based nature of the piece. The next two were slightly more abstract and involved music for the second one (we weaved the song 'Wavin' Flag' through the piece to help the fluidity of the scene changes) and a lot more physical theatre for the third one, using the wooden blocks to help illustrate our ideas of what the building could potentially become. 

Two other members of the company also provided music every twenty minutes, some of which were covers (including 'You Got the Love' by Florence and the Machine, 'Don't Look Back in Anger' by Oasis and 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles) as well as some original songs. They sang acoustic duets of the versions and I can honestly say they are both amazing musicians and singers and it was absolutely wonderful to hear them sing. 

Overall, I feel that the performance went quite well and, although I felt slightly under prepared for the task at hand at times, the Museum was generally very supportive, MIPP were very enthusiastic and most of the audience (especially the children :) ) seemed to really enjoy the performance. 

So, that has been my Reading Week so far! Now that those two performances are done, I believe that will be all I'm doing with MIPP (for the time being at least) and although I will miss working with the group and the projects, I am almost glad that I can calm down a little and just focus on my usual mix of Uni and CYAC!

Until next time~